Building a social media presence opens up a world of opportunities to strengthen
your brand and drive conversions. Unfortunately when performed badly, you can
potentially alienate your customers and find yourself slipping down a slide into a
pool of despair and irrelevance.
Thankfully it isn’t as hard as you may initially think to become a social media
virtuoso. The devices and apps we use to access our preferred social channels may
feel like they’re constantly being updated, but luckily, human evolution works at a
slower pace. There are many truths that can be applied to all demographics and
social channels to actively increase brand appeal to your prospective customers.
Know Your Audience
You currently have access to a wider range of analytics and data than ever before.
Use it to build a clear picture of your customer base. Clearly, define the common
traits amongst them, and then tailor your channels accordingly. Use your company
name to engage in things of interest to them in the physical world. Help a charity
close to their hearts, create content of interest and share their posts when they do
something amazing.
Humanise Your Presence
To fully utilize social media you have to take into account the motives of the people
you’re engaging. The vast majority of your audience is not there to shop or see
adverts. They are there to engage with friends, colleagues, and family. For them, it’s a
social and personal space. Invading this personal time with something of little to no
value will not be looked upon favorably.
The aim is not to sell to your audience, but to simply be an accepted and enjoyable
part of their digital universe. The conversions will naturally follow. How do you
achieve this? Simple. Humanise your presence in a way that’s relevant to your target
audience.
Use a personable tone of voice. Don’t be afraid to show human traits. Some of the
most successful online accounts are built on a shared sense of humor. Show
empathy and be sincere when it’s appropriate. This is the biggest change to the
marketing dynamic when using social media. It’s a two-way street.
Key Points:
- Display the human attributes that best reflect your business and appeal to
your target demographic. - Become a friend in their digital universe. Instead of performing a hard sell,
share cool content they will be interested in. Have an opinion on industry
news, and ask for theirs. Tell a joke occasionally. - Join in the conversations happening in the places your potential customers
will be. - Find the human angle for your product or brand, then create content around
it. Evoke an emotional response. - Take the bad with the good. Praise is always great, but criticism and
complaints provide a golden opportunity to not only listen but to showcase
desirable qualities. Don’t be afraid to apologize, empathize or show you care.
Every complaint is an opportunity to change a perception of your business.
Once you have a persona, use it. Don’t just post updates about your company. You
sound like the needy person at a party who only ever talks about themselves. Listen
as much as you speak. If people mention you, comment on your posts or even
complain, reply to them in an open and honest way. This builds transparency and
authenticity. Care about your customer’s experience.
The way a company behaves on its social channels quickly becomes a huge defining
factor in how the company and the brand are viewed. Aim to build lasting and
honest relationships, not to become just a commercial break between programs
where everybody leaves the room to do something else.
If you need assistance with your social media presence get in touch today. We
always love to hear from existing and potential clients, and we’re always happy to
help.
