Being Human on Social Media Leads to an ROI That You Can Measure
Social media is a crucial part of any content marketing strategy, and you have probably read a thousand listicles and downloaded dozens of ebooks on how to better leverage your social media channels to grow your business. But, before even planning your first series of posts, it’s vital —especially for wellness brands — to anchor your strategy and content on being human. What does that mean? It means not forgetting why you went into business in the first place: to help people care for their bodies, minds, and spirits. The more human your social media strategy is — the more you keep real relationships with real people — at the core of your social media strategy, the more loyal your audience will be, and the more you’ll grow. That’s a fact.
1) Have Real Conversations With Your Audience
Social media allows for two-way conversations that can accelerate real relationships with your audience if it’s done right. One way to build this into your social media strategy is to practice the Rule of Thirds:
- One-third of your content on social media should focus on promoting your business and services
- One-third should focus on curating content that you feel will resonate with your audience (and validate your position as an industry leader)
- One-third should focus on engaging with your audience by responding to comments, private messages, and interactions in a timely manner (and in a real voice).
Finding your own social media “real voice” is fairly straightforward. Everyone has seen brands or businesses that respond to comments with a simple “thank you,” but it’s so important to personalize your responses by tagging that person and adding detail to your response, such as: “Thank you, [real person interacting with your brand], its so great to hear that you’re incorporating these self-care tools into your daily practice!”
You’re in the business of wellness; take the time to authentically respond to your audience. Your audience will better about your brand at the end of the day if you spent some of that in real conversations with them.
2) Don’t Make it All About You
This one’s related to the point above, but it’s worth calling out: yes, your audience wants to know about you and your business, but they want to know what’s in it for them. It can’t be all about you if you’re in the business of caring about people’s wellbeing. Make a large portion (around two-thirds) of your strategy about listening to your audience, curating sharable content that you know they will care about, and cheering them on in the comments section.
Celebrate with and listen to your audience. Share content that solves their problems. Ask for user-generated content (and use it). Participate in the conversation. Take advantage of the opportunity to use social media as a conversation and community: You really care about your audience, so act accordingly. You’ll find your audience growing as people learn they can count on you to listen and respond with compassion. You’ll find that more and more people pause scrolling when they see your profile picture pop up on their feed. And, you’ll learn more about what people really care about, and have an opportunity to incorporate those insights into the evolution of your business, building products and offering services that solve real problems.
3) Increase Your Video Content
Wellness brands are increasingly using video to engage audiences, and there’s a good reason why: 86% of Americans say transparency from businesses is more important than ever before, and 67% of consumers consider video to be the most transparent type of social media posts. If you’re in the wellness business, it’s vital that your audience knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are who you say you are — that you are authentically you. Remember the old adage: “show, don’t tell.” Show your audience what matters to you through video: show them faces on your team, offer tutorials and webinars, and offer a first-hand look at how your products are made. By being transparent, your audience will trust you have their best interests in mind — and continue to rely on you.
4) Don’t Over-Schedule Your Social
Yes, consistency is key to any high-impact social media strategy, but be careful not to sacrifice authenticity for frequency. The goal is engagement.We’ve written before on the potential draw-backs of using social media planning tool Hootesuite for scheduling your Instagram posts. But, beyond potential technical blips, over-scheduling your social media posts runs the risk of seeming out of touch with your audience and what their current needs are. Sure, plan out a few months of evergreen content but be prepared to reschedule, or completely change that plan if real-time events call for a change of tack. Remain as current and authentic as possible on your social media channels is critical to retaining your audience’s trust in your wellness brand. Be prepared to change language and images, and even pause all social media activity to show your audience you’re listening, and that you care.
5) Talk About Real (And Sometimes Tough) Things
We’re in the midst of a global pandemic and a significant amount of social change. The news cycle is 24/7. As a wellness brand, you should not sugar coat it: life is tough for many of us right now. Talk about it. Talk about how your business is navigating its way through uncharted waters. Talk about mistakes you’ve made in the past, and talk about (and really take) concrete steps you’ve identified to help your business be better, and do better. Use your own brand emotions to help you figure out what your brand should do: humans are emotional beings, and businesses (especially those in the wellness industry) should be, too. Studies show that people far more frequently rely on emotions to make decisions. By talking about real things, in an authentic manner, you appeal to the emotions of your audience, and their trust in your brand will only grow stronger.