If your brand slid into someone’s DMs, would they reply, or would it be straight to “Seen” and ignored?

This analogy doesn’t quite count if you are neurodivergent and that’s just the standard time delay on all messages tbf. That aside though, most NZ brands are the human equivalent of plain toast. They show up, say nothing, and wonder why nobody wants to hang out.

It is uncomfortable to hear, we know, but playing it too safe has a price. People remember brands that have a vibe….good, bad, or even “what the hell did I just witness.” People buy from people so when your brand’s personality is MIA, so is your audience.

Does anyone care what you are saying?

If your your socials are full of motivational quotes from 2007, and your logo looks like a Canva special or the return of ClipArt, then folks get to your website and it has Yahoo!/ICQ vibes (soz Gen Z – look it up! NOT the right kind of retro)… congratulations, you’re invisible. The only thing worse than being hated is being forgotten.

While we are at it. You can pay $8k for a brand guide but if your emails and posts sound like AI or a Hubspot template, bad news. Brand personality is more than a style guide. It lives and breathes too. Would you actually want to hang out with someone who speaks in buzzwords? Neither would your customers.

You need consistency, but not like a robot

You don’t have to be flawless. We’ve never met a human that is, despite what some might think. Recognisable however? Yeah, you do need to be that. Own your weird. Pick a tone (bold, cheeky, nerdy, whatever…but stick to it) Consistency helps folks remember who you are, and builds up your brand awareness. Shapeshifting for an algo or some hot trend is not required. You just have to be doing you all day long.

The fastest way to get ignored is to say nothing real. If your brand is too scared to have an opinion, to share a mistake, or to meme itself, nobody will trust you. Your customers want to know who’s behind the curtain. Show them. Spill the tea, not just another sales angle. A little louder this time…People buy from people. Even in b2b. Unless robots are you only buyers. They aren’t just yet, last time we checked.

Would you follow your brand?

If your own feed popped up, would you hit “follow” or would you keep scrolling? Scroll your last ten posts. Would you reply to your own comments? Would you save your own tips? Or are you just filling space and hoping nobody notices? (On that note, unless you are a product brand giving tips on how to use it etc, please give up that trope. Peak boring. There is no ‘quick tip’ that hasn’t already been done and yours are going to be DOA.)

Social media is….social. Ultimately so are your emails and your website, and any other communications you put into the world. Communication is by it’s very nature…social. That means your brand has to be trying to make friends, and you can’t make friends (or money) if you are way too busy trying not to offend anyone ever. So stop hiding and start owning your voice.

 

And if you’re not sure what your vibe is anymore? That’s what we do.