We, take a pause and think of the meaning right now in today’s context. Is there any more powerful word than we?

For marketers “We” as a concept is liberating. Take a pause and think about it, how else are you building a successful brand community on social media, without the grasp of we? How else are you offering value within your brand community? What else are you using to service the needs of community members through engaging content? Simply by changing your discourse to be inclusive of your community members, you are gaining a form of parasocial trust with your community members. They may even interpret your messages the same way they would with a long lost friend. In an age where consumer confidence is low trust through leverage is worth its weight in gold.

For small business owners who are struggling, now is the time to consider we instead of me. Using social media and other digital channels as a means of cheap advertising is the old school ways of doing things. In fact, just using social channels to simply generate leads is only thinking of me! me! me! Because you are only driven by material gains such as income without realising the consequences. In short, you have no idea how to engage with the public, without going through selfish means. With the concept of we, however, you can get a better grasp on public sentiment right now. Collective behaviour and looking out for one another has been thrust upon us during this crisis and will be needed more than ever as we move into the recovery.

My golden rule that I tell prospective clients is: It is not all about you, dummy. If you treat others as your peers they will, in turn, will see you as their peer. Be a team player and show kindness and compassion with a dash of humility will do wonders for you and your brand. Having imperfections and vulnerabilities in the brand can make your brand more relatable and even to a point forgivable, by your stakeholders during a crisis.

Viva la revolution!