This year has been a bit of a roller coaster… we know you all feel us. One with moments that feel completely surreal. Challenging yet empowering.
As we are trying to guide our businesses through what has been a year unlike one we’ve ever seen, we’ve had quite a few moments online that have stopped us in our scroll… and not in a good way, but more of a “honey, nooooo” kind of way. So let’s chat a little about what you should consider before posting online.
The last thing we ever want to do is appear out-of-touch or tone-deaf to what’s going on around us. So the question is posed… “How do we show up as a brand on social right now?”
Your message needs to be sensitive to the bigger picture. As you are filtering into your audience’s news feed, how are you showing up? Are you coming across as pitchy and cringy, or are you helpful and engaging?
Here are a few DON’Ts and we’ll get into a couple of suggestions for some DOs.
DON’T...
- Ignore what’s going on. What do we mean? It would be super hard to ignore what’s happening in the world and just move forward, status quo… but some do. Ill-timed posts, completely inundating with sales pitches, not considering what your audience members are going through is a sure-fire way to alienate your followers.
DO...
- Add value. We aren’t saying stop selling, just don’t ONLY sell. Find a way to provide value to your audience so your brand becomes top of mind when they are searching for a solution to an issue only you can provide. Your audience will be more receptive to your “pitch post” it that isn’t all they see.
DON’T...
- Be ignorant with your engagement. If you are sharing content from other sources, be sure you are reading articles and not just headlines. You don’t want to appear uneducated or thoughtless because a well-intentioned post wasn’t researched.
DO...
- Research. Research. Research. Make sure your sources are credible and align with the values of your brand. Make sure you are intentional with your sharing, comments and reactions as they are reflective of the company.
DON’T...
- Don’t take advantage of the situation. Sometimes it could be innocent, but that is not always the case. One of the most cringy things to see are ads that pop up exploiting a situation - quque the high-priced cleaners designed to kill bacteria🙄
DO...
- Be thoughtful with how you can still participate in building relationships because we’re all going through these challenges together and your community is looking to your brand for helpful solutions. So as you’re crafting your message, thinking about your tone, who you are, and what you want to be known for. Add your brand’s personality into the message. You are not your product. You are the value you bring to others.
A few other DOs…
- Be an advocate - stand-up for what’s right. You can show you care, but do it in a way that is not washed out or muted. Show up and be genuine.
- Show up with clear messaging - if you are changing your hours or are reopening your business with expected changes outline your expected client experience.
- POST - keep this acronym in mind when creating your content
- Personalize
- Open-ended question
- Style - flare, tone, brand - should be able to read the post and know who you are
- Timeliness - being in tune with what’s going
At the end of the day, give your audience a reason for them to support your business. To chose you. To advocate for your brand. Give your brand a personality and focus on the heart of your company… then show and deliver that.
How are you adjusting how you maximize your voice on social? We want to hear from you!
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