Creating Social Media Strategy with Heart

Creating a successful and engaging social media presence requires careful planning, consistent effort, and a deep understanding of your target audience. It is important to develop your goals, know your audience and buyer personas, develop a well-rounded and intentional content strategy, use analytics and tools effectively, and to, most of all, be authentic and human in your branding.

One of the issues we have seen a lot of lately, especially with the use of accessible graphics programs like Canva and Adobe Express, is creative assets that are outstanding, and information that is timely and relevant to a consumer, but content that sometimes fails to inspire and build traction with audiences. It is important in developing a content strategy to think like a human, and recognize our common need for stories, inspiration, levity, altruism, and an empowering message, as well as just the usual base-level extrinsic motivations that companies appeal to. Humanizing and sharpening your brand is essential for building trust and emotional connections with your audiences and standing out in a competitive market.

Here are some strategies to help:

1. Tell good stories. Share behind-the-scenes stories and videos, compelling visuals, and success stories related to your brand. Storytelling humanizes your brand and creates deeper emotional connections with your audience. For example, use the hero's journey is a well-used storytelling structure that involves adventure, overcoming challenges and transformation. It can be a powerful framework for brand storytelling on social media and in multi-channel campaigns. It also shows the brand's ability to be a thought leader in times of crisis, and to positively frame hardships we all face into products and services that make a difference. Apple, Coca-cola, GoPro, Nike, and Airbnb do this very effectively.

2. Use your customers' experiences to expand and deepen your brand narrative. Sharing compelling user-generated content is a great way to do this. Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your products or services. Repost their content on your social media platforms (with their permission), showcasing real-life interactions with your brand. Make good use of Google reviews, and take the opportunity to reach out to your customers after a service has been completed to capture their story for social media content. Lumen5 is a great (and cost-effective) software service that allows you to make video content and tell stories without a lot of footage. Use real photos as much as possible in all communication, and not stock images, to create authenticity, cultural relevance, and inclusivity. Shopify and Regions Bank do this well in their social media channels.

3. Appeal to people's desire for altruism and social conscience. Consumers are more likely to connect with brands that share their values, including those related to social and environmental responsibility. To millennials and Generation Z, socially responsible companies are even more important . This growing audience believes companies should invest in improving society and look for solutions that assist in those improvements. By acknowledging their own social responsibility, brands can cultivate a loyal customer base while enacting positive social change. In your social media content, show how you are actively working to make a positive impact beyond your products or services. Customers are more likely to choose brands that actively work to address social issues and make a difference in the world. Dove does this in their social media posts and the Dove Beauty campaigns that have been running for the last ten years. Outdoor clothing designer Patagonia is a huge supporter of grassroots environmental efforts and fighting climate change. Warby Parker, through its Impact Foundation advocates for wider access to vision services throughout the world.

4. Don't be afraid to use humor in your social media posts. Using humor in marketing can be an effective way to capture attention, engage the audience, and create a positive association with your brand. Humor can make your marketing campaigns more memorable, relatable, and shareable. It is a known fact that on a basic level, something that connects all humans is laughter. Like all forms of marketing, know your target audience and use humor appropriately. When done well, humor can be a powerful tool to humanize your brand, increase engagement, and leave a positive and lasting impression on your customers. Brands that do humor well in their social media posts and campaigns are Charmin, Old Spice, Wendy's, and the outdoor retailer, Moosejaw.

5. Create content that inspires - Inspiring people through social media is a powerful way to make a positive impact, build a loyal community, and promote your brand. Sharing your brands missions and values, using motivational quotes, and sharing powerful, unique stories are all effective ways to do this. You can use captivating images, videos, sound bytes and infographics to convey inspirational messages. Using visual and interactive content has a strong impact and can communicate emotions and ideas more effectively than text alone. There are several brands that do this very powerfully. Nike's support of women's soccer and their "dream further" campaign is very moving, as well as the "Find your greatness campaign", that published a series of videos showing ordinary people striving to find their athletic greatness. National Geographic's almost 300 million Instagram followers experience our planet through the powerful posts of Nat Geo photographers in the most remote corners of the world.

An easier way to create consistent, effective content is to produce a month's worth of content at a time. Jennie Lyon on Medium writes a great article on this. If you knock all this out in advance, it is easier to be strategic about the diversity, messaging, and creativity of your posts, and make sure you are striking the right chord with your audience. By developing a social media presence with some passion, humor, and depth, you can create a loyal and engaged following that believes in your brand's mission and actively supports your business.