The Main Ingredient: 3 Ways to Add Personality to your Social Media Marketing

2020 featured a lot of home-cooked meals for me, which made me even more aware that I should not cook.

Like, EVER.

I set the smoke alarm off when I made eggs.

Luckily, I have a significant other who can cook. I do the grocery shopping instead, but, my role is just as vital. Because it’s the ingredients make great meals possible. And if I forget a key ingredient, the meal is not going to be as good.

I spend a lot of time helping businesses on social media; my palate for marketing success is fully developed. And there is one key ingredient I know, without a doubt, businesses will need in 2021 and beyond for social media.

That ingredient is PERSONALITY.

Why is personality so crucial?

Personality in marketing has always been important, but now it’s paramount: the main course, if you will. Time and time again, I see businesses default to boring and bland on social media. They forget to act human and truly connect with their customers. Their social media marketing, posts, and content all become digital brochures: boring, sales-y, and easily forgettable. Just like a bland meal.

With the stress of the past year, consumers are craving real connections and genuine messaging.

In short, consumers want to do business with brands that are human. Allowing your brand to be human, and giving consumers a glimpse of not just what you are selling but who you are, generates trust sooner.

So how can businesses become more personable? Here are 3 ways to add some authenticity to your 2021 marketing recipe:

1) Create Videos

No need to panic – I’m not talking about professionally-produced videos!

You can easily create your own videos with tools like Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, IGTV or even TikTok (if you dare!). Using these tools to offer a glimpse at your company behind-the-scenes that’s unedited and unfiltered gives an authentic feel to your content.

2) Stop Selling and Start Connecting

Here’s a great example of a #MarketingFail: during the first few months of the pandemic, companies launched heartwarming TV commercials with messages about strength, community, and coming together…. and then end with ‘and now buy your new car from us.’

Here’s a tip: if all your posts on social media are focused at selling, you’re ensuring that people will scroll right on by.

3) Find Your Authentic Voice – And Use It!

I repeat: do not default to brochure-style content!

The easiest way to inject personality into your social media is to add humor. This works for obvious reasons: everyone could use a smile, and tasteful humor is universally appreciated.

No need to be a comedian, of course. If humor is strictly not on brand, that’s fine! You can still cultivate a more authentic voice on social media.

For example: think about how you act at a business event, networking event, or anything that involves person-to-person interactions. Do you ask a lot of questions and really listen? Do you tell anecdotes to connect personally? Crack jokes to lighten the mood? Know all kinds of obscure, fascinating facts to draw someone in?

However you work with people, that’s the voice to emulate for your brand. You may need to work with a content writer to help you craft voice and content; you can also take a brand archetype quiz, or The Spark Social’s Social Media Voice Analysis to home in on your specific voice.

So many elements go into a great marketing strategy, and yet so often, companies leave out the most obvious and important ingredient for success in the digital online world.

Aim to make your brand more human online in 2021; give your customer a true taste of who you really are, and start building long-term brand growth, customer loyalty, and success.