Have you ever said something you wish you could take back?  I certainly have… just yesterday in fact.  With the use of a few wrong words, we can spend hours, even days, with our head in the sand, thinking of ways to make amends.

This happens in business as well.  Even the best of companies slip up now and then, issuing a statement or making a comment that results in a miscommunication of the message.  And now with the use of the internet and social sites, this message can spread like wildfire.

However, the opposite is also said to be true.  Through the power of social media, the right words can spread just as quickly. So, what if you had the inside scoop?  To know ahead of time what words to use on these social media sites to make your company’s message spread quickly and in a well received fashion.

Although a lot of understanding about what words and messages work best through social media is still done by trial and error, we are beginning to see some trends.  I recently came across a study by Dan Zarrella, author of the O’Reilly Media book “The Social Media Marketing Book”, which provides insight into the best and worst words for companies to use on Facebook.

The way your Facebook messages are worded can have a dramatic effect on the users opinion about your message and how likely they are to share it.  Check out the following chart of the words that are well received:

The study found that messages using words such as “best”, “most”, “why” and “how” work well and are shared more often.

Yes, communicating your company’s message through social media will still take a bit of trial and error.  But, keep your head out of the sand… begin by incorporating some of these “should use” words into your message and letting them work for you!