The fastest growing brand pages are not necessarily the ones with the most content about the products. They are the characters that the audience goes back to. The human element adds to the brand that information and announcements alone can’t. It’s the human layer that makes all the difference, giving the impression that something is being constructed by a real person, a real perspective. There is no need for a mascot or a fictional character to be used in character-led content. It demands a continual human presence that the viewers know well and can predict and eventually feel for.
The Founder as the Character.
The one with the most credibility is the founder, because it’s a real story and it has a real stake. A founder who was involved in decision making and is not afraid to challenge in public and to come out with lesson learnt based on the outcome of the challenge, forms a relationship that cannot be replicated by a polished brand copy. That connection is what makes a follower an actual believer in the success of the brand.
The Recurring Expert Guest.
The format remains the same, but features a rotating cast of characters in the form of a recurring guest character. Eventually, people will connect the credibility of a person with the credibility of a page, because every user adds his credibility to the brand’s space. Brand pages building smart authority growth find that the same guests returning across multiple episodes create a visible network of trusted voices the audience keeps coming back to engage with.
The Audience Member as the Subject
One of the most under leveraged character formats available to brand pages is to have a real audience member become the subject of a content series. By allowing customers to follow a process and record their results and then display them live, you build social proof that no testimonial can compete with. The audience who see it as a watch sees themselves, which delivers more predictable shares and return traffic than content about the brand.
The Transformation Character
A transformation character is someone who is willing to make a visible change for a specified amount of time and who tracks their journey honestly. The format is successful because the audience has an interest in the results right from the start of the first episode. When the same transformation series can be found on multiple platforms, it is clear that it will have the reach it needs to connect with the audience that is already interested in the same change.
The Behind-the-Scenes Personality
A personality which is always in the background content adds a dimension to the brand that can’t be created in the front-facing content. This character does not require a formal function in the content strategy. They require regular access, a familiar voice and the space to express themselves in their own unique voice.
Conclusion
Product content is not enough; it must be backed by a character for audience investment to be sustained. Choose the format which is most suited to the resources that the brand already has and stick to it. Loyalty transcends any algorithm change when audiences follow people and not brands.