Stay true to your brand and capture your target audience’s attention
Using consistent language whenever you share content with your audience is so important. If you waver in how you address your followers, they’ll start to get the sense that you’re not a brand they can trust. More than that, you need to be authentic! It can be easy to get caught up in trends and all that is happening on social media, but you shouldn’t lose sight of who you are and what you stand for.
Your boilerplate and mission statement should be the backbone of everything you do and say. If your content doesn’t look, sound and feel like you, you’re probably sending mixed messages that aren’t going to accurately reach your target audience. Use these tips to make sure your social media presence aligns with your brand and your content works for your target audience.
How to Be Authentic on Social Media
Ignore the Pressure to Overshare
Don’t feel like you have to churn out new content and post daily just for the sake of posting. Wait until you have something truly worth sharing, that identifies with your brand and that your audience can benefit from. In the information age–and the era of fake news––consumers are more alert than ever. Your audience can tell if you’re being disingenuous, if your story is phony or if you’re digging for likes. Not only that, but when it comes to Instagram, specifically, content needs to relate to your brand niche in order to receive engagement and play to the platform’s algorithm.
Engage, Engage, Engage
You’re a real human (right?), so interact with the other human beings on social media! If people are commenting on your posts and asking questions about your brand, you don’t want to leave them hanging. Not only does that come across as poor customer service, but they probably won’t be likely to engage with your content again. Your audience wants to hear from you, feel connected and know that they’re not talking to a brick wall when they comment on your posts.
Offer your content up, don’t force it down
There’s nothing quite as frustrating as a pushy brand. Don’t link to the same article twice a week just to try to increase click-throughs–your users will read it if they’re interested! Get comfortable with playing the long game in social media–aim for a balance of posts that encourage your users to follow your call to action, as well as posts that talk about you and your work. This also applies to sponsored posts; seeing the same ad every time you log onto the platform can get annoying and you might find your ads are frequently hidden or ignored. Take care when crafting an ad on social media.
All in all, being yourself is key to building your brand’s presence on social media. Before you click ”Post,” triple-check the caption for your tone and voice, and make sure the image looks and feels like your brand. Remember to give credit where credit is due, though!
