At what point in a relationship, do you move beyond the chit chat about the weather and traffic and begin a mutually beneficial two-way dialog? Dialog builds as trust develops in a relationship. Just as in offline communication, trust and conversation must be built up over time. Just because an organization creates a presence on social networks, does not guarantee engagement will commence or that it will occur in the outposts established by your organization. If you build it, there is no guarantee people will come. Engagement begins with an invite.

Your organization is built of many unique individuals. All have personalities and skills that keep your organization humming. As you build an engagement strategy, are you making sure you these people are noticed, so they may help facilitate the relationships you seek? Who is telling your story? A faceless narrator does not invite engagement.

Go beyond the one dimensional avatar

As Katie stated last week, storytelling and engagement do go hand-in-hand. Take a page from a storyteller, and build your organization’s personas as you would characters in a novel. No need to fictionalize your avatars…just look within your organization for those who are not flat and lifeless, but stir our souls to respond. Authors are told to write from life; take the same advice and harness the talents of your real-life workforce to embody the three dimensional character you need to succeed in online engagement.

A one or two dimensional character is simple and does not require or warrant explanation. These characters are not identified as individual people with thoughts or emotions. These characters fall flat because they lack human connection. They are predictable, isolated and lack creditability.

Avoid being the stereotypical organization online with your company logo avatar and legalese lingo. A stereotype is never a three dimensional character. Seek out those in your organization who draw others into their circles, who make the impossible possible, and ordinary extraordinary. Through these connectors, followers will experience your organization’s story and learn valuable lessons.

A three dimensional character goes beyond the one dimensional avatar and demonstrates their internal motivations, desires, fears and ethics while externally displaying their habits, personality attributes, mannerisms, cultural tendencies and style. The three dimensional character is thus believable because of the human attributes (thoughts, emotions and actions) displayed. There is no trick to creating the three dimensional character. Be real.

Thoughts

Characters with no dimension are boring and will be written off. Such one dimensional characters are often found in jokes or fables in which the character serves the single purpose of being the conduit of which the punch line or lesson is related. These characters are a means to an end.

So, if you create an organizational presence online that lacks original thought and only serves to engage the customer or community with the end goal of a sale, this false identity will be seen for what it truly is. Readers or your community will not be able to stomach or communicate with an unbelievable character who has no flaws. People do not associate with faceless organizations, but with people who think and feel like them.

Emotions

The successes and failures do not belong solely to your organization, but matter to your readers, your community at large. A three dimensional character is believable and makes a connection because they have history, feelings, thoughts, strengths, and weaknesses. Your organization has all of these items in spades.

Share these collective and individual emotions with your community so they find it easier to relate and engage. Build a framework with which to engage by sharing the history and personality of your organization and workforce. From this natural fountain, let flow your tone and word choice for engagement.

Actions

No story is complete without action. To add true dimension to your character(s), allow your community to ask numerous and detailed the questions. Why? So you can actively respond and engage! Actions are based upon decisions and responses and asked or requested based upon thoughts and feelings, which stem from attitudes, shaped by individual philosophies. Your community would not inquire or give suggestions if they did not care.

Through your online three dimensional character, show you care by responding and acting upon feedback. Of course, this does not mean you will be able to say yes to every person or prove every suggestion valid, but this engagement will prove you are listening and acting in the best interest of your community.

People connect with three dimensional characters because they have flaws and failings. Do not pretend to be the organization to have all the answers. Be the organization you truly are…one made up of many dynamic three dimensional characters who are eager to share their story…your story.

So, is your organization a one dimensional avatar or a three dimensional character online?

Tags: engagement