Why likeable social media is crucial to your success and what to do about it
Quick question: What do you feel when you see those “sponsored” posts in your Facebook news feed?
Granted, some may interest you, but aren’t most of them a bit of a turnoff? Further, I don’t think I’m going out on a limb to say that most of us don’t really like them.
The likeability factor is central to business success and that may be nowhere more important than in your social media marketing. (After all, we even count our “likes”!) Without likeable social media posts, your marketing is dead in the water. In fact, maintaining a likeable social media presence is probably even more important than posting über-informative items…although the two are not mutually exclusive.
Let’s look at factors that can contribute to giving you a likeable social media presence.
Personality
The various social media platforms are today’s town square or the local mall; they are the places where people hang out to catch up with one another. The personality you project is an important component of this.
You probably know some major social media influencers who are immediately associated with a certain personality. For most of us, we don’t want to swing too far one way or another in terms of the personalities we project on the social media. We don’t want to as combative as Donald Trump or as wacky as Ricky Gervais. (Okay, if I could be as funny as Gervais’ on Twitter, I’d go with it.)
Perhaps the most important concept here is to give people a glimpse into your personality. This can often be accomplished by peppering your social media marketing with insights into your personal life. For example, I’ve found that posts of me and my lovable canine companion always get a favorable reaction.
Insights
The information you share on the social media says a lot about who you are. You can’t create a likeable social media presence with ho-hum posts.
Going back to how social media is where people hang out, isn’t it true that we generally like to hang out with people we respect or look up to? This often includes individuals who are a bit “further along” their professional paths than we are, or who know more about something we’re interested in.
Your social media will be more likeable when it delivers insights that aren’t available everywhere. I can’t tell you how many times each week I get pitched guest articles that cover the same ground hundreds of other writers have covered. Create and find unique content to share.
Aesthetics
Can we talk? Don’t we all appreciate people and things that are “easy on the eyes”? We are born with an innate sense of aesthetics. We find beautiful people, beautiful cars, beautiful paintings, beautiful vistas, and even beautiful food more to our liking.
Frankly, I think this is one of the reasons Pinterest got off to such a fast start. Users filled it with beautiful graphics. Give serious thought to the visual appeal of your social media posts. Make them look good. Create visuals that are engaging.
Language
Similar to the visual appeal required in your social media posts, always be careful to use good grammar and spelling. You may be allowed the occasional online acronym, lol, but don’t overdo it! And we all know what happens when you mix up their, there, and they’re. When it comes to the grammar, usage, and spelling wars, be a conscientious objector – don’t get caught up in the acrimony.
However, do inject your personality into your posts. Have some fun. Create some drama. These emotional buttons boost engagement.
You can probably come up with even more attributes that contribute to creating likeable social media. And, for my last piece of advice let me stress the importance of occasionally reviewing what you post and asking yourself, “Will my audience like that?”
If you consistently answer “yes,” you’re on the right path.