Keep It Real with Social Media
Are your social media interactions feeling a bit stale? Probably because they are! Social media is where users have an opportunity to be social with each other. They are not there with the intention of purchasing anything, so you must remember that your business is there almost as a side thought, but it doesn’t mean your interactions with them are! It means that your interactions with your target audience must reflect the social nature of the platform. If you are only pushing promotions and e-commerce specials, then your target audience will soon ignore you, because you are not fitting the criteria of the platform you are on.
There are several tactics you can incorporate in your social media interactions which can help you to achieve a human touch, and using humour is just one of them. We all need a bit of humour in our lives and there is no reason why you can’t share this with your customers on social media. The truth is, if you’re funny, or if you have someone who works for you who is (and is qualified to look after your social media accounts) then use them! Funny commentary online will attract engagement, and people will remember your business’s name.
Keep it Real! Yes, I am being serious. Clichés aside, if you talk like a real person, people will engage with you. If you use jargon, you not only risk alienating your audience, but you come across as being ‘out of touch’. Without the jargon, people are more likely to share your content, whether it be a funny remark, an insightful solution to a problem or a topical event. Sometimes you need to ask yourself, “What does real look and sound like?” and if anything you do online falls outside of this, then don’t post it.
If you own a bricks-and-mortar business, as well as provide an online experience, whether it be e-commerce focused or not, a seamless experience is essential to keeping the customers you have, regardless of if it is in the physical or digital world. And when I say online experience, this doesn’t necessarily have to be a website either, and any social media platform can be used instead.
We’re all human – we make mistakes! You will, at some stage or another, make a mistake online too. You might accidentally provide some incorrect information in relation to a customer query, or you might make a typo whilst advertising a promotion. Whatever it is, own up to the mistake and provide a solution. The faster you take care of the error, the more respect you will gain from your customer.
There is a heightened perfectionism in the realm of social media these days. Hello? Nobody is perfect, and this statement also runs true for businesses. If you are transparent in your transactions and communications, you will develop the ‘voice’ you will have spent so much time strategizing in your branding guideline. It essentially means developing verisimilitude. Oh wait, that’s jargon though, so let me rephrase… you will be Keeping It Real!