Web Marketing Therapy

What’s In a Name? The Importance of Being Authentic in Social Media.

February 12th, 2009
by Amy Dunn

Shakespeare once wrote- A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. However-Shakespeare probably never imagined we would one day live in a world where people were identified by their user names, handle, their brand, alias or an avatar. I had an interesting week trying to communicate the importance to businesses of having a true and real identity in social media channels like My Space, Twitter and Facebook. Some businesses are more comfortable operating behind the “mask” of their brand and do not reveal their real names or show a real photo. Their hopes are people will find their brand appealing enough to follow and eventually become customers. I have done a lot of thinking and reading on this, and I am not so convinced this is the way to go.

We have all probably come across someone or something on the Web and we have no idea who they are or what they are talking about or why they are following or connecting with us. Some folks may thrive on the mystery of figuring it out- but I (like most) quickly lose interest in these “mystery” users and move on to the next thing. I have said this before and I will say it again- people want to follow and connect with people in social media channels. They want to know who you are, what you do for a living, see a link to your blog or your site, and your general interests. With few exceptions, they do not want to connect with a just a brand, or a logo, or a gimmick.

As a general rule, be real. Use YOUR identity to promote your brand or your blog. It is true that many businesses do promote their brand in social media without assigning a specific name or personal identity to it, and I would say many succeed. But, I still subscribe to the belief that people want to interact with real people in social media channels.

One of my favorite examples of this comes from Mark Drapeau in his article in Mashable (an excellent source of information by the way)- Do Brands Belong on Twitter? (which I would say brands absolutely have a place on Twitter of they contribute to the overall conversation and not just Tweet out one line advertisements)

“So, does anyone really want to talk to @DunkinDonuts? Or would they rather talk to Bill Rosenberg, the founder of Dunkin Donuts of Canton, MA, or perhaps the local franchise owner on Capitol Hill, or a disgruntled but funny summer employee punching in at 4am? People connect with people, and so I think the latter. “

I have also found this piece by Jack Bastide to be a good one for those who want tips on how to gain a large following in social media (this applies to Twitter but the rules can apply in any network). Twitter Follow Rules- Who to Follow.

Having said this- the most important thing for any marketer or blogger is to find an approach that the team is most comfortable using and fits within their overall marketing strategy. Consider all angles when deciding how to set up your profiles in social media channels- but make sure you implement a way to easily make thoughtful and interesting updates that will captivate new followers. Make sure your approach reflects who you are and who you want to meet. Be honest, truthful, consistent, authentic, define your role within your organization…..and success will follow.

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