In this first of a new series of posts, Jonathan Hall talks about why it’s important for a brand to have “personality” in it’s social media and what personality traits contribute to positive engagement.
Hall is a founding partner of American Pop, a Social Media Marketing/PR agency focusing on the “social” part of social media servicing Entertainment, Auto, Health & Beauty, CPG, Consumer Electronic and other market sectors. Join his conversation on @americanpop.
I am asked occasionally to list “best practices” for social media. A static granular list of best practices wouldn’t be relevant to every brand. Some brands focus their social efforts on getting the word out about sales and specials, some brands offer resourceful information to their customers even if it’s not directly tied to a sale, some brands yell at the top of their lungs, some whisper… all are forms of communication and all can work depending on your brand personality.
This brings up a larger question of the importance of having a “Brand Personality”. I believe that personality brings the brand to life, creates an identifiable image and enables likability which, in turn, makes engagement possible. Ad campaigns can be great at summing up a brand personality in a few words Just Do It, Guinness for Strength!, Fly The Friendly Skies (these aren’t exactly new, but you get the point). Social Media offers an opportunity for a brand to show its personality, by example, without it looking like a marketing plan or ad campaign.
There are three qualities, in step with brand personality, that seem to be common to every good social media engagement strategy that I’ve seen or executed:
- Authenticity
- Relevancy
- Respectfulness
Authenticity
Being authentic ensures that you’re in step with how people conduct themselves within social media. Pretending to be something or someone you are not is so obvious and off-putting to most people. For example, it can be a pretty slippery slope if you’re doing a pro-active influencer outreach campaign and you’re pretending to be an expert on something when you’re not. We find that being transparent about who you are and pointing people to where they can get the information they need is a much better strategy.
Relevancy
Doing your homework on your customers ensures that you are delivering messaging, content, promotions, etc. that speak to what is important to them. Listening to your customers is crucial. You may find that your customer base is split into very distinct groups with different interests. Social media does offer us the luxury of not having to be a “one size fits all” kind of thing. Also, it allows you to be nimble with delivery. By listening to your customers, you can deliver content, promos, etc. that really speak to what’s important to them.
Respectfulness
Asking permission to engage ensures that you stay clear of spamming. This is not an issue with your established social profiles (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) as they are all opt-in. They are giving you permission to engage just by following you. Pro-active outreach to Bloggers, established social networking groups, discussion threads, etc. is very different. Bloggers do not want an unsolicited comment from a brand on their blog. If someone is nurturing a community of discussion forums on a particular topic they don’t want to be taken over by unsolicited brand ads. If someone started a fan page, they don’t want a brand to spam their wall with ads. Be authentic. Be relevant. By simply reaching out directly to the bloggers, group leaders or moderators and asking permission to engage will keep you from crossing the line to crass spammer.
In terms of a “how to” guide on consumer engagement through social media, that doesn’t seem to exist. The only absolutes I know of related to social media engagement with consumers is that it is a lot of work and always will be a lot of work. “Earned Media” really is earned, there is no free ride!
The Social Media Bootcamp series reinforces the best practices required for successful social media marketing. The series serves both as an introduction to core concepts for newbies and reinforcement of core concepts for busy industry veterans. Send us your ideas for topics for future Social Media Bootcamp posts.
