“Be yourself” and “be authentic” are arguably the two most propagated pieces of advice on social media. For good reason, too. Nothing works better on social media than real human relationships. The more casual and genuine you are in your interactions on social, the more long-lasting connections you’ll build. All that said, however, when is sharing personal stories a bit too much? Many of us still struggle to find the balance between sharing and sharing too much. That’s why for this week’s chat, we invited digital strategist Kim Scaravelli to discuss how we can be authentic on social media without over-doing it. Here’s a summary of our chat.
Guest: Kim Scaravelli
Topic: Being authentic on Twitter without sharing too much
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to share.
According to our guest, being real and authentic on Twitter is behaving the same way as you would in real life. This includes every aspect of life and social media, such as sharing, listening, engaging, and having fun.
A1: To me, it’s about communicating the same way you do in real life:
Listening. Talking. Sharing. Having a little fun now and then.
Being a person instead of a brand. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/MZe0XWerPh
— Kim Scaravelli (@KimScaravelli) September 23, 2021
Pearl added that your authenticity should reflect in your tone of voice, your content, and the style of content you share. More importantly, though, being authentic means allowing your core values to shine through your profile and the way you present yourself.
A1: Being authentic means tweeting in your own unique voice. Your personality should be visible in your writing and content. It also means allowing your core values to shine through. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/fwkEKcQiRB
— Pearl Morbs (@PearlMorbs) September 23, 2021
It’s important because social media is about being social. Instead, if you’re only focused on selling your product or service, you’re not being human, you’re just a sales pitch with a Twitter account. Not only is that unappealing to an audience that’s expecting genuine connections, but it’s also hard on your mental health.
A2: Social is about connecting, not selling. And if you’re not real, you’re just a sales pitch disguised as a person. It’s a turn off to others. Worse – I think faking it on social is hard on your mental health. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/R7m4aQgNmj
— Kim Scaravelli (@KimScaravelli) September 23, 2021
As Julia from NOW Marketing Group mentioned, to connect with people on a personal level, you need to be relatable to them. Unless you share your real self on social media, you won’t be able to speak to your audience’s vibe.
A2: If you don’t show your real self, there’s no way to use social media to #BuildRelationships! Being your real self is how you attract the right people who will resonate with your messaging, energy and overall vibe! #TwitterSmarter – JJS https://t.co/86vqDmZzFh
— NOW Marketing Group #SMWL21 (@NOWMG) September 23, 2021
Firstly, make sure that the language you use on social media is simple, everyday language. Use “you” and “us” perspectives in your phrasing so that you sound on the same level as your audience.
Don’t be afraid to showcase your real emotions. It’s great when you’re happy and all is well, but real human lives are more complex than that—acknowledge those not-so-great days as well. That doesn’t mean you have to tell Twitter every negative thing in your life, but show people that you also have difficult days sometimes.
A3: Here are a few basics:
– Use conversational, you and me, language
– Show more than one emotion. Real people have good days AND bad days.
– Skip the gifs and hashtags sometimes. Just use your words. It feels less staged. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/LXPSupPVbS— Kim Scaravelli (@KimScaravelli) September 23, 2021
Madalyn is a good example of humanizing your brand. She calls herself a “tattoo-wearing social media evangelist,” after a writer described her as such. What’s great about that line is that it tells us what Madalyn does, but it also tells us who Madalyn is. It gives us a peek into the person behind the brand.
A3c: I asked @anna_bredava for permission to use that line in my bio. I think "tattoo-wearing social media evangelist" really showcases my authenticity! I even put together a thread of my many tattoos and the story behind each one. #TwitterSmarter
https://t.co/4bWV9HQb7z— Madalyn Sklar Digital Marketing Since 1996 (@MadalynSklar) September 23, 2021
Many of our #TwitterSmarter chat regulars are brands, like GiveWP, Express Writers, and Charlie Appel Agency. The common thing between them, though, is that they’re all good at showing who they are behind their respective handles. Whether it’s Rachel, Taylor, Drew, or Alyx, they all have unique and distinct voices they aren’t afraid to show. That’s what our guest suggested as well: show your audience who they’re talking to. If you have an office space and a team that works together, tell your audience about them and introduce them. Crack a joke!
Sharing news and stories about your clients is also a good way to showcase the human side of your brand.
A4: Show the REAL people behind the logo. Example:
– Share client news
– If your staff do things together, celebrate those moments.And add a bit of humour! #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/dMk2RBf86w
— Kim Scaravelli (@KimScaravelli) September 23, 2021
A great way to show who’s behind a brand handle is to simply sign off each tweet. It’s an easy way to differentiate a brand from its team. Alyx is an excellent example of this. Julia from NOW Marketing Group signs off with her initials. Slightly different tactics, but the same effect.
A4 This applies to me!
I make sure to sign off all tweets made on the brand account with my name, to affirm that they are my beliefs and words and not necessarily the brand's
-Alyx #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/q1wkdBktIn— Charlie & Alyx – Charlie Appel Agency (@ColfaxInsurance) September 23, 2021
Remember, though, as Lance told us, set clear guidelines on what’s acceptable and what’s not. Your social media managers should have the freedom to be themselves, but not at the expense of your brand guidelines.
#TwitterSmarter A4: Empower your SM managers to be their authentic selves. BUT, set clear expectations, boundaries; ensure they KNOW your SM/Brand Standards, tone and preferred terminology. Ensure change management feeds your team ALL message updates, etc. pic.twitter.com/cCEoSD7iGj
— Lance A Schart (@LanceASchart) September 23, 2021
It’s a fine line between sharing and over-sharing. What’s over-sharing to you may not be the same for someone else. For example, for our guest, seeing photos of other people’s children or hearing deep emotions about someone’s personal life is a bit too much. That may not be the case for you, though. Find out what you think is over-sharing on someone else’s part. Then you can identify when you need to stop yourself from over-sharing.
A5: When you get that cringe-y feeling, that’s a sure sign someone over-shared! For me, it gets icky when I’m seeing people’s children or hearing deep emotions from their personal life. But it’s subjective, I suppose. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/gW0839WMQu
— Kim Scaravelli (@KimScaravelli) September 23, 2021
If you’re ever unsure whether to share a particularly personal story, ask yourself why you want to share it in the first place. As Madalyn said, most of us share deeply personal stories because we want our experiences to be validated. Though it’s perfectly natural to want to be heard, remember that you don’t need someone else’s approval to live your life.
A5b: While it’s not always the case, oftentimes we over-share because we’re seeking some sort of external validation. Remember you don’t need the approval of others and ask yourself the real reason you want to share a particular story. #TwitterSmarter
— Madalyn Sklar Digital Marketing Since 1996 (@MadalynSklar) September 23, 2021
When you share personal stories, you want people to resonate with you. They should gravitate towards you because they want to be friends with you and get to know you more. When you over-share, however, your audience will start to feel as if you’re dumping your personal life story on them and they’re burdened to hear it through. Instead of resonating with people, you’ll end up chasing them away. Catch yourself before you start over-sharing.
A6: The problem is that cringe-y feeling. You want to pull people towards you, not send them running. And there’s that mental health boundary as well. Over-sharing can cause stress over the long-term. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/1j4Ft1nrST
— Kim Scaravelli (@KimScaravelli) September 23, 2021
Another problem with over-sharing is that Twitter is a public forum. You might think you’re sharing with your community, but in reality, whatever you say is available for strangers to see and read as well. That doesn’t make a good first impression. You don’t have to be perfect, as Christine reminded us, but you don’t want to be a hot mess either. It’s ok not to be ok—that’s natural. But it’s not ok (for your brand) to break down completely.
A6.
There’s a fine line between “real” and “hot mess.”
You don’t need to be perfect, or to come across as such, but it’s helpful for your professional reputation to at least seem reasonably OK in front of strangers.
❤️ #TwitterSmarter pic.twitter.com/dVsVZzWsev— Christine Gritmon ❤️ #ChatAboutBrand (@cgritmon) September 23, 2021
Kim suggested avoiding strong emotions like rage out of social media. However, it’s fine to share your opinions. You may not always agree with others, but that’s how people are. We’re a bunch of wildly opinionated people, and we can all discuss those opinions in a civilized way. Now that’s social.
A7a: Personally, I think it’s fine to share opinions. We all have them, so that’s real! But certain emotions, like anger and rage are best kept off social. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/nfGLDBpZ6r
— Kim Scaravelli (@KimScaravelli) September 23, 2021
Our guest also suggested not bringing young kids into personal sharing on social media.
A7b: And I think young kids should be off-limits. #TwitterSmarter
— Kim Scaravelli (@KimScaravelli) September 23, 2021
Jim also spoke about not sharing personally identifiable information such as email addresses, birth dates, and family names. These details can make you a target for cyber crimes.
A7 Do not share your mother's maiden name, your birthdate or any other personally identifiable information. Those leave you vulnerable to hacking or worse. #CyberSecurity #TwitterSmarter
— Jim Katzaman – Get Debt-Free One Family at a Time (@JKatzaman) September 23, 2021
Our guest suggested a whole bunch of people you can look up to for inspiration such as Melanie Benson, Maiko Sakai, Katelyn Bourgoin, Ebony, and Deb Coman.
A8: OMG! This list could go on forever!@melcoach @MaikoSakaiBiz @KateBour @ebonyajohnson @livewithirenia @disruptbalance @DebComanWriting @Suzanne_Rent @KDHungerford @yoliworth.
❤️Basically everyone from my #LaunchandFounders list.#TwitterSmarter https://t.co/qO8ja3T2Rj
— Kim Scaravelli (@KimScaravelli) September 23, 2021
Bernie gave a shout-out to a lot of great Twitter users, including some names familiar to the #TwitterSmarter community such as Chris Strub, Christine Gritmon, Dennis Shiao, and Nathalie Gregg. Check them all out—you won’t regret it!
A8: Will tag a few that I have respect on a daily basis @ryanfoland @ChrisStrub @cgritmon @dshiao @NathalieGregg @PRisUs @todcordill that share and also give you great context to learn from. #TwitterSmarter
— Bernie Fussenegger (@B2the7) September 23, 2021
Well, folks, that’s all from me this week. Thanks so much for reading through, and for more great insights from our chat with Kim, have a look at this Twitter Moment that Joana put together. And if you have some spare time next Thursday, join us live for our next #TwitterSmarter chat. We’ll be on from 1pm ET. Catch you then!
About me, Narmadhaa:
I write all the things—technical and marketing copy to fill the pocket; haiku and short stories to fill the soul. A social media enthusiast, I’m a member of the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and always happy to take on writing gigs.
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