Nowadays, many brands with a strong social media presence seem to be vying for the number one most unique “corporate personality.” For most, Wendy’s probably comes to mind, with their witty banter with other brands, cheeky responses to customers and fans, and generally odd-yet-charming social presence. While this strategy may work for long-established brands and companies, this sort of tone may create an awkward position for a start-up and blooming independent studio.
If you’re just starting out on social media, you’ve probably created your accounts on your desired platforms, uploaded some relevant assets, and linked to where you want your audience to go, be that your official site or Steam store page. But…what now? Publishing that first post may seem easy (or maybe daunting!), but the larger issue becomes the question of your long-term social media presence strategy, and much of that revolves around the tone you use. To help you out, we have advice today about finding your voice on social media.
So, What Should My Tone Be, Anyway?
First and foremost, your tone is the type and style of voice you want to use on social media. As mentioned earlier, it will be the tone in which you address your fans, reply to comments and messages, and even deal with customer service inquiries or complaints.
Defining your tone and establishing your voice on social media is an important first step in your marketing strategy.
- Do you want to use memes as part of your publishing queue?
- Do you have a light-hearted game that you will poke fun at and make self-aware jokes on?
- Maybe you are a company with a new tech gadget that wants to take the “all work and no play” route, giving off the impression that you mean business and take your product very seriously.
All of those are okay! But what matters is deciding what kind of presence you want on social media and then sticking to it.
Think of your Twitter profile as your business’s “face” or figurehead. Most fans and customers don’t care who your CEO or CMO is. They just want to have a pleasurable experience with your brand. They have become accustomed to a curated experience from their favorite brands. Finding your voice on social media is the first step to connecting with your audience and delivering a positive brand experience.
4 Tips for Finding Your Voice on Social Media
Okay, so we’ve established that you can choose any tone, style, and voice for your social media so long as you are consistent. But how do you decide what that is? To help you out, we’ve gathered some of our favorite tips for finding your voice on social media.
- Who Is Your Audience? Social media is all about connecting with your audience. So, who are they? Think of things like age, demographics, hobbies, and interests. Think about what resonates with them and what you have in common with them (besides your brand). The first step in finding your voice on social media is to figure out who you’re talking to!
- What Are Your Adjectives? Adjectives are words that describe your brand and your vibe. Pick ten to start. Then narrow it down to something manageable, like four. Now use these words as a guideline for writing social media posts and interacting in comments. For help, check out this giant list of 500 Adjectives to Define Your Brand Personality.
- Are You Human? Another key to finding your voice on social media is to show your humanity. Be real! And by that, we mean to write as you talk (and how your audience talks). Avoid jargon and fancy language. Try reading your post aloud before you hit publish to catch things that sound awkward or robotic.
- Are You Building Relationships or Self-Promoting? When you write about yourself all the time, you lose the chance to connect with your audience. Write from their perspective instead. Listen, respond, and put the audience first. You’ll build a relationship with your audience by changing the ‘me, me, me’ monologue into ‘we, we, we’ conversations.
Check out this Hootsuite article for examples of brand voice and more tips on finding your voice on social media.
Make Sure You Have a Spotter
We’ve all seen it. A big brand on Twitter makes an oopsie. Let us not forget Burger King’s International Women’s Day “Women Belong in the Kitchen” tweet in 2021. While large-scale missteps like this leave most scratching their heads (as an agency was obviously involved), it’s crucial to remember that small teams pose an even greater risk for social media blunders.
If you’re a small start-up or studio just getting started, you may not have the budget for a social media manager. When deciding to take this large responsibility on yourself (or as a small team), we recommend having a content approval plan.
In short, this means one person writes the content, one person reviews it for errors or typos, and another person checks again for potential ethics issues or messaging that doesn’t match your voice.
We’ve all seen the damage one poorly worded or ill-timed social post can cause for big brands. Don’t let it happen to your small business, where your social media “strikes” are even fewer.
Finding Your Voice on Social Media
Finding your voice on social media is an important task. Your voice communicates to your audience who your brand is and sets the stage for all social media posts and strategy to follow. So perhaps you need a second opinion on the tone and voice you should use on your social media channels? Or maybe you could use some help with community management? Let UberStrategist help!
At UberStrategist, we offer many options, including social media consulting, content creation, community management, and full social channel management. This is what we do best! So if you want an expert to handle your social media channels, contact us at sales@uberstrategist.com. We’re eager to hear from you and excited to help you build your social media presence!
