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07/27/2011
We've been over this before; if your company is going to have any sort of online presence (social media, blog, website) it needs some personality.There are way too many businesses that interact online like, well, like a business. Consumers don't want to be treated like consumers. They don't want you to look at them and see a) dollar signs or b) people beneath you. When you interact with them online, you need to be helpful, and treat everyone as equal. You also need to be engaging and interesting.
Some brands really get this, and they do a great job. They're the ones that are active on social media sites, busily engaging users with questions, polls and interesting posts. Most importantly, they're interacting with personality.
Brands, especially small start-ups, have a really bad habit of shying away from having a strong personality. They don't want to bother the people who've "liked" them or they don't see the importance of interacting regularly. Also, it's awkward, during the weeks or months you spend searching for your company's voice.
But perhaps the most common reason businesses shy away from creating a voice is that they are afraid of perceived rejection. Anyone who's ever posted on their business social media accounts and got nothing but silence back knows how this feels. It's worse when you're posting with personality, asking questions, engaging, and... nothing. But that shouldn't stop you.
Unless you're a huge corporation, you're going to have some posts that don't get as much of a response as others. This is especially true when you're just starting out. Give it time. Keep true to your voice, and keep posting. As long as you aren't offensive or rude (unless that's the voice your business requires-- it works for some), and as long as what you're posting is interesting and relevant, people will start to respond.
This personality should also extend to your website and blog, especially your blog. Your followers aren't going to want to read dry blog posts, even if they're on a very exciting topic. You have to make them sound interesting, and the best way to do that is to have an interesting voice. Be funny, witty, sarcastic, overly positive or whatever feels comfortable for both you and your business.
Make sure your voice is unique. Don't try to copy from another business; study the business personalities that most resonate with you, but you ultimately need to create your own. Experiment. It won't take long at all for you to discover your business's voice.
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