Is BeReal The Future of Human Brand Engagement?

One of the biggest obstacles that brands and companies often face when creating a marketing campaign is how they can best connect with their audience. Identifying a target audience is one piece of this puzzle, but what about marketing to them? This can certainly be challenging for a few different reasons, especially as, according to Sprout Social, only 64% of consumers want brands and companies to “connect” with them on a personal level. 

One social media network, however, might just have the solution to how brands can become more personable than ever. Photo-sharing app BeReal, which rose to prominence during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, recently announced expansion plans that position it as a potential competitor for similar networks like Instagram. These plans are RealPeople and RealBrands, which are special accounts managed by prominent celebrities and companies. 

“Launching February 6th, official accounts will allow you to add some of your favorite celebrities and brands to your BeReal experience,” the company said in a press release. “These figures will create BeReal accounts and share content that you can engage with in unique ways by becoming a RealFan of that person or brand.”

What exactly this means is being kept under wraps, as are the brands slated to join the service. However, the possibilities for what these brands can do are potentially limitless. For those uninitiated, BeReal’s major hook is its unique posting method: users are sent a notification at a random time each day to take two pictures, one using the front camera and another using the back. Users only get one chance to take these images before they are uploaded to their profile. This, in theory, fosters a more natural social networking experience.

So, how exactly can brands take advantage of the upcoming RealBrands expansion? We have a few different ideas for your brand to try out:

• Posting sneak peeks on new products or articles.
• Showcasing stellar employees.
• Sharing tips or motivational reminders.
• Promoting upcoming events.
• Engaging in new memes or trends.

Of course, how you proceed to use RealBrands should be informed by your actual brand. For example, if you are an investigative journalist or run an account on behalf of your newsroom, you likely shouldn’t be making memes or trends on your BeReal account. Use your target audience and brand voice to inform your strategy moving forward, or determine if you even need a strategy – after all, not every brand or company is compatible with the personable social media network. 

If you are interested in setting your brand up with a RealBrands account, follow the instructions provided by the BeReal Help Center. RealBrands officially launches on Feb. 6.