As we enter 2023 and people inevitably look to create new year’s resolutions and readdress their business goals, one thing is crucial for you to remember: people buy from people and that is why it is more important than ever to show up authentically in your marketing and business brand.
What Do You Mean By “Showing Up”?
You’ll be pleased to hear that we don’t mean physically turning up on someone’s doorstep, or even having a bricks and mortar store for those of you that are selling physical products. In this day and age, things have changed. Rather, what’s most important for your business growth is that in your marketing and brand storytelling, consumers are getting an idea of who they are buying from - and that means you.
Technology has changed how we do do things of course and as the amount of in-person or IRL contact happens, how we show up is changing. But it hasn’t changed the things that matter to us as humans - connections and authentic relationships. In the current economic environment. people are being more careful about where and how they are spending, and so it is even more important to show up as genuine people who care about customers or potential customers.
Why Is It Important?
Not just another buzz word, showing up as your authentic self and the real person behind the business is key to showing consumers who you are, what you’re providing and why they should choose you or your business versus another. A huge benefit of being a small business is that compared to lots of massive international brands, there is generally still a small team that people can really get to know and support.
In a recent study by Talkwalker, a consumer has 306% higher lifetime value to you as a business if they have an emotional connection.
What that means is that they are more likely to purchase or use your services time and time again if they believe in you and what you are doing. The best way for them to know who you are and what you’re doing is to tell them, be that on your website, on your socials or in your email marketing.
Similarly, 86% of consumers claims that authenticity is essential when deciding to buy from a brand. This means that you have to show them how as well as tell them why in your marketing.
How Can I Show Up for my Business?
Having a social media presence is a basic expectation for any business now. Whether you’re on Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, YouTube or LinkedIn, all of the social media networks are somewhere you can grow and develop a warm audience for your business, no matter what you’re selling or offering as a service. In fact, when done right, an engaged social media audience can be the life and soul of your business helping you to grow even with the smallest of followings.
What's your favourite platform for your business?
0%Instagram
0%Facebook
0%LinkedIn
0%TikTok
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“Showing up” on your social channels makes you super accessible and allows you to
offer traditional customer service, in a modern, relevant way. As creative marketing specialists, here are some of our top tips at Your AJency when supporting our clients with showing up on socials.
5 Things to Try on Social Media to Show Up and Grow Your Business:
Humanise your business. Share behind-the-images and videos or show your followers what a day at your company looks like. Try and get in front of the camera - even if its just on stories - to show your followers who you are and who they’re buying from. If you’re a larger team, share photos of company events, staff profiles or videos about how your business is run. Once consumers gain this kind of insight into your organisation, they will build an authentic connection with you as they get to know you on a deeper level.
Use social networks to be sociable! This might sound silly but being social on social networks is one of the easiest things to do to make sure your followers know who you are. If someone comments on your post, comment back and engage in conversation. Equally, follow brands and people that are a good fit for your company and whose content you enjoy - don’t just leave a like but comment and engage with them too. Even sending a direct message (DM) is going to build a relationship and ultimately, connections can convert into community and potential future clients.
Video content. Short-form video content isn’t going anywhere. In fact, its popularity is only increasing! If you’re a perfectionist and struggling to commit something to your grid, get on stories on Instagram. These only last for 24 hours and are the perfect place to start if you’re new to video. Elsewhere, you could narrate your reels or even get your staff or existing clients to appear in them. Whether you’re using Reels, TikTok or Youtube Shorts, video is being consumed faster and more often than any other type of content so don’t exclude yourself from this consistently-growing audience. What’s brilliant is that informal, authentic videos are performing better than overly-styled and perfectly shot videos which means its accessible to everyone!
Influencer marketing. As with video, influencer marketing is set to drive even more revenue in 2023 and platforms are making it easier for content creators to do their jobs. For many, content creation is not just a side-hustle but a full-time job now and often, if you find the right influencer to collaborate with, it can be one of the most powerful marketing tools. Do your research by being present on your chosen social and create a wishlist of people who could live and breathe your brand on your behalf. Showing up for your business doesn’t necessarily mean it all has to come from you. Pair up with the right content creator or influencer and their opinion can help grow your business too. More than 60% of consumers trust the fidelity of influencer reviews, which is nearly twice the number of people who trust branded content according to a report in 2022 by Shopify.
Be consistent. Our best advice when it comes to showing up and showing your authentic self on social media is to be consistent. Post regularly and show your brand message that you have build across your posts, whether that’s in your blog, on your stories or in your videos. Often as business owners, we spend years crafting our brand image and message and then we just put it on our website and wait for people to read it. No matter where you’re connecting with your audience, make sure they know why you’re the brand for them. Build connections and in turn build a client base who will be willing to support your business and drive growth.
Create Real Value for your Clients
Ultimately, consumers want to feel like they are buying something real, something with soul. It’s now important to share more on what you stand for as well as what you’re offering. People want to support businesses whose values align with their own and not just buy from brands who are just in it to make money.
If an audience can relate to you, they are more likely to buy the product and the easiest way of showcasing your brand and your messages is on social media, whichever channel you’re using. Build connections person to person and before long you’ll be building a community where people trust your brand and business, buy from you themselves and actively recommend you to others.
About Anna Jones, Founder at Your AJency
Anna Jones is a creative marketing expert who uses her commercial retail experience and global perspective to connect my clients to the right people to support them grow. She is the founder of Your AJency, a global marketing agency founded in Chicago, now based in Altrincham, on a mission to increase the visibility of female founders by mentoring them to strategically market their businesses and unleash the power of storytelling.
