Humanity is More Important Than Data in Social Media

Humanity At Its Best

Is there anything more cheesy than an awkward product placement in a movie or TV show? You’re watching your favorite characters, you’re into the story, then out of nowhere, “Wow, check out this nifty thing!”
While the importance of advertising is undeniable, perhaps there are places where direct advertising does more harm than good. According to Mark Schaefer, Twitter is certainly one of those places.
He proposes that instead of using social media to simply recycle ads, it is much more effective to use it as a window into the humanity of your business. Your brand’s communication on Twitter should be a direct look at something people find far more interesting and important than the info on your latest product, and that’s the real life hands that built it.
By turning the spotlight on your employees and the people involved with your product, you can create an invaluable connection with customers that is unmatched anywhere else.

In This Episode

• How Twitter’s shift to 280 characters may affect the company and the obstacles it faces
• How to engage with Twitter as a human-driven platform rather than a place to broadcast ads
• Why having a human presence is different from employee advocacy
• How elevating your employees can benefit your business more than traditional ads
• Why businesses should be evolving their content

Quotes From This Episode

“Having that human presence makes a big difference and creates a glow for your brand.” Share on X
“If you’re one of those people out there still rolling their eyes at influence marketing, you’ve gotta get over it because it is big.” – @markwschaefer
“If more of our employees have a profound and impactful social media presence, we're gonna win.” Share on X
“Everything you do on your job, every engagement, every post, every response, every interaction you’ve got with the outside world; put it through this filter: how can we be more human?” – @markwschaefer

Resources

• Mark Schaefer on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
• The Tao of Twitter
• Known
• More Than Marketing: Exploring the Five Roles of the New Marketer
• The Content Code
• Marketing Companion Podcast
• Why Consistency Is the Key to Becoming Known