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October 5, 2021
Social media seemed like a hangout for unserious people at first. Then, its ability to connect billions became obvious. Businesses began to embrace it. What started as a hangout has turned into a place where brands turn followers into raving fans–and they’re not looking back. That’s where the power of authentic social media marketing comes in.
Without authenticity, social media is just plain old traditional media: one-way, rehearsed, and un-engaging. Businesses need to keep that top of mind. Competition online is cutthroat too. The brands that win are the ones who live and breathe authenticity. Their fans know it and reward them with unbeatable loyalty.
Here, you will learn about authentic social media marketing, and how your company will benefit from it for years to come.
User-generated content comes from users rather than brands. You can share photos and posts that your followers create for you. It does much of the heavy lifting in content creation. And the best part is the help it provides in creating compelling social media marketing strategies.
How does user-generated content do that? It engages an entire community behind a brand. Users will be ecstatic about sharing photos of their products when they believe a brand may recognize or even share it.
This creates additional benefits. It slashes the time you spend on content creation. And you get personal with your audiences when you post their photo on your social media. How about expanding your audience? Their followers will likely share the post too. It’s a win for your brand and your customer.
Kleenex did a “feel good” campaign from user-generated content. They tracked their fans who posted they weren’t feeling well and organized a surprise party for them. The campaign yielded more than 650,000 impressions.
Influencer marketing can sound pretty staged when the influencer seems to put it together all the time. That’s why the best influencer for your marketing needs to be someone who doesn’t want to fit in but tells it like it is, respectfully.
A careful influencer selection can work wonders for your brand. Pick a person with an ordinary life, but who’s hacking it with extraordinary results. It makes your content relatable, easy to engage with, and inspirational.
Their ability to create content that flows from their true self determines the success of your influencer marketing. Their creation incorporates your brand into their lifestyle, just like they would with other products they tell the world about daily. This is a great example of an authentic influencer marketing video. Time Warner Business class used customer testimonials from the SMBs they serve as influencers. Their stories highlighted authenticity and the brand’s ability to provide solutions.
Every brand typically knows its target audience from inception. Different sources will say all your audience needs to know is what you’re selling, who is interested, and where you can find them. But that’s topical textbook advice.
When it comes to authenticity, knowing these things only means you have a good head between your shoulders. It leaves your ability to understand your audiences out of the equation. Cultivating authenticity demands that you dive into their lifestyles. And perhaps walk a mile in their shoes. Here are five things you can do to get there.
There’s no easier way to take the “social” out of social media than ignoring comments. But the sore loser here is your brand.
Your customer support should respond to as many comments as they can, including the repulsive ones. There’s an array of social media monitoring tools anyway. It’s not about staying up long into the night tracking every comment, but about addressing concerns.
The rule of thumb is to reply to comments using the person’s name. The “reply” button will copy the name accurately for you. Next, ensure the reply is tailored to their comments so you don’t come off as too rehearsed. Add GIFs and emojis. They are fun! And they make communicating emotions easy on text.
Depending on your product line and conversation flow, you can follow up comments with thank you notes. Ask the customer to inbox their cell. They’ll feel so special getting a personalized note.
Fluff is everywhere on social media. And people are catching on to it fast, leaving brands with PR nightmares. Be honest about your products and services. Tell real success stories on social media with videos that show a product actually works. Blendtec nailed it in this video.
If you’re selling beauty products, let your influencer post a photo online without makeup. For manufacturers, share your manufacturing process too and the steps you follow to deliver quality services.
Ordinary authentic people make mistakes. So when your brand does, own it. While the internet doesn’t forget, apologies go a long way in putting the matter to rest. Once you’re done fixing the issue, report it to your audience. Hijacking flippant memes is a big no no. How about creating content around times that matter to audiences? Anniversaries, birthdays, work achievements, etc. are the authentic ways to be trendy.
These are just a few examples of authentic social media marketing. At Scenic Road, we realize the power of a good video in telling authentic stories. Contact us today to revolutionize your social media marketing with videos, and we’ll be more than be glad to help.