6 Reasons to Make Your Business Human on Social Media Customers are more likely to connect with your brand when they connect with the people behind the logo.
By Brett Relander Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Good content is created for people first, search engines second, so to get the best content, showcase the human side of your business. Here are the whys and wherefores of audience engagement at a human level for your business.
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1. Emotional connection. At the end of the day, it's about people. Brands that focus on the human side of their social interactions report greater success bonding with the audience and connecting with customers. The first step when reaching out to prospects is get their attention with the human face of your brand. An emotional connection stokes feelings of sympathy, empathy and loyalty.
2. Smoother conversations. Conversational barriers in a brand-to-audience communication are lowered in human-to-human interactions. This gives brands the opportunity to listen and absorb feedback. People tend to open up and converse more freely, offering insights into their thoughts and feelings. Questionnaires and quizzes are better focused and more effective when people know there is a human behind the screen who will use the information to resolve their issues and present a better product.
3. Assurance and authenticity. Customers want to feel assured when communicating with a brand. Brands are better able to assure the customers when they reach out as humans rather than as "help desk' or "admin.'' A human touch lends authenticity to your conversations on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Be it a joke or a nugget of information, it reads better when it comes from a fellow human being.
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4. Asking for favors becomes easier. Likes and shares on Facebook, and retweets on Twitter, are examples of social media organically promoting good content. It is, essentially, a form of peer-to-peer endorsement. Requesting likes and shares is a common practice that can greatly amplify your content. The request is friendlier, more sincere and reasonable coming from a human with whom people have interacted. That increases the response rate.
5. Establish thought leadership. Social media is the opportunity for CEOs, managers and even sales reps to build influence as niche experts. The conversational give-and-take, back-and-forth nature of exchanges on social media allows your brand's personality to come through. That builds trust.
6. A peek behind the scenes builds trust. Transparency builds trust and loyalty with your customers. Allowing your customers and clients a look at the nuts-and-bolts of your business processes is an opportunity to share with them stories of success, failure, joy and despair. Both you and your audience learn about each other, creating opportunities for collaboration.
Customers value openness and genuineness. Presenting the human side of your business projects positive attributes, allowing the audience to connect with more than just your logo. Take these ideas to heart in your social media and you will generate new business.
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