To truly connect with your audience, it’s important to make sure they see you first as an actual human behind the brand. It’s far too easy to post to social media as your brand, promoting your content, sharing photos, and offering suggestions and insight, but to truly ensure you’re reaching your target market and getting the most out of social media, you must connect with your audience in such a way that they see you as a human being, with thoughts, feelings, emotions and pain points just like they do. I want to share some ways to from being faceless to being a friend and how to make your brand relatable.
People follow and do business with those with whom they feel they have things in common with so getting clear on who you are and what problem you’re trying to solve is the first step. The second step is to define who you are trying to reach. It can be helpful to give the person an actual name, figure out what they do for a living, where they live, what their life is like, and how you can serve them. Get clear on your target market and niche down until you can properly serve that specific type of person, successfully.
Treat people with respect no matter what. It was Malcolm S. Forbes who said, “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” We all know people who only speak to those who offer some benefit to them but it is the truly genuine and authentic person who treats everyone as an equal, no matter their background. Don’t be stuck up and think that you’re better than any other person. You have no idea who people are or what their role is. Especially on the internet, it’s difficult to know who you’re talking to. You could be speaking to your next boss or the person that’s going to pay your house off with that contract.
Show some attention to your audience. When creating your content, try to engage your audience as though you’re speaking directly to one person. Make people feel like they are the only client you have. Send them a thank you note if they’ve done business with you in the past. Ask questions about their lives and pay attention to what they post. The more you’re aware of them and their business, the better chance you have of getting a recommendation, testimonial, or referral.
Show The Real You to Grow Your Brand and Increase Your Income
Showing the human behind the brand can seem daunting at first. We often don’t want to put our photos up on the internet or feel embarrassed or that we’re exhibiting attention-seeking behavior. It’s important to work on getting over those feelings of inadequacy. If you’re running a business and hoping to make money, you’re going to have to put yourself out there and connect with your audience. Show your personality, share the ups and downs of your day-to-day life, and give your people a behind-the-scenes look at your business.
