Samuel Pique-Perry, director of Monmouth-based So. Social Media, talks brands...

More companies than ever before have embraced social media as a key marketing platform to attract and engage with their consumers, users, fans and suppliers. 

It’s 2018, so it’s fair to say that it would be disingenuous to pretend that social media is an emerging or unproven strategy for businesses. The proof is out there. In fact, it’s everywhere and to abstain from initiating your first social media marketing plan as soon as physically possible would be a grave mistake indeed. 

Appealing to your consumer base in your brand’s own ‘voice’ is a key element to successful social media marketing. 

Every brand has a voice, whether that voice is tailored towards grunge rock, tattooed, downhill biking fans or ladies who lunch with Prosecco at eleven in the morning – and the way your brand engages with these various social sectors should be governed by your use of language. 

The fundamentals of social media marketing must revolve around being ‘social’, a seemingly obvious statement, but one which many brands overlook. 

One might assume that, much like traditional print, radio and television advertising, persistent sales pitches and calls-to-action will drive social media conversions, but this is often not the case. 

We must remember that social media, which came to initial fruition in the form of MySpace and MSN Messenger over 10 years ago, was never intended to be utilised for business marketing purposes. 

Social media’s core intent was, and still is, to keep people in touch with one another. Brands which apply aggressive sales techniques to that fundamentally social mixture are often driving consumers away from their products.  

Emerging preserves producer, South Wales-based The Preservation Society provide an excellent case study in successful use of ‘voice’.
The Preservation Society aims to make breakfast accessories into a fun and engaging experience. Its products feature quirky names and its social media tone and voice replicates this ingrained quirkiness to fantastic effect. 

They are not afraid to stray away from the constraints of the Oxford English Dictionary, last time I checked ‘scrummylicious’ was not a word, but The Preservation Society use cute and chatty language like this to give their social media channels a more human touch. 

A ‘voice’ within digital marketing need not apply to written content alone as supporting imagery and video content should also replicate your brands tone.

The Preservation Society also use imagery and video content to excellent effect. They provide each product with its own personality and even its back story, highlighting fictional adventures undertaken by each product through creative imagery and language. 

Salesmen, do not be alarmed, the human approach to social media marketing does not simply result in a constant stream of adorable waffle, not at all. The purpose of this approach is to ‘engage’ your consumers. 

At the point someone has become interested in your product through voice, imagery or video content, their interest is prime for the plucking. 

As such, providing your creative content with relevant weblinks so that your now ‘hooked’ consumer can ‘find out more’ is where your marketing skills begin to bear the fruit of conversions. 

A business owner who understands their market will be able to identify an effective voice. Analytics software which track your consumers – by gender, age, geographic location, devices used – provide all the data you need to build your brand’s voice, engage your consumers and ultimately drive successful conversions.