One of the key objectives of social media is to establish a conversation with your fans or followers. If people have meaningful conversations, then they are more likely to become advocates of your company and recommend you to their friends as well as engage with your content. People don’t typically have conversations with inanimate objects like brands; they like to connect with something they feel that is genuine. “In other words, they want interaction that feels personal and human, not disconnected and corporate,” writes Shama Kabani in a post from The Business Journals. So the best way to establish a meaningful conversation is to give your social media channels that human feeling.
If you’ve been struggling to figure out what exactly humanizing your social media means, well it’s your lucky day as Shama Kabani outlines 5 excellent tips to help you understand what it takes to humanize your brand.
1. Engage in Discussions
Posing questions to your followers can act as great conversations starters, sparking discussion and opening up more talking points from the responses you receive. Try to keep the exchanges going and get active in the conversation. You’re trying to recreate a conversation that two real genuine people would have. You’re no longer an impersonal company. Instead, you have to train yourself to think, act, and write like a person – so for starters, that means dropping the corporate speak.
2. Deviate from the Message
For the most part, human beings don’t have one track minds. “Even in a professional setting, a conversation between two people won’t necessarily be strictly business-related, especially if any type of friendly relationship has been established,” writes Kabani. Keep this in mind. It’s ok to occasionally deviate from your professional message, if you think your fans may appreciate a link, or interesting article, or even a funny anecdote, share it with them. Sharing it could help give a sense of diversity, spontaneity and friendliness to your brand.
3. Showcase the Team Behind the Scenes
Your company isn’t this autonomous machine. It runs off the hard work of people like you. It’s a good idea to remind your customers of that from time to time. “Give behind-the-scenes tours of different departments, highlight individuals and share photos of employees in the workplace or at company events,” suggests Kabani. These types of posts can help to remind your social media fans that behind your brand are indeed real people.
4. Let Individuals Shine on Social Media
If you have an in-house team working on your company’s social media posts, allow them to post as themselves rather than the company. According to Kabani, when employees introduce themselves, let them post in their own individual voices, or even “sign” their social media posts – it humanizes your efforts and invites more interaction with your followers.
5. Own your Mistakes
Look no one is perfect, and neither are businesses. If your make a mistake, admit to it and apologize for what happened. Whether the mistake took place through social media or elsewhere, “using your social-media channels as a place to humble yourself with a public apology can go a long way in humanizing your company.” Plus, it will also help foster a sense of connection between you and your fans.