A company’s digital body language is an assessment of the collective behavior across the Internet, including marketing initiatives and user interactions in the earned, owned and paid sectors online. As opportunities to interact socially are growing infinitesimally, paying attention to your personal digital body language – as a representative of both your personal brand and your company brand – is becoming critical. Is it consistent? Is it thoughtful? Is it in line with your company’s brand tone… or does that even matter to your company? While there’s no way to control every perception, you can certainly guide it toward a direction that’s right for you… only if you’re mindful now. [Author’s note: This is especially important to impart on your children, if you have them. Nothing dies online, including pictures of that party Friday night someone took with their cell phone without you knowing!)
Death to corporate speak; Dilbert’s boss wouldn’t have stood a chance in today’s marketplace. Social media has created a new “shared” brand ownership between you and your customers, so it’s never been more important that your conversations and messages are crafted in a mindful, personable, human way. When you’re able to build a digital body language that reflects your authentic personal and corporate brand, true magic happens.
Here are 5 ways to shape your digital body language:
1) Create and share heartfelt content. This goes without saying. Every digital touch point must be backed by the right heart energy behind it – otherwise it will be manufactured, feel fake and any impact you intended is lost. Anything manufactured these days is kicked to the curb. I can’t say it enough: Be authentic in everything that you represent.
2) Assess your touch points. How long has it been since you’ve looked at every touch point you’re sending, collecting or interacting with? Or, often more importantly, compare them to others in your same or adjacent industries that are doing a great job. By benchmarking where you are compared to others, you can evolve and surpass. (Unfortunately, benchmarks are a moving target but if you don’t know where the bar is set you won’t know if you’re getting a boost or a whack on the head.)
3) Make optimization a priority. Notice you don’t see a lot of laurel resters killing it online? It doesn’t matter how small or large your marketing efforts are, nothing should ever exist in its original form by the time it’s deemed a success. Whether it’s an email campaign as part of a larger campaign, a conversation on Facebook, a website design – smart marketing evolves as you learn.
4) Do it. Do it again. Repeat. I recently wrote a blog that quoted Malcolm Gladwell on his philosophy that you have to do something 10,000 times to become an expert at a particular topic or task. The first time you release something – anything – just means you have 9,999 times to try it again (and see the above bullet; hopefully you’re learning along the way!)
5) Take a break. Walk away from your desk. Go outside. Chill out. When everything is setup the way you like it, there is a point when you need to just let it work. While the conversation never stops, the touch points you’re using can be optimized to work together. Sure… banner ads and content need updating, and social conversations always need attention. But obsessing over every little detail prevents you from seeing the big picture and enjoying the view. Take a break – but not too long – so you can catch your breath before diving in again.
Key Takeaway: Although it may seem overwhelming, there is no better time than now to start being mindful about who you are, what you stand for, and how you’re communicating online. When you can master your digital body language, you strengthen everyone’s experience – including yours.
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