Drop the corporate speak and show personality and honesty on social media, says Jane Caro
Using a human voice and responding to comments and questions with honesty are the keys to making your brand’s social platforms successful, said social commentator, writer and lecturer, Jane Caro.
Caro: Caro: Twitter is the advertiser’s copyright medium
Caro, who was speaking at the Public Relations Institute of Australia’s (PRIA) National Conference in Sydney, said a major hurdle that corporations face when utilising social media is the decision to sound like a corporation. “Social media is about you, as a person, getting out there with your tone of voice and talking to other human beings and sounding like a human being”.
The “desperate desire not to offend, not to upset and to be relentlessly positive is boring”, Caro said, telling the audience the best Twitter accounts for businesses are ones where someone bright, quick-witted and funny takes the reigns, becoming the human voice for the business.
The social commentator attributed the greatest lesson of social media to the way users publicly deal with defeat and the consequences of mistakes, largely because people respond most actively or most honestly to the truth.
“People will forgive you if you get it wrong and it’s authentic and you admit your mistake”, she said.
Caro described social media as a “completely anarchic environment” but commended its ability to give people a voice, making it a true meritocracy for many.
“What I love about the internet is how it has brought ‘out groups’ out, and they have been able to take a share of voice in a way that they could not previously.
So many members of ‘out groups’ have come roaring into prominence really incredibly quickly”, she said.
Before concluding her session on ‘come the revolution’ at PRIA’s National Conference, she asked everyone “to become more vigilant” and ensure users are aware of the lack of ability to judge what is true and what is not in terms of fact.
Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.
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Charlene Li, founder and CEO, Altimeter Group puts well the concept described by Jane Caro:
“Most leaders feel they have to be perfect. The last thing I think people want from their leaders is perfection. What they want to know is that there’s empathy, that you understand, that you’re also vulnerable and are open to mistakes, and you need people to be there with you, again, in common cause to achieve a common goal.”
This is similar to the concept of being Flawsome. We don’t expect brands to be flawless. We actually want our brands to be human. That means having good days and bad days.
In fact, as long as you’re honest and open about your flaws we’ll even think your flaws can be awesome. Today, as consumers, we’re interested in brands and their leaders that show some empathy, generosity, humility, flexibility, maturity, and humour.
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