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.
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.
reposted from sometime in 2006