With content marketing gaining influence and growing by leaps and bounds (20% in 2015 alone!) every brand is jumping on the train and working hard to get their content out there. But people don’t trust or like companies – they trust and like other people. So the way to convert your audience into customers is to remind them that real-life humans run your company; here are a few simple ways to do that.
Have a Sense of Humor
Unless your customers are all FBI agents, they probably have a sense of humor. And making people laugh is a sure-fire way to get them to like you. So don’t be afraid to show a sense of humor in your blog and social media interactions. It can be gentle humor, irreverent, silly, or just plain bizarre, but as long as you’re having fun and not making fun, your audience will laugh with you.
Show Your Team In the Wild
One of the things we try to do regularly here at MLP Digital is to post behind-the-scenes photos and candids we take during events. This not only reminds people that hey, here are the humans behind the logo, but it also increases our reach – after all, people see a photo of their friend or colleague, they generally like it, right? And if our employees tag themselves in the photos, suddenly all their friends can see and like it too. Win-win!
Talk With, Not At
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – it’s called social media, so for goodness sake be social! Don’t just post your own stuff then go on your merry way, share other people’s content, reply to their posts, and join in the conversation. It reminds people that there’s a real person posting those updates and Tweets, and in turn, makes people more likely to reach out and interact with you.
Speak Your Audience’s Language (¿Se Habla Audience?)
Industries like content marketing and video production tend to have a lot of jargon. I could go on all day about the ROI of various social platforms, but to my audience it just sounds like a lot of gibberish. So simplify. Use layman’s terms wherever possible, and when you do need to use an industry term, explain it clearly and concisely. Your audience isn’t dumb, but they also aren’t in your field – so speak their language, and make it easier for them to connect with your content and therefore your brand.
Sign Your Messages
Over the past five years, customer service has switched over from toll-free phone lines to Facebook posts and Twitter mentions. Which is both good and bad – on the one hand, people can reach out to you 24/7 to get help, but on the other hand, dissatisfied customers can broadcast their experiences to a huge audience. When responding to customer service issues, you need to 1) respond quickly and helpfully, and 2) sign your messages with your name or initials. The purpose for the first step is to keep your customer happy; the second step lets them know that a real person is on the other end, and that person is working hard to help them. This can help mellow out even an angry customer, and once you’ve successfully helped them, can result in personalized shout-outs to your customer service team. Awesome!
So what have we learned here? Well obviously, that content marketing is fantastic. But we also learned a few simple ways to shine a light on the people behind your brand. So shine on you crazy diamond and watch as your people help inspire trust in your brand.
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