Jill Kurtz, Owner, Kurtz Digital Strategy

The unquestioning use of social media is a thing of the past. Facebook and other platforms have had issues with privacy, fake accounts and other trust-breaking events. We are all more skeptical.

To succeed on social, brands must make connections that build trust. Relationship building needs to be the centerpiece of engagement. Social media has never been mass media. Brands that embrace the difference will see the most success.Brands need to focus on generating transparent, quality interactions with individuals. Targeted messaging is more important than audience size.

Essential to this approach is making the brand human. Marketers must move away from corporate messaging to amplifying the voices of the people who are behind the brand.

The best “celebrity” or influencer is someone who is part of the day to day of the business. This could be the CEO, it could be the marketing team, or it could be someone on the front lines of customer service.

People trust people. To be successful on social media, brands need to help make those connections.

In messaging, the overriding goal needs to be transparency, accuracy and authenticity. Focus on values and purpose over specific products and services.Tactics that create conversation have the greatest impact. Try Twitter chats, Facebook live, and groups on LinkedIn, for example.