How to Humanize Your Brand Voice with Social Media in 2022
Why do people use social media in 2022? Research shows that there’s more to it than just keeping in touch with friends or following the latest news. So how do you make your brand’s social media profiles go from generic placeholder pages to genuine drivers of connection between you and your audience? By humanizing your brand voice. Keep on reading to find out how.
Let’s explore the data a bit before we dive into our recommendations. A GWI survey published in 2021 found that 30% of all internet users went on socials to stay in the loop about trends, 28% wanted to find inspiration, 27% did so to research products to purchase, and 23% wanted to see updates and content from their favorite brands.
Considering this data, you should be aiming to make your brand social media profiles as interesting as possible. This might very well mean tweaking branding strategy and creating content that turns businesses from faceless organizations into relatable entities; you want to provide value and entertainment. Here’s our advice on how you can achieve that.
Show real people
The first and easiest step you can take to humanize your brand on socials is to literally add a face to its name. In other words, post plenty of images of humans (real humans that are connected to your brand).
You can share photos of your employees, offices, stores, and your business in action.
Another solid option is incorporating images of your customers. For example, if you know that you can inspire potential clients to convert by sharing customer stories, it’s a path worth pursuing.
Skillcrush does this spectacularly on its Instagram page, with a “Skillcrush alum” feature. It shows how their courses have helped people make desired career changes and find jobs they love.
Source: instagram.com
If you’re looking for something a bit less time-consuming, you can also repost images someone else has already posted, featuring your brand (with their permission, of course).
For inspiration, you can look to the Acaia Instagram page. It’s filled with highly aesthetic user-generated content, perfectly capturing the experience of a well-brewed cup of coffee.
Source: instagram.com
Use plenty of videos
The one thing that speaks louder than images is video. And while images can capture your staff, your product, or your customers in action, video can do it even better and showcase who you are and what you stand for.
You can use how-to videos, you can do demos, you can shoot a fun day at work. You can also use the format to educate your followers and help them make the best decisions regarding their unique pain points. Take a look at how Mrs. Property Solutions does just that on Facebook.
Source: facebook.com
Go with whatever you feel will be in line with your brand’s voice. The aim is to help your customers get a better feel for what kind of atmosphere you harness.
The videos you post don’t just have to be about your brand, of course. Video is an engaging format that’s becoming more popular with social media users, so it’s also a great way to call attention to the issues you care about.
Source: instagram.com
Charity: Water does a great job of using video to further their cause and make their Instagram presence stand out. These shorter videos that pop up in follower feeds are often a quicker way to grab someone’s attention than a full-fledged IGTV. Plus, they’re perfectly suited to communicating the organization’s message, which is heavily focused on educating followers about the need to bring clean water to families around the world.
Work with an influencer
Sometimes, the most impactful brand awareness is spurred on by someone other than the actual brand.
Working with influencers on social media can help your brand become more relatable and trustworthy. It may even reach the ears and eyes of potential customers who have never heard about you before, but have been looking for the solution you offer.
Partnering with an influencer who has some sway in your niche, and who has worked hard to establish a following and gain trust can be incredibly lucrative – if executed the right way. Make sure you only choose to work with someone who has actual online integrity, and who will also likely be a fan of your brand.
A great example is a collaboration from ghd and Chloe Swift.
Source: instagram.com
It’s essentially just a short tutorial on how to use hair styling products in more versatile ways. But, the video allows followers to understand the value provided by the products, all the while relying on the expertise of someone with a well-established following in its niche. As a result, the content doesn’t just appeal to existing followers. It works double-time as a source of traffic to the brand’s page, expanding reach to consumers who might not have been introduced to ghd before.
Share posts that aren’t about you
Some brands make the mistake of sharing only their blog posts, their products, and their marketing copy on social media. While you’re obviously there to promote your own material, it is an excellent way to lose a fair bit of that human touch we have been discussing.
Instead of just sharing your own agenda, try to share something else every once in a while as well. These posts should still be in line with what you stand for and what you believe in. If there is a major social issue you are an advocate of, you can discuss that. If something is happening in the world of movies or music that relates to your brand, share that.
Source: twitter.com
A good example is the tweet shown above, posted by Pocket. This brand’s mission is to allow its customers to take charge of their content consumption. So, its social media strategy includes a combination of:
- updates about its product
- collaborations with big names in the news and entertainment industry, including Slate Magazine
- finding interesting reads from smaller publishers and sharing them with a big audience
The article shared in the tweet is exactly the kind of post Pocket’s audience would be interested in, even though it has nothing to do with the brand itself.
Pick a side
Depending on the kind of brand you are, taking a side in a heated (or less heated) argument can make you stand out and seem more approachable. It can also generate a bit of hate and backlash, depending on the issue, so you want to be careful about the kind of combat you engage in.
There are countless debates happening on social media all the time. Is the earth round or flat? Cats or dogs? Is there life after death? Pumpkin spice or salted caramel latte? And, of course, there are those larger movements that have repercussions in the real world.
Engaging in some banter about cats vs. dogs can be a great way to attract some attention. Meanwhile, it’s usually a pretty safe bet. On the other hand, if you want to stand by a large social issue, bear in mind that you might not only gain customers, but also lose some.
For example, Juvia’s Place, a black-owned business, has stood firmly by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Source: juviasplace.com
They’ve even established the Black Business Grant, which speaks volumes about their commitment to the issue. Whether or not you want to offer the same level of public support will be your judgment call.
Establish a community
The power of online communities should never be underestimated. They can move mountains and generate some amazing buzz – provided that they are joined around a common interest or cause.
A great way to foster community is by creating a group (for example, on Facebook) where only select members get access. These might be paid customers, for instance, or people who sign up for a certain service, depending on what you want the group to achieve. You can share insights, tips, news, and deals. But the main benefit is that your audience will get to meet each other, share their experiences, and feel like they have a place to come to when they want to talk about a certain topic.
Make sure you don’t abuse this community, though, and don’t bombard it with too many branded ads and marketing copy. Let it develop naturally. Add your input, of course – not to make a sale, but to make a connection.
Now, while Facebook might seem like the easiest way to invest in community building, it’s not the only social network worth exploring. Spores, for example, has both Telegram and Discord channels, with a few thousand people in each contributing to the discourse about NFTs.
Source: telegram.org
Engage with your audience
The basic way to engage with your audience is, of course, to talk to them. This means doing a lot more than just posting images, or worse, using a marketing automation tool that will do the posting for you.
If you just keep posting and never engage, you certainly won’t be coming off as human. You’ll be another brand with an online presence that’s not capitalizing on it.
Yes, engaging with your followers on social media will take time, and there’s no way to automate the process. However, that’s the entire point of your social media presence. You might need to hire a dedicated account manager, but if they do their job well, the investment will certainly be worth it.
You might notice that smaller brands often implement this approach to social media more often. Larger brands typically can’t keep up with the number of comments they have pouring in.
Choose your voice and stick to it
One of the main things you need to keep in mind when looking to boost your social media presence is to determine a unique voice for your brand.
This voice should be in line with what you stand for and what your brand is all about. If you sell children’s toys, you will naturally want to have a brand voice that is more fun, relaxed, and appealing to kids or their parents. If you’re an activewear brand, you might want to speak in a more upbeat voice, and so on.
This is in no way set in stone – you should consider your brand before you make a decision.
Once you’ve chosen your voice, make sure you keep using it across all of your channels. If you have more than one person tending to these channels, make sure they know what voice and point of view they need to adopt. The only exception is when you’re doing a takeover, where one person is in charge of the channel for a day, as themselves.
One brand that does this well is Morphe – or almost any beauty or makeup brand.
Source: instagram.com
They’ve adopted a specific way of speaking to their audience, which they not only use on social media, but also across their website, emails, and other marketing channels.
Tell a story
Storytelling is a huge part of online marketing. It serves to bring you closer to your audience, establish a specific connection with them, and help you stand out in the sea of other similar brands.
Just like you did with your voice, you need to select the story you want to tell. What are you, as a brand, passionate about? What do you want to achieve in the world? What do your products or services do? How do they help people or make their lives better?
These are some of the points you should consider and try to implement in your storytelling.
Source: pinterest.com
A great example of a brand that recognized an unconventional way of telling a story is Orizaba Original. They created several insightful Pinterest boards, aimed at outdoor enthusiasts (surfers and campers most prominently) and used them to create a lookbook/ultimate guide to having an unforgettable experience.
What’s so special about this approach is that it’s used by a traditional e-commerce brand; one that decided to stray away from traditional storytelling and go all-in on visuals instead. That was definitely a good choice, considering that images are more engaging than words anyway.
Show off your humor
Finally, don’t be afraid to show off your wild and funny side either. A lot of brands mistakenly believe they should remain serious and reflect their professionalism on social media. This is true to an extent, but let’s not forget that there’s still a way to be funny while showing people that you can do an excellent job.
Come up with a pun or a specific hashtag you use for certain situations. Share a meme or a GIF that will illustrate a point. Don’t be afraid to be real and tap into the humor your audience might appreciate.
Wendy’s has a rather fun online presence, and they’re not against cracking a joke every once in a while. Since they deal with food, there are plenty of puns available that will showcase their product and appeal to their audience at the same time.
Source: twitter.com
To sum it all up
Establishing a more human and approachable social media presence is not an easy task. But it’s not rocket science either. All you have to do is be authentic – within reasonable limits.
Develop a plan, find your unique voice, and share stories you would like your followers to know about, but let inspiration strike you and post on the fly. Sometimes, the best posts are the ones that weren’t planned months in advance, accompanied by a caption you came up with on your way to lunch.
