Adapt or Die
This is a beat of a drum you've heard all too often, "It's the digital age, you need an online presence." We are somewhere past the Digital Age, where people no longer necessarily belong to "tribes" and we are all seeking some human interaction, and most are trying to find it on social media. This makes it hard to navigate the sea of audiences that you are trying to target because your targets are part of several groups generally and don't necessarily identify as one type of person anymore, they represent a group of values generally.
So how do you jump into the social media advertising and online presence world now? How do you enforce your brand and make others aware of your brand when it doesnt really fit into the social construct of what people are already talking about? At this time it is more about advertising to an individual than a "target audience." When you are selling your brand and company values you need to ask yourself, "Does this resonate with what people want? Or does my brand only speak to me and my values?" Sometimes taking a step back and realizing that your company's values and brand don't fit with what consumers care about is the biggest step towards molding your online presence.
Reassessing your values to fit a mold of what an individual is looking for can be more beneficial than trying to get audiences to adapt to your beliefs. In a way it could be more beneficial to find your audience first, then derive your brand and values from there. Say to yourself, "These individuals are looking for X,Y, and Z. I agree with these values, we will deliver that." We no longer live in the world where brands dictate style, fashion, products, and how money is spent. We live in an age where individuals with a following dictate these things. Is there someone in your organization that can be the face of your consumer’s values? In an age where people are looking for social interaction it would be good to launch your online presence with clean ideas you believe in, that others believe in as well and want to return to, with a face and voice people can agree with and follow. When you start or restart your online presence don’t ask what your values are first, ask what others value, and how do we be a part of this conversation and furthermore how do we lead this conversation? It’s about being genuine and transparent to those whom you are catering to, not about forcing your beliefs on others.
