Great content is about storytelling. But, and this is important, do not make everything about your brand.
To connect with your audience you need to learn how to tell meaningful, creative and authentic stories and avoid the norm.
Building authentic relationships online is tough but getting to know your audience is crucial if you want to get through to them and connect.
The way to do this is to listen, respond to the comments they leave and make note of which stories or posts they share the most.
These trends and commonalities can help shape your social content.
Using video content is one of the most effective way to engage with your audience.
In saying that, it does not mean that the power of unusual and authentic visuals should be underestimated or tossed aside but it is important not to always use stock images we have all seen a million times before.
The right image with a great caption and a #hashtag can encourage your audience to react and give you the desired emotion, which you want to evoke out of them.
To build affinity you must be authentic and put out what is best for your targeted audience. A good starting point is to bear these questions in mind:
• Do I know my audience?
• Does my content resonate with them?
• Moreover, are you sharing something which is unique, interesting and informative?
Most importantly the rule of thumb is go with something that your audience will gain the most value from.
Your brand is not about you it is about how you make your audience feel.
By doing this you will not be limiting your brand only to people who are loyal and are already following your brand.
Open up yourself to new avenues as this will enable you to attract new customers.
Knowing your audience effectively is also about understanding their culture.
Do not try to engage a community with particular content in the midst of just trying to connect.
For instance, without understanding influential figures, trends and the language that they use such as slang and relaxed tones of being colloquial.
Audiences will catch you out and see you as a brand that is just pushing out content, of which it is clueless about.
Effectively you cannot appeal to everybody, which is why it is important to research your audience.
Let your audience’s insights guide your content making your brand relatable.
