Personify Your Brand

When we think about a person, an individual, what do we think of? Naturally, we consider specific descriptors that are used to describe that individual. Just as an individual will have particular characteristics that define who they are, so will a brand.

Why does this matter? Because customers are more likely to recognize and remain faithful to brands and businesses that closely resemble themselves in terms of character. So how do you build a brand that connects your values and goals with those of your clients? This is where brand name personification comes in.

How to personify your brand – and why should you be interested?

Brand personification is a strategy where people think about a brand or business as individuals and describe how they think and feel. Personifying a brand name and designating the brand name human qualities will help individuals connect better with the organization. Like human relationships, this more personal connection can result in a discussion and ultimately produce a devoted consumer.

When personifying your brand, credibility should be your main focus – paint a picture of what you and your service represent. If you force these qualities on yourself that are not present in the organization, individuals will discover this. Do not push those attributes on yourself or the brand. Instead, make the most of your team. Let them help you in telling stories that show your brand name and service culture.

So many brands get this wrong, and that can be detrimental to your brand. So let’s dive into how you go about personifying your brand.

Principles of Personification

Tone of Voice

Example

When you’re putting your brand out there on social media, you need to communicate who you are. You want to make sure that your brand is comparable to someone that a customer wants to hang out with, be friends with, and be social with. If you sound corporate, disengaged, or sterile, your customers won’t be able to connect with you. And you certainly won’t be able to build a community around your brand that will want to advocate for your brand.

Talk to your customer like a friend. Make it easy for them to like your brand, your products, your services.

More Than Emojis & Likes

Community management is key to helping personify your brand. Typically, most brands will like people’s posts, throw up a few emojis, and that’s where it ends. Is that okay? Sure… It’s definitely better than nothing. But that’s not going to earn your brand a coveted community of brand ambassadors who go out and sell for you.

Your goals should be to cultivate an inclusive community. Take the time to really ready and really comment on your followers’ comments. Continue the conversation. Create a back and forth dialogue that makes your follows enthusiastic, engaged, and invested in your brand. If they are taking the time to comment on your posts, take the time to comment back. Thank them for being there, ask questions to keep the conversation going.

Keep the convo going post-purchase

When you have customers who have made a purchase, don’t let that be the end of the conversation, especially on social media. These customers who posting and sharing are?excited?about your brand and your services, and they take the time to post about it and tag you on their own social media; that’s amazing! You’re earning followers that are excited and actively promoting your brand… for free! So keep this conversation going.

If users tag your brand in their own posts, take it a step farther and engage with their followers who liking and commenting on that tagged post. This will start building an even larger community of followers who likely hadn’t been introduced to your brand yet. People value their friends and family’s opinions.

By keeping the conversation going on social media, your followers and customers start to feel a sense of community with you. Your brand becomes a “who” to them instead of a “what.” They begin to trust you and become a community of followers and customers who are now advocating for you. Congratulations! You’ve earned yourself a loyal following who are excited to engage with and share your brand -?a community that sells for you.

Key take-aways on how to personify your brand

1. Tone of voice – keep it conversational (not corporate).
2. More than emojis and likes – create a dialogue that promotes engagement.
3. Keep the convo going post-purchase – ask questions, engage beyond your own posts with tagged content.

Bottom line – make your brand?likable and personable. If you wouldn’t want to be friends with the brand, why would anyone else want to be friends with you???Take the time to personify your brand, and you?will?earn greater engagement that builds a community that sells for you.