Social media can be tricky for a brand to navigate, especially during a fast-evolving situation where your company is expected (or being asked) to respond. Have you built up your social media to this moment to be transparent, responsive, and consistent? These ideals and their value in building brand trust on social media are the focus of today’s article, a tangent to enVisioning Success podcast episode, Integrity at the Forefront: The Foundation of Trustworthy Sales. While that episode focuses on building trust in sales, here we’re applying many of the same ideas to social media marketing, but don’t worry: we’ll loop back around to sales before the end.
Be Transparent in Communication
Authenticity, trustworthiness, and transparency are all words you’ll see crop up in brand marketing discourse, especially on social media. Clear communication—especially during a crisis—is a key part of not just social media but also all branding (including in sales). Everything from your mission statement to how you respond to negative reviews is critical because it’s all public, and social media is the most public of all because anyone can respond. When you’re writing a post, focus on clear language, be as concise as possible, and provide as much information as you need to make the point.
Post About Issues in a Timely Manner
The best social media is timely and topical. Sometimes, this can be holiday marketing planned months in advance; other times, these are sudden situations where you need to respond practically immediately. This could be anything from a sudden store closure due to the weather to an incendiary review. Focus on:
- Planning Contingencies: It’s important to build out responses and procedures for likely situations ahead of time regarding who makes the decisions and who lets marketing know what to communicate.
- Getting Ahead of Situations: When you know something is going to happen, whether it’s a store closure or other issue, do your best to get ahead of it by posting as soon as possible.
- Facing Problems Head On: Transparency and being candid are your best options when dealing with sudden problems. This, combined with quick responses, helps avoid rampant speculation or anger in your community.
For more useful tips, check out our blog, The Do’s and Don’ts of Marketing During a Crisis.
Have a Single Voice for Social Media
This last one can be a challenge, especially when it comes to timely events, but it’s also key. Having a single point person (ideally your marketer) for posting to social media provides a valuable tool: consistency. Brand consistency is one of the most important aspects of marketing, and that’s doubly true with social media marketing. Having multiple “voices” on social media not only leads to confusion but may break with your policies and the brand image you’ve worked on creating.
About the enVisioning Success Podcast
This article is based on topics discussed in enVisioning Success, our weekly podcast hosted by Vision CEO Laura DiBenedetto and COO Julia Becker Collins. In it, they discuss all things business and marketing. Find us on Spotify to listen to us directly, watch us on YouTube, or subscribe to our mailing list to get new episodes and more delivered directly to your inbox. Interested in supercharging your own marketing? Download our Marketing Strategies Playbook, learn more about our services, and contact us today.
