When you walk into a local establishment, are you more likely to make purchases, enjoy your visit, return, and recommend to all of your friends if the vibe you get is authentic and relatable? On the other hand, is your answer to the last questions the same if the vibe is excessively curated and the owners seem detached from their products or services despite creating an aesthetic of perfection? Maybe we are crazy, but we would pick authentic and relatable any day!
Here’s the thing… pleasing aesthetics, catchy taglines, and romanticizing your brand are indeed critical to social media advertising. But, and it’s a BIG but, when that becomes too much, and you lose the honest portrayal of the “you” behind the brand as well as the heart of where the brand started, it’s going to seriously detract from the brand loyalty you could have from customers which includes shares and referrals.
Probity Over Perfection
Trustworthiness, honesty, integrity, and consistency are all important to customers when latching on to brands and products. This may sound intense. After all, we are “just” talking about social media, right? Oh, friends…there is no “JUST” about it anymore! The social media accounts for your small business will likely be your primary source of marketing, advertising, and customer connection for the foreseeable future. For many companies, social media pages DEFINE the brand. Because of that, what you post needs to align with your values and those of your company. It must also be honest, authentic, and relatable to your target audience. Know that it is okay to post filter-free and even share your struggles, challenges, or failures. Of course, keep yourself aware of the fine line here and avoid over-sharing personal information, speaking ill of other brands and people, or otherwise shining a negative light on your brand.
Fake News, Fake Views
Please, oh please…avoid posting images, videos, or descriptions of your product that are Facetuned or tweaked to portray them doing things they do not, appearing differently than they do in real life, or working in ways they are not intended to. You want…scratch that, NEED there to be congruency between what a customer orders based on the advertisements they see and what they receive. Although it may be tempting to boost orders and engagement by altering your content to “jazz up” your products, the negative feedback, returns, and engagement decreases once all these products are delivered will pack a counter punch that will knock you straight on your behind. This is especially true if you are new or still developing a loyal customer base.
Hello, Who Is This?
When responding to customer comments or messages, use your authentic voice in your replies. Writing back with what you think they may want to hear seems like a good idea at first, but portraying your own voice and respectful opinions or answers is going to give this customer a better sense of who they are interacting with and the brand they are choosing to give their time and money. Will this draw in every messenger as a long-term customer? No, but it will allow you to build a loyal and authentic following and create a desirable consistency for your customer base.
Make sure to maintain a respectful, professional tone along with your sincerity. Remember that anything you say on the internet can, and likely WILL, be used either for or against you. Be sure to take ownership of any errors you’ve made and apologize when appropriate. Humility is key when interacting with customers so they know you will take responsibility for any issues and help work to resolve them. This increases your chances of retaining those clients.
It's not just direct interaction with customers that needs to be sincere, but your content needs to reflect your style, tone, attitude, etc., and not those of your competitors. Not only will this be important for aesthetic consistency and authenticity, but copying content from others could lead to slander and even legal issues if you’re not careful to stay inside the “inspiration over imitation” boundaries.
Maintaining authenticity while staying trendy and on top in the fast-paced modern world of social media marketing and small business ownership may sound impossible, but we promise it is MORE than possible!
If you'd like a little more guidance on how to show up authentically on social media, take advantage of a Coaching Call with our founder and Social Media Expert, Gabby Farrington.
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