Social media is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience, but it can also be a challenge to write comments that build trust and engagement. How can you avoid sounding spammy, salesy, or generic when responding to posts, questions, or feedback? Here are some tips to help you write social media comments that build trust and show your personality.
One of the most important factors for building trust on social media is authenticity. This means being honest, transparent, and consistent with your brand voice and values. Don't try to be someone you're not, or copy what others are doing. Instead, show your unique perspective, tone, and style, and let your audience get to know you. Avoid using canned responses, jargon, or overly formal language, and instead use a conversational and friendly tone that reflects your personality.
Share a personal experience or a relevant story to the post. Don't just agree to it by writing "I agree" or "True". CFBR comments won't cut it either. Add value through your comments and share what you know. Commenting is a powerful way to increase engagement, so do it wisely.
Your comment will be human, helpful, respectful, engaging, relevant, and authentic if you’re making it when you truly have something to say. What are comments for? To add to what the other person is saying, to acknowledge their pain/bliss, to share a part of your story, to show solidarity, to express dissent, to respectfully offer disagreement. If you don’t have anything to say about the posts you read on social media, don’t. One should not have to ‘try’ to be authentic.
Connect with your audience on a personal level by sharing relevant and relatable personal stories. These stories can be about your experiences, challenges, successes, or even lessons learned. Authentic storytelling can help humanize your brand. You can give your audience a glimpse behind the scenes of your work or life. and share candid photos or videos of your workspace, team members, or daily routines. This transparency can build trust and foster a sense of connection. Most importantly, highlight your expertise and passion for your industry or niche. Share insights, tips, and knowledge that demonstrate your authority. Authenticity also includes being knowledgeable and passionate about your subject matter.
Add your own unique perspective and thought to it which adds value for the reader and drives them towards a solution/opinion. Driving meaningful conversations should be the goal primarily.
Speak from the heart and not to gather reactions. Aim to offer help and/or educate. Offer a unique point of view and don't be afraid to disagree. Always maintain decorum. Just because you're behind a screen does not mean you let loose your thoughts in inappropriate ways.
Another key factor for building trust on social media is relevance. This means providing value, information, or insight that is related to the topic, question, or feedback you're responding to. Don't use social media comments as an opportunity to promote your products, services, or offers, unless they are directly relevant and helpful to the situation. Instead, focus on answering the question, solving the problem, or addressing the concern that your audience has. Use examples, stories, or data to back up your points, and link to relevant resources if needed.
Regularly stay informed about the latest trends, news, and developments in your industry or niche. Being up-to-date allows you to participate in current conversations and share timely insights. To do this, you can follow and engage with influencers, thought leaders, and experts in your field. Sharing their insights and engaging in conversations with them can help position you as a relevant and knowledgeable voice in your industry. Then, when relevant and appropriate, join conversations around trending topics or events. Sharing your perspective on current events can boost your visibility and engagement. Finally, add value by sharing content from reputable sources within your industry. This can include articles, reports and news updates.
A third factor for building trust on social media is respect. This means being polite, courteous, and professional when interacting with your audience, even if you disagree or face criticism. Don't use social media comments as a platform to argue, attack, or insult others, or to spread negativity or misinformation. Instead, acknowledge different opinions, perspectives, or experiences, and express your gratitude, appreciation, or empathy. If you make a mistake, apologize and correct it. If you receive a negative comment, respond calmly and constructively, or ignore it if it's abusive or trolling.
Your Social Media is your face nowadays. People judge and resonate with you by your activities. So, be mindful of your language here. Though you have a different opinion, respectfully comment on them. Build a positive vibe wherever you are on social media.
Whether it's a job interview, promotion, or a social interaction, other people are looking at how you behave on your social media. If you're disrespectful, use rude language, or share inappropriate content, that's what others will judge you by. As we've seen over and over again, what you say today can come back to bite you later.
A fourth factor for building trust on social media is engagement. This means encouraging dialogue, interaction, and feedback from your audience, and showing that you care about their thoughts, feelings, and needs. Don't use social media comments as a one-way communication channel, or as a way to end the conversation. Instead, ask open-ended questions, invite feedback, or share your own experiences or opinions. Respond to comments in a timely manner, and follow up if needed. Use emojis, gifs, or memes to add some fun and emotion to your comments, and tag or mention relevant people or pages.
Social media can be fun, tricky, and overwhelming to navigate at times. As followers of the digital era, we are constantly discovering new posts filled with information. Sometimes, we get too attracted to the post and decide to add a comment. However, we have to be mindful of the fact that just as a "picture is worth a thousand words," even a single comment can be worth much more and prove to be valuable to the individual. Our comments on social media platforms have to be genuine and express positivity that will encourage more riveting content to be shared. The use of emojis intensifies our emotions and tends to add an extra layer to our comments. As social media users, we should definitely integrate them to keep our comments engaging!
A fifth factor for building trust on social media is helpfulness. This means going above and beyond to provide support, assistance, or guidance to your audience, and showing that you're willing to help them achieve their goals or solve their challenges. Don't use social media comments as a way to avoid responsibility, or to redirect your audience to other channels or platforms. Instead, offer solutions, suggestions, or recommendations that are specific, actionable, and tailored to your audience's needs. If you can't help them directly, refer them to someone who can, or follow up later with more information.
Always craft compelling and relatable stories that resonate with your audience. Stories can be a powerful tool to evoke emotions, share experiences, and connect with your followers on a personal level. If the platform allows it, use a variety of formats. Host live streams or webinars to interact with your audience in real-time. These formats allow for immediate Q&A, discussions, and engagement. Promote these events in advance to build anticipation. Visual content like infographics is highly shareable and digestible. Use them to convey complex information in a visually appealing and engaging manner. Or create video tutorials or demonstrations. These can be highly engaging and provide practical value to your audience.
A sixth and final factor for building trust on social media is humanity. This means showing your audience that you're a real person, not a robot, and that you have a genuine interest and passion for what you do and who you serve. Don't use social media comments as a way to hide behind your brand, or to be impersonal or distant. Instead, use your name, photo, or signature, and share some personal details, stories, or insights that relate to your audience or topic. Show your humor, enthusiasm, or curiosity, and don't be afraid to be vulnerable or imperfect.
Take your audience on a journey by sharing the ups and downs of your professional and personal life. Share stories of how you started, your challenges, and your growth. Authentic storytelling can make you more relatable. Share your achievements, both big and small, with your audience. Whether it's reaching a milestone in your business or a personal accomplishment, celebrating these moments humanizes your brand. Regularly express gratitude to your audience for their support, engagement, and feedback. A simple "thank you" can go a long way in building a sense of connection. Finally, show empathy when your audience is going through challenges. Offering a listening ear and kind words can demonstrate your compassion and humanity.
You can never go wrong with sharing personal stories. Sharing personal stories helps your audience to relate with you on a “human-level”. When people tell us their stories, we are further able to relate to what they are trying to communicate across to us.
An example I’ve seen is when brands successfully own their mistakes. Rather than trying to cover it up (or worse spin it into something else and shift the blame) brands that are able to put their hands up and say - look, we’re human and we messed up - are more likely to build trust and confidence with customers in the long term.
Here's the formula I follow - [Acknowledge the individual] + [Add your unique viewpoint] + [Your experience] The experience is often optional. I only engage when I have something important to say regarding the same. I don't engage if I have nothing to add to it.