Authenticity, what does it mean today?
In social media today, companies, individuals, and celebrities are looking for options to help them succeed with this new form of communication. Turning to third party marketing firms is become more and more common. As companies transition their online presence to a third party, how do they control the message? As an individual grants access to another person to help with their tweets, how do they maintain personality? If a celebrity has a friend write a message for them, does the message really have merit? These are questions companies, individuals, and celebrities alike must ask themselves before employing a third party firm to help with social media. Companies are an entity, with a brand personality all on their own. If a business is to have an outside firm manage their social media presence, it is important to make sure their personality is not lost in the wings. The company should make sure the third party solution is made well aware of company protocol and methods before handing over the reigns.
For an individual- it is common to let others contribute to a social media voice, but rarely should an individual give full control to another entity. The value of following an individual stems from the ability to hear their particular opinion on a matter, or get keen insight. When an individual outsources their voice, who are followers really learning from? For celebrities, it is essential to maintain control over their social media space. It is a dangerous situation to have others sharing messages on behalf of a celebrity, as it can be devastating for a fan to find out they are being ‘duped’ by the athlete’s social media pages. A third party should assist in consulting celebs on the content or pattern of their messages, but to remain authentic, the celeb should have their voice in each and every message. If there is a situation where a third party has full control of a social media presence, the first step is to understand the goals of the company, individual, or celebrity. They must get to know the voice, the audience, the strategy behind the client’s social media pages. Authenticity is key in building a large following. Be confident a third party social media company can truly represent the firm before outsourcing.