By Pia Silva
With a world population of upwards of seven billion people and more than 60 billion messages being sent out on a host of digital platforms every single day, standing out on social media is a tall task. Seriously, though — if you’re not using social media to build your business, why are you even on the internet? These days, just having a website isn’t going to cut it.
Of course, not all social media profiles are created equal. We’ve all seen those business accounts that only post once or twice a year. Or there are those accounts that are so spammy and salesy that you instantly regret ever following them in the first place.
If you want to really leverage social media to your advantage as part of your career as a solopreneur, you have to learn to build a true emotional connection with your audience. While this can sometimes be hard to do for a “faceless brand,” the very nature of being a solopreneur makes this much easier for you to accomplish — as long as you know how to post.
1. Speak DIRECTLY To (Not At) Your Target Buyer
It might feel like a lot of your social media posts aren’t all that personal — after all, you’re broadcasting the same message to hundreds, if not thousands, of followers.
But the thing is, your followers chose to be just that: followers. Their timelines and news feeds are personal to them. When it comes to following brands and influencers, they choose what content they want to see.
This means that if someone chose to follow you, you need to make sure that your content belongs with everything else that shows up in their news feed.
This became especially clear during a recent email conversation with Lamia Jarrah, an accomplished brand strategist and social media expert. She explained, “When you speak to your target audience directly, it’s a win-win. By identifying specific pain points and letting them see the value in your offering, the lead finds enough value in your solution that it outweighs the cost. This is how you attract high-quality leads.”
As part of this, be sure to take the time to listen to your social media followers. When they comment on your posts or send you a direct message, don’t hesitate to respond. This way, you can start a real conversation, rather than simply using your profile like a megaphone.
2. Don’t Be Afraid To Take A Stance On Something (And Then Do It)
When politicians fail to take a solid stance on an issue, they’re perceived as weak. Worse yet, people might think they’re trying to hide something. Whether you love or hate a particular politician’s opinions, as a voter, you understandably feel like you deserve to know what they believe.
The same thing applies to brands on social media. If you want to connect with like-minded followers, you need to take a stance.
This doesn’t mean getting super political with your content. It means taking a stand on the areas where you have real, notable expertise. If you’re a financial expert, don’t be afraid to speak out when you see trends that you think your followers should jump in on — or avoid.
Of course, as an expert in your field, you shouldn’t just take a stance. You should defend it with data, research, case studies or your own experiences. Strong opinions backed up with quality analysis will provoke exciting conversations on your profile that keep followers coming back for more.
3. Incorporate Emotion Into Your Everyday Posts: Joy, Humour, Empathy, Etc.
As much as we like to think of ourselves as logical beings, in reality, most of our decisions are based in emotions. The human brain loves to relate and form connections with others, and most often that is done by evoking some type of emotional response in those around us.
Cracking an industry-specific joke or trying to occasionally tug at your audience’s heartstrings may not feel as important as your big sales announcement or a rundown of your services. But when it comes to building a lasting emotional connection with your audience, these things can prove just as important as the more “direct sales” content you might want to post.
In reality, your followers aren’t going to remember many (if any) of the specifics of what you say. But they will remember how your content makes them feel. When you can make them feel a strong emotion, your personal brand becomes far more memorable than it would otherwise.
Remember, you’re a person — not a corporation. So act like a person. Think of the type of things you share on your personal social media accounts, and how you naturally integrate humour, happiness or empathy into your content.
While you probably don’t want to share what you’re eating for dinner on your business accounts, applying the general principle of acting like a real human being with real emotions will make it much easier for your content to resonate with your followers.
Start Building Real Connections
Building emotional connections with your followers on social media requires a fair amount of work — just like everything else in becoming a successful entrepreneur.
As you give your social media profiles the attention they deserve and engage with your audience in genuine, meaningful ways, you’ll strengthen your personal brand and be more likely to gain and keep their business.
Feature Image Credit: STEVE WASTERVAL
By Pia Silva
Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.
I am a partner and brand strategist at Worstofall Design where we build brands that turn expertise into profit. Unlike most branding firms, we build entire brands in days instead of months, and only work for 1-3 person service businesses. Our unique process and niche positioning has helped us to overcome the hurdles we struggled with when we were starting our business, reliably attracting a steady flow of high paying clients and allowing us to enjoy the freedom that inspired us to become entrepreneurs in the first place. At Forbes, my goal is to clarify and simplify the elusive idea of “branding,” and share practical tips and tangible steps to help businesses find their unique brand voice that leads to profit.
