Algorithms and artificial intelligence seem to be everywhere in the modern media landscape. In this world of screens, feeds, and scrolling, it feels like much of the content is manufactured to satisfy algorithms and computer programs. But at the end of the day, your audience is people, and what has always been true about people is that we seek out authenticity and a sense of community with others. Now more than ever, in a world full of targeted content, optimized analytics, and sterile generative AI, your audience is looking for a real sense of connection. Small businesses, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations have an unprecedented opportunity to help fill this void with truly sincere moments and outreach. To help you build that connection, we’re here with the four secrets we’ve found that allow for writing genuine social media posts that bring real people together.

1. Embracing Storytelling

At the core of every person and every business is a story. Telling that story to your audience can help establish a sense of familiarity and stakes. This allows the people you’re trying to reach to get a firm understanding of what fuels you and why what your business does matters. If a small business can create that connection through its story, the audience is much more likely to remember and want to be part of it. What’s most important is keeping your story honest to who you are and true to life. Key aspects of this are being specific, being vulnerable, and not shying away from moments of adversity, while also explaining how you’ve learned and grown to get to where you and your organization are today.

2. Fostering Authenticity

That sense of vulnerability can be an important part of creating rapport with the audience and building your authenticity. If your posts feel too generic or too surface-level, your audience won’t have anything to relate to or connect with. A sense of relatability allows for continued audience investment and helps what your organization does feel real to those reading about it. While being willing to discuss specific moments and struggles can open your social media and blogs to connection, you should make sure to set boundaries that you’re comfortable with and never post anything too direct about your personal life or loved ones. So while stories involving people you know can help drive engagement, in the interest of safety, it’s important not to post identifying details.

3. Practicing Empathy

An essential part of working sincerity and humanity into your online presence is to remember that everyone who sees your posts and content, and everyone who replies to you, is human with a life and emotions you’ll never see the full picture of. While algorithms often encourage controversial posts by using the number of comments and engagement as important parameters, it pays to avoid being inflammatory and instead foster a kind community around your business.

4. Staying Conversational

The last and, perhaps, most important part of the process is keeping a conversational tone. Everyone’s tone and voice in their online content will be different and should be developed on a personal basis. We’ve found that imagining explaining your content to a friend or co-worker, as well as speaking aloud as you type, can help ensure that what you’re writing feels conversational. Sometimes it helps to have specific words that you like using or are key to what your organization stands for. Those words can also help with search engine optimization. Some writers like using the same or similar metaphors throughout their work. Seeing a similar throughline in how each online post is written also helps establish a sense of familiarity that audiences will recognize and enjoy returning to with each new post.

Regardless of the method you and your business choose for your social media presence, there are a few guidelines anyone can use to foster a positive sense of community with your audience. By learning how to tell stories, being vulnerable within a comfortable set of boundaries, treating everyone who comes across your online presence kindly as a fellow human, and finding your own personal voice, you can create a sense of genuine connection. Ultimately, the purpose of posting about your business online is not to succumb to the whims of an unthinking computer system, but to instead reach and excite your intended audience of real people.

Need help creating content that actually connects?

If you’re tired of shouting into the void or spending hours on posts that don’t resonate, let’s talk. As your Content Concierge, J.D. Scribes takes the execution off your plate and brings the human touch back to your social media. From storytelling to strategy, we handle it all so your content builds real community, not just follower counts. Request a quote or schedule a free consultation to see how we can work together.