The first time I posted content online, I did the professional thing and played it safe -- and it got me nowhere. They are too professional and not personal enough, and therefore, their fans aren't engaging and aren't coming closer. The first time I was encouraged to tell my personal story online -- the story of becoming homeless after my contract at a dream job had ended and I couldn't find similar work -- was scary. Since I discovered transparency marketing, some of my social media posts have been deeply personal. To make it transparent in all of their marketing. People don't connect to your products; they remember your story, your humanness, and if they resonate with that -- you'll be unforgettable and become part of their lives. In this new era of marketing, I've heard hundreds of people online say, "People want to buy from people, not from corporations." The only way any company or brand can make themselves human is by using more transparency in their marketing. If it works in entertainment, social media and big brands like Southwest Airlines and Panera Bread, it can work for your business, too. Now it's time you put a little edge into your content, differentiate yourself and show the human side to help your audience feel more connected and thus more compelled to trust you when you make an offer.
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The first time I posted content online, I did the professional thing and played it safe — and it got me nowhere.
The response to my content was dismal. Hardly anyone cared, and engagement on my blog, social media posts and podcast didn’t get the responses I had hoped for. My adherence to “professionalism” didn’t do the trick, and no one engaged or reached out. And for business, this is terrible news.
Similarly, when I search online whether it’s big brands, franchises or new entrepreneurs — I find many of them are making the same mistake. They are too professional and not personal enough, and therefore, their fans aren’t engaging and aren’t coming closer.
The first time I was encouraged to tell my personal story online — the story of becoming homeless after my contract at a dream job had ended and I couldn’t find similar work — was scary. That’s not the stuff I ever wanted anyone to know, especially at a time when I was finding my footing as a new business owner.
Initially, it was scary to push the envelope that way, but as the fans grew, the engagement increased and more customers started to flood in — I knew transparency marketing worked. If you’ve been struggling to have engaged readers, viewers and listeners of your content, it could very well be because your content is boring and doesn’t offer depth.
Creating engagement and depth starts with vulnerability.
According to marketers, when advertisers and companies include vulnerability and transparency in their marketing, it increases engagement.
This push for marketing to have more vulnerability has become so popular that there’s even a term for it: transparency marketing. Interestingly enough, this marketing tactic has some of its roots in what relationship counselors have known for decades; transparency, honesty, vulnerability and honesty breed intimacy. It’s only been in the last decade or so that marketers have seen the light and realized that people don’t want to connect with brands — they want to connect with something human.
If your online presence lacks engagement, try getting personal. Tell your fans and viewers something vulnerable and transparent. This method works well and according to research by Label Insight, 94 percent of those surveyed are more likely to be loyal to brands that are transparent. The study also found that 56 percent of respondents would stay loyal to a brand for life if it was completely transparent.
Now, these…
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