It’s a constant battle in my job trying to encourage people to show personality online as part of their digital marketing strategy. I think, generally, we can all be quite shy about putting ourselves out there as the ‘face’ of our businesses. Maybe it goes back to that old Irish barb many of us of a certain vintage grew up listening to- Who does your wan think she is? Pure notions!
Either way, in business it’s now essential to have notions. In fact, the more notions the better! The key difference between traditional marketing and digital marketing is the ability to make a real two-way connection with your audience. Businesses who use their social media platforms and websites as a notice board, are really missing out on the whole point of those platforms.
I frequently log onto a small businesses website or social media platforms and see no trace of personality or who they actually are. It’s like we sometimes just assume people know who we are and what we do! Businesses, especially small businesses, should always offer more in terms of showing the customer their story and what makes them different.
Showing personality and telling your brand’s story is now an essential part of getting people to connect with you and your business. Customers like to know who you are, how you got there and what’s important to you. Don’t forget – people buy from businesses they trust – and a great way to build that trust is to offer real engagement through your online content.
Here are our top tips for showing personality online:
- Write in your own voice – Take some age-old advice from my friend Oscar Wilde ‘Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken’.
- Choose what your comfortable to share about your personal life eg. your pet, your love of nature, your hobby. It’s not necessary to share lots, but it’s nice to share something. Stick within your own comfort boundaries.
- Serious is ok, boring is not – The average online attention span is 8 seconds…use them wisely!
- Be professional and relatable – give advice on your area of expertise. Don’t be shy in showcasing your knowledge, qualifications and experience – you worked hard to get them!!
- Show your face – people like to see you and know who they are dealing with. If you don’t have any pictures you like of yourself, invest in a few professionally taken ones – well worth having!
- Share testimonials – trust and confidence are very important to customers. The more you can build these online, the more you will reap the benefits in terms of conversions.
And, finally, a word of caution – people follow you online because they are interested in what you do. Use your content to educate them on your products/services and the problems they solve. Don’t veer too much off track in terms of what you use your business platforms to promote – ie. sometimes it’s best to rein that personality in a little!!
For more information on how to build a digital marketing presence for your business, get in touch!