Hoping every one had a merry Christmas (if you celebrate) or at least enjoyed a day off. Today’s blog post is coming to you from New Jersey, as we made our way North yesterday, after a really awesome Christmas (Evie’s 1st!) down in DC. The weather was disgusting, but that didn’t stop us from watching Home Alone, eating Christmas cookies, and enjoying some really nice time with family that traveled down to DC to be with us.
Getting back into blogging for the week (before we head even further north to the Green Mountain State for New Years), I’m closing out my Top 5 Tips for using Social Media to Boost Your Business. (In case you missed Tip #1, Tip #2, Tip #3, or Tip #4, check those out too!) but for today, we’re closing this series out with the last tip: Just Be You.
What makes your business different or unique? It’s YOU. And really, the most effective thing you can do on social media is to be authentic and be yourself.
When I started to search for something cool to correlate between being yourself and social media, I came across this business case (above) from Red Bull Energy. It explained how even though Red Bull sells energy drinks, they almost never mention the energy drink or products they sell on their social media. Instead, they use images and videos of extreme sports and stunts to promote their brand.
I thought this was a really interesting way to think about your own brand or business and think if you could be showing different things on your social media sites instead of just your products or things you sell. Think about the STORY you want to tell about your business or brand.
I think Seth Godin sums it up pretty well in saying that true marketing is really just story telling. Think about how you can tell YOUR story on social media. Personally, I do this through keeping my social media platforms a mix of business AND personal. I post pictures of my life and “behind the scenes” on social media to share my story of being a small business owner and a vendor in the wedding world, but also a wife, and a new mom, and more.
When you think about it, the one thing that REALLY makes you different from other brands or businesses is YOU. There are A LOT of wedding vendors in the DC Metro Area, so telling your story could be the best way to differentiate yourself. So use your social media platforms in this way, but remember to maintain consistency and use an authentic voice:
- Use your mission statement as your guide
- Don’t be afraid to get personal
- You can be silly, or controlled, crass, or sarcastic, but most of all, just be YOU!
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