For many businesses, social media has become the way to show leadership in the community and bring people together during this “new normal.” With the opportunity to redefine and reinforce your business’s vision and deliver it to your community in fun, bite-sized visual pieces, social media has become more than marketing—it’s become relationship-development. Which, of course, builds momentum for your mission! Through meaningful posts, the everyday actions inside your organization can be turned into extraordinary visual art and personal connections.
Social media messaging, however, requires you to become extremely clear about the “feeling” you want the audience to have. You want your posts to evoke a message that your business exists to serve and support. Prospective clients may be visiting your platforms for the very first time (and for a short time) so it’s important to give them a glimpse of the personality of your business. For your existing clientele, interacting with your social media affirms their decision to do business with you.
In this age of handheld content consumption, eyeballs are the new real estate. Those eyes belong to potential clients, the minds of new clients, and the hearts of veteran clients. When you use social media to highlight your business culture, educate your clients, and empower them with words, you affect their individual micro-communities with positive connections, causing a ripple effect that goes deep and wide.
During these difficult times and beyond, the messages you post need to showcase your business as an organization of change. When you lead with love, love is what they will see. People will feel like you are talking as their friend, neighbor, or family. If you’re looking for ways to lead with love inside your business’s social media accounts, here are some ideas to try:
1.Preserve and highlight the memories
Take footage from your virtual classes and highlight the positive moments within them; you could do this with photos/screenshots or by creating short videos.
2. Make a connection
Choose special “give back” moments: Do you have essential workers within your village? What about seniors who missed out on graduation? Create appreciation posts that connect them to your audience.
3.Use positive feedback
When clients are dialed in to your mission, it translates well in messaging. For example, take advantage of that random photo a parent shared or a testimonial they posted and celebrate it on social media.
4.Impact the future narrative
Get ahead of what your community thinks of your business! Show how you are providing everyday impact. Build the story of where you want your business to go next so that people can follow.
More than ever, social media can be used to communicate your brand and to deliver on your brand promises. Stay true to yourself, stay on message, stay consistent, and then watch the love return to you.
