You’ve decided to go social. And like any good business person, you want to do it well. You realize that a solid strategy is important, but so are the details. One of those details is creating an ideal persona for your brand’s social media account. This could make all the difference in how your customers perceive you, but then, you don’t really know what it is.

Social media has become the standard for modern businesses and a must-have for any company serious about marketing. It could be a huge opportunity. But, it can also be a huge missed opportunity if you don’t know what to do about it. With thousands of companies using social media, it seems impossible to stand out. The key to standing out from the crowd is establishing your presence on social media, but not in the way that everyone else does.

So, what is a social media persona?

A social media persona is a fictional representation of your business on social media platforms. The social media persona of a brand informs its content creation strategy. It also shapes the social media marketing efforts of a company.

To create the appropriate persona, you need to understand your brand identity and who your target customers are. Understanding the values, knowledge and aspirations of your target audience will help you make informed decisions about the right social media persona. Essentially, it informs you how to communicate with other people on social media platforms.

But what should you consider when creating a persona for your social media accounts?

Your persona can influence how your brand is perceived—so don’t take it lightly!

1) First, think about the tone of voice you want to use. 

What kind of relationship you want your audience to have with your business. Are you going for humorous? Professional? Luxury? Do you want to be seen as a friend? A mentor? An expert? This will help you focus on the tone and content of your posts. It should be an extension of your brand’s tone of voice, so it should be consistent with what customers see on your website, in emails from customer service representatives, and in other places that talk about your business. Whatever voice you choose for your brand persona on social media, make sure it is consistent across all platforms and all posts. This will help you establish trust with consumers.

For example, if you are working in the luxury goods space, you may want to avoid sounding too informal or conversational on your social media platforms—it may make the impression that your products are not high-end enough to justify the price tag. On the other hand, if you are selling low-priced goods and services, a conversational tone may make your brand seem more approachable and engaging than a luxury tone would.

2) You also want to make sure you’re targeting the right demographic. 

Consider these five tips for understanding your audience:

• What are their educational qualifications?
• Which brands do they engage?
• What is their lifestyle?
• Purchase triggers?
• Which hashtags do they follow?
• Who do they follow and interact with? 

You might have an idea of who you want to speak to and how they speak, but it’s also important to do market research and find out who is actually buying from you. 

3) Another important factor you must consider is the pain points of your target audience, and determine how to address them. 

People are more likely to engage with a brand that understands their needs and speaks to them in a tone that is relatable. A brand who speaks to its customers’ pain points shows that it truly understands its audience and the problems they face. This gives the brand credibility and trust, which is crucial in building a relationship with potential customers.

Understanding what is stopping them from achieving their goals will enable your brand to position itself as a partner in providing a solution. When you understand your audience’s pain points, you can create content that addresses these problems and provides solutions for them. As you may know, people buy from those they know and trust, so understanding your audience’s pain points is an important step toward achieving this goal.

4) Finally, remember that consistency is key when developing your business’ social media persona. 

Sticking with the same voice and tone throughout all of your posts will make them more memorable and increase brand recognition over time! The voice of your business should be a clear reflection of its culture and values, so choosing the right one for you can take some time. 

Make sure that every post you write sounds like it could fit in with the rest of your posts—like all the posts were written by the same person, or at least the same company. If you do this, it makes your brand more memorable over time because people can associate it with one “voice” rather than multiple different ones. And that makes people more likely to remember you when they need something that only your business can provide!