Creatively Constructing Conversations

Social Media. Designed for individuals. Dominated by brands. But on platforms where there’s so much noise, how do you get people (the right people) to follow your brand? The answer is simple – creative engagement. Through constructive and creative conversations, you can transform your brand into a social media sensation.

DEVELOP YOUR PERSONA.

It’s not just about a quality avatar, custom background images and creative bio descriptions. Your audience wants to feel like you care about what they have to say. They want to be talked TO, not talked AT. Understand how your ideal customer moves through the social marketing funnel and put yourself in their shoes. Give your audience an experience they’ll fall in love with.

DEFINE YOUR VOICE.

Develop a tone that is consistent with your brand. Are you passionate, quirky or authentic? Is your brand genuine, trustworthy and direct, or can you have fun with your voice? Irreverence can often time result in higher engagement but can also backfire if it’s not consistent with your brand’s values.

Denny’s utilizes a slightly dark humor and relatable copywriting to connect with their audience. They keep their pulse on pop culture trends, then piggyback for wildly successful results.

LISTEN TO YOUR AUDIENCE.

What do they want? Do they have issues with a product or service? Do they want answers or just conversation? In creative social engagement, it’s all about the pull, not the push. PULL your audience in with active, engaging content. While promoting your product or service, they’ll be turned off if all you do is push, push, push. The more personal connection an individual has with your brand, the more likely they’ll be an ambassador for you. Peer-to-peer presence is the goal!

MoonPie utilizes a pithy, terse voice to respond to their audience. As in the previous example, punctuation isn’t necessary if it lands with your target reader.

Chickasaw Travel Stop recognizes that their audience leans toward a younger demographic, so they engage them through relatable content. They post using language and following trends that are popular with the demographic. Following social trends and understanding an audience’s propensities allows brands to create more relevant content.

So why is creative engagement so significant? An active social presence allows your brand to develop and nurture long-term relationships with your audience, engage community members, personalize your brand, build a positive reputation and cultivate brand advocates. Through intentional engagement, you have the ability to create and curate the conversation.