How to Humanize Your Business through Social Media

Something I’m passionate about currently is the idea of treating your social media (personal or business) as standalone series.

Think Netflix vs random one-off posts. You’re content should be broken up into separate reoccurring series.

Allow me show you a peak behind the curtain of my personal social media series (not on LinkedIn).

Currently, I have the following series:

👉 Morning Walk and Talks (philosophizing about life)

👉 Skateboarding (40+ year old relearning how to skateboard)

👉 Running (My goal to run 100 runs per year)

👉 Dine out (come with me to restaurant)

👉 Business / Marketing (tips, tactics, trends, behind-the-scenes)

👉 Travel & Adventure (come with me to destination)

👉 Movie Pitch Monday (me pitching hypothetical movie ideas)

Once any of these gain enough traction, I can create a separate account for just that content.

If the series doesn’t get traction, I change the editing style, voice over, audio, pacing / length… and try again. If still no engagement, I stop posting about it.

Each series could have an arc or continuity, or they could be episodic (standalone).

👉 Notice that in none of my series am I directly selling. But am I indirectly selling a personality, a lifestyle, a set of values, an identity people want to be part of?

Here's an Idea You Can Use

Here’s one idea you can use… Think of the people in your office as their own individual shows. Let’s say you identify the following individuals from your work: Bill, Jenny, Gurpreet, Annie, and Chris… Okay, take Bill – let’s make him a reoccurring character on your social media. Next, think of 5-7 video ideas that you could film with Bill. Is he grumpy? – Maybe you find funny ways to annoy him. – Maybe you buy him a gift he’ll hate and get his reaction. – Maybe you try to brighten his day (you take Bill to a spa). Does he like to share his knowledge? – Ask him questions about current events or trends – Get him to teach you about something. Does he embarrass easily? – Put Bill into a situation where he’s the center of attention. – Take Bill to a restaurant for lunch and loudly announce “It’s Bill’s Birthday!” (even if it’s not). – Stage a fake “Employee of the Month” celebration with balloons and confetti for him. Whatever it is about Bill, use it. Now, brainstorm a list of ideas for each of the other “characters” in your office. Why this will work? 👉 It tells a story with a reoccurring cast of characters 👉 It humanizes your business 👉 It’s not selling 👉 It makes your brand memorable 👉 It gets people emotionally invested in your brand 👉 There are endless possibilities to keep your content fresh and engaging

Continue Reading: Lessons I Learned from Going Viral