Consumers of the 21st century put social media in the center of their everyday life. 69% of adults in the United States use Facebook, and 37% run an Instagram. In addition, you've got customers spending roughly two and a half hours a day, skimming their social media timelines.

As a marketer, what does that tell you? Social media provides you with an exemplary opportunity to reach customers in fresher ways (because the possibilities in social media are endless).

But how exactly do you stand out in social media? How do you stand out in the midst of thousands of other content exchanged in social media platforms each day?

Well, the answer you're looking for is to let your stunning brand personality shine

“-- The most loved brands separate the transaction and the relationship, which allows feelings of affection to grow.”
~ Stephen Houraghan, Brand Master Academy

Why Does Personality Help Your Brand Win on Social Media?

Apart from discounts being the prime reason why consumers follow and engage with a brand, they also interact with you and your business for other reasons too.

• Showing agreement: 35% of customers will interact with a brand's post if they agree with the brand personality.
• For the humor: 30% of customers engage with brands that showcase interesting social posts, and even humorously creative posts.
• To give feedback: Lots of social media users engage with brands to provide positive feedback (at least 29%) and then negative feedback (at 20%).

In another manner of speaking, customers want brands they support to be relatable, and feel more human. Like they're facing the humans behind the screen and not just a robot.

Your brand can get lost amid the masses if you're going to rely solely on canned tweets, Facebook posts, and reshared pictures -- any post that other people write.

To stand out, you need a brand voice. Don't be afraid to inject some humor and stick with consistency. Showcase your point-of-view and talk to your customers, especially the ones who send you feedback.

How to Develop Brand Personality on Social Media

Brands like Netflix and Lego have found immense success on social media through humor or commentary about current events, but developing a distinct brand personality for the brand is evidently easier said than done.

The opportunities look endless for sure, but you don't want to create a personality that does it too much or annoys followers.  

Hootsuite, a company that sells social media monitoring software, asked their followers what they detested most about brands on social media. And guess what? The answer points to "linking a brand to every trend."

Hijacking trends are all well and good if you can do it well. The tactic lets you reach new audiences, and can reveal your brand's human side. But do it wrong, and you've got yourself a plate of disaster.

Instead of going overboard with your #Don'tRushChallenge or the #fliptheswitchchallenge, here some tactics that your brand can use to showcase your human side, and still stay on-point with your branding.

#1 Share your words of wisdom

For a business that offers a service, you're likely familiar with the struggles that come with highlighting your knowledge without giving a lot away. So what's the trick?

Strike a healthy balance, and don't be afraid to engage. Don't forget the word 'social' in social media. Take part in Twitter chats, hold a Q&A session, and most importantly, share tips at what your business is good at.

In doing this, you're not only showcasing your knowledge, but you're stamping a reputation. Yes, it sounds and seems time-consuming, but you'll be surprised at how much inspiration you can curate for the sake of future content.

#2 Do some #BehindTheScenes

Lots of content types can be challenging to produce when budget or time is tight. And that's where behind-the-scenes content can come and save you. You can do it with one simple tool: your trusty smartphone.

Behind-the-scenes content gives real value-drive and effective posts. If you think about it, you're giving your customers unique and intimate access to your company.

You're giving them first-hand view of what is happening behind closed doors, or how you do your services, and showcase your products. This type of content can also be used to tease product launches or offer exclusive content.

#3 Be your own cheerleader

Celebrating internal success on social media is one of the gifts that just keep on giving. Are you proud of what your company has achieved and is doing? Then tell your followers, and say so!

Whether you've won awards, or if you've got new members of staff, a right success post sends out the right message about your business. It shows growth, creates a statement about your culture, and even does wonders for talent acquisition in the future.

Your HR department would love that. The best part about celebrating a company success? It brings your employees on board in the simplest and quickest way for amplifying your content.

#4 Build and nurture relationships

Employees are your secret weapon for more audiences and more engagement. And you can do more. After you've recently completed a project, don't hesitate to share your success stories and invite your clientele to do the same.

Generating social proof through various social media networks can increase your brand's discoverability. Keep at it, and you may notice that you don't need a marketing department to create content like this.

You don't need an overly expensive camera either. All you need is your smartphone, yourself, and your team.