How To Manage Your Brand's Social Media Authentically

If you have watched The Vampire Diaries, you must be familiar with its spin-off series, The Originals. While so many characters turned into vampires from humans, The Originals are the original. The Originals were called ‘The Originals’ because they are the first vampires to ever exist. The problem is; the theory of this film is different than the theory of business in the marketing world. In that film, people know that there are only several people who are considered as the originals. In the business world, anyone can be original and that can be challenging. I came across this cosmetic producer whose products are very popular in my country. There are many distributors and resellers of that company. However, when I saw their social media account’s followers, I was surprised to see that one of their distributors has more audience and followers on their social media than the producer’s social media account itself. When we talk about numbers, it should be obvious that the cosmetic producer has their own social media account first and technically should get more followers than their distributors, right? But, why does this distributor have more engaging social media interaction than the producer? I have researched on these two social media accounts and done a comparison between the two for the past few weeks and there is one thing that becomes the noticeable difference between them; the authenticity. Why? Keep reading to find out!

In order to find more audience on social media, the most important part is to be authentic. In this article, I’m going to tell you how to manage a brand’s social media with authenticity in mind.

Write for yourself

I know big brands like Anna Sui, YSL and MAC have their own social media specialists. Their CEO doesn’t need to handle it. However, they are big brands. The same thing can’t be said to small businesses. When you have a small business, you need to gather as much audience as possible before making big content and in order to achieve that is by being real, which means, you manage your business social media account by yourself. After comparing the cosmetic producer’s social media with their distributor’s social media account for weeks, I know there had to be something that made the distributor earn more audience than the producer itself and I found it now; it is the fact that the distributor manages her business’ social media account herself. She doesn’t hire a social media specialist to help her with social media. She writes for herself and she does it herself. The cosmetic producer, on the other hand, hires a social media specialist to manage their social media account. The distributor often shares how she first started the business in order to attract new prospects to either become her resellers or just new buyers. She told real stories about her and shared her experience during her business journey. You see, the main point of social media for business is not just to sell, but also to share. This is the point that many business owners fail to notice. While social media specialists are expert in this area, but nothing beats the authenticity of a brand than the owners managing their social media account themselves. Your social media feels authentic because you write it yourself. When you write for yourself, you are not just selling your products, but you are also engaging with your community.

Know the risks

Ever heard this saying, “No matter what you do or what you say, there will always be someone who will not like it.” Even the famous and beautiful Hollywood stars have their own haters. When you have a business, no matter how hard you try to have healthy competition with your competitors, there will always be some competitors who might hate you. Sadly, hates and dislikes may not only come from your competitors, but it can also come from your followers. Don’t lose hope when something like this happens. Acknowledge and accept the risks. Do more positive promotions and keep spreading love. Remember; not everything you say will be loved. Focus on connecting with your audience and be more transparent, so that your brand will be considered as reliable.

Having a business is not about selling. Your products should be able to help people, but your social media shares should also motivate people. Be more humble and helpful. That is the most authentic way to manage social media for a business.