Get Personal.
On July 5, I had the awesome opportunity to go to the On the Run Tour stop in Philadelphia at Citizens Banks Stadium. Thousands of Beyoncé and Jay-Z fans gathered in one place to see their favorite stars tear up the stage that night. It was awesome.There’s no denying it: Jay and Bey are one of the world’s most powerful couples in entertainment. They are able to sell out shows without trying. I could go on and on…but I won’t.
What I really want to talk about is what seemed to be the most powerful and beautiful (note, I said “beautiful”… I guess this really speaks to what I am going to tell you later) part of the show for me.
Towards the end of the night, the two showed a lovely montage filled with personal videos from their lives. From early in their courtship, to their engagement, shared tattoo sessions, wedding, and the birth of their daughter Blue Ivy… there was so much intimacy shared. The two, who are known for being very private, really opened up a part of their lives to the people in the audiences. Guess what?
PEOPLE LOVED IT.
Actually,
PEOPLE REALLY LOVED IT.
During the montage, I looked around and people were totally enamored. Some people even had tears in their eyes! (No, I am not lying. One die-hard Beyonce fan couldn’t help screaming afterwards…. “THEY JUST GAVE ME SO MUCH LIFE RIGHT NOW!”)
The couple shared their love on stage with each other and the world. (P.S- they were making ALOT of money in the process of doing so…but that’s another blog post for another day.)
So, what did Beyonce sharing private videos from her life teach me?
Sharing parts of your personal life, the bits that make you human, is what helps to bring customer love and loyalty. In the digital world, it’s hard to “get to know” someone virtually, if you don’t create an online personality. The act of building an online presence should not only be limited to sharing knowledge about a certain subject with others. It should be about creating a well-rounded digital persona.
5 ways you can start building your audience by being more “personal”:
- Talk about things that venture from your “speciality”. Sometimes you’ll see that I share mroe than just posts about personal branding on my blog. Posts like “I Just Called The Cops on a Group of Young Black Boys“ have nothing to do with direct career advice but reflect experiences that show who I am and the causes I care about. I want my audience to know about the issues I stand for and things I go through sometimes. It’s actually one of my top-read posts on my blog.
- Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through. One of the easiest ways to let your personality shine through is by setting the “tone” and “voice” of your online presence. Just because you are online doesn’t mean that you have to be strictly “professional.” Use language that resonates with your audience. Be natural. People like to read things that they can understand and relate to.
- Let people in to parts of your personal life. You don’t have to let your audience know everything about you. I use my Instagram as a sort of “visual diary.” It’s a place where people can go to see who I am and the things that I like. What one thing you can you tell from looking at my Instagram? I love fitness and fashion. Those are two aspects of my personalities that you might not really garner from my posts here on ranacampbell.com. Yet, they are very important to my being. Find ways to let people in on who you are. You don’t have to reveal everything about you but give people something to attach to your name. This is very important when it comes to brand building.
- Keep it real. Be open with your struggles. Honestly, some of my favorite blogs such as I Will Teach You to Be Rich are filled with stories of personal triumphs and overcoming adversity. I like knowing that the people that I am following online are NOT perfect. This helps build accountability and trust. Who wants to be “friends” with someone who can’t admit past mistakes or screw-ups?! This is what makes us human. Having an online presence should not be about being perfect.
- Engage, engage, engage! Building a community of followers is ever-important. Are you engaging with your community in real-time? Are you responding to comments? Are you making your followers feel important, appreciated and loved? Hopefully, the answer is yes. When you show people you care about them, they will show you that they care about you. Reciprocity is very important when building an audience, so don’t forget about this one.
What are some other tips that you have for getting your online audience to love you? Please share in the COMMENTS section.
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