By Abigail Portwood
During bleak and uncertain times, we often feel strange about carrying on with our “regularly scheduled programming.” This year has been difficult and oftentimes normal posting on social media and normal releases from companies can feel insensitive and irrelevant. It is important for everyone in these times of uncertainty to connect deeper with others. There are ways that we can still share news about our organizations while avoiding the feeling of irrelevance and disregard for social issues. Here are some ways to do that:
Step 1: Take a stance.
It is important for a company or individual with a platform and values to take a stance on certain issues that are prevalent to their community or the community as a whole. You are nothing without your beliefs and core values and honestly communicating those can connect you to your audience even more.
Step 2: Share a personal experience in order to connect with the audience.
One of the most important parts of storytelling and sharing information is the connection you can make with your readers, consumers or followers. Sharing personal experience allows the brand to become more human, and helps the audience relate. Human connection is a large component to build trust with your publics and maintain a relationship. People want to be able to relate to the things they put their time and money into.
Step 3: Build a platform for open conversation.
Creating an open forum for questions and feedback is a great way to enable your publics to feel heard and understood. There are many different backgrounds, opinions and beliefs that can open the eyes of your organization and some really good ideas and strategies can come from your publics.
Step 4: Get specific.
Vagueness and ambiguity should be minimized. It is better to be specific on sharing our experiences and when you connect them to your platform, there should be specificity in the opinions and thoughts formed. An organization should have done research if they are taking a stance. The vague language that is often used in conversation between companies and their publics can feel ignorant and performative.
Now that you know how to start meaningful conversations, don’t be afraid to get started!
