The most important thing to gather from Gary Vee’s The Thank You Economy is how important it is for your brand to be honest in your social media marketing. If your intent is good and your content reflects that intention your audience will recognize that. The beauty and curse (to some) of social media is that it gives the customer the ability to recognize ill intent. The key to social media is an honest voice that keeps transparency. Here are some steps to take to maintain a transparent social media outreach:
- Adjust Your Content Strategy – It’s time to take a good long look at your content on social media. Are you just trying to sell something with every post? Today’s audience isn’t looking to be constantly inundated with advertisements. Selling your brand doesn’t mean selling your product, you are displaying who your company is and what your company culture means. Putting branding all over every piece of content is a screaming sales pitch. Your company name is already displayed there, creates elegant clean content that showcases your product, service, daily life, and culture in a meaningful, funny, or heartfelt manner. Your honesty will shine through every bit of content you create.
- What is your voice? – Who is the voice behind the brand? Your voice must be one that is honest and open to questions and critique. The internet is full of people willing to tell you how terrible they think you are when there is an issue or mistake. It can be tremendously intimidating to stare down a web page of mean tweets. But if you are willing to respond and open a dialogue to understand issues and concerns, your audience will thank you for it and your engagement will grow from it. That doesn’t mean there is a line to cross between hate mail and outright “trolling” but showing that you care to respond in an appropriate manner has earned many major brands a lot of proverbial “points” on social media. See fast-food chain Wendy’s snarky Twitter responses. It’s not about giving in to demands it’s about finding common ground and responding appropriately.
- Tell Your Story – Your day today at the office may seem normal to you but people who are honestly interested in your brand will be curious about what goes on behind the scenes. With the rise of vlogging and micro-blogging telling the scenes story of your company to your audience shows that honest, transparent side of your company that people like to see and identify with. We are all in this together and being a faceless company doesn’t cut it in The Thank You Economy.
These are just a few tips on how to build an honest, open relationship with your audience. Developing content that speaks to your audience, utilizing a voice that fits your brand, will open a new avenue to develop your business and product. If your intent is good, your audience will recognize it and it will shine through in your social media interactions. Resolve every issue good and bad with honest intentions and transparency, honesty will always be the best policy.
