When you think of social media, what comes to mind? Ads, brands, celebrities? Well, what happens when you remove the filters, the photoshop and the brands?
Make way for BeReal.
The number one issue platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat have are their lack of authenticity. The Photoshop, the planning, the big brands, it all just feels... fake.
So, What is BeReal?
BeReal is a social platform developed in late 2019 with a huge surge in members in 2022 rising by 315%.
Many popular social platforms have taken note to their rapid success and have tried to implement their own "BeReal" like features such as TikTok Now, Instagram's Candid Challenges, and more.
BeReal has also been compared to the 2015 Casey Neistat project Beme which was honestly just ahead of its time in our opinion.
How Do You Use BeReal?
BeReal is a fairly simple app to use, simply start by adding your friends (their handy contacts feature makes this super simple) and from there, it's as easy as posting once a day... but there's a catch.
Every single user is sent a notification at a random time of the day at the same time of the day, you have 2 minutes to post "on time"
2 pictures, 1 from your front facing camera and 1 from your back camera, giving your friends an authentic look into what you're doing in that exact moment (for me? BeReal liked to catch me in the office 90% of the time).
Don't like the picture you just took? No worries, you have the option to retake it (but be warned, your friend will know how many times you retook it 😉)
So what happens if you miss the notification or simply can't post? Well, no worries, you can technically post whenever you want, however, your friends will see how late you where. And if you're saving your BeReal for a "fun" part of your day, chances are you'll be called out a bit as BeReal is intended for authentic experiences. So in short? BeReal, don't BeFake. Save your fun stuff for IG stories if it doesn't happen when BeReal notifies you.
Can Brands Benefit From BeReal?
At the moment, BeReal is intended for people, not brands. There are no ads on BeReal, however, some brands such as Sour Patch Kids and Chipotle have been experimenting with fun ways to promote their brand on BeReal.
So, What Have We Learned?
In the past 6-months of using BeReal, we've learned a few things.
Ditch the fake smiles, be yourself, BeReal! Don't overthink it, just post what's happening in your life
Brands have an opportunity to tap into authenticity. Whether it's on BeReal or Instagram, find ways your brand can be more authentic, your audience will love you for it.
At the end of the day, it's hard to be authentic on Social media, we're always going to be curating what we do, but sometimes it's nice to take away the filters and just enjoy the moment.
To Conclude...
At the end of the day, true authenticity is hard to pull off, we don't want to share the unfiltered parts of our life, however, BeReal has shown us that sometimes it's okay to be unfiltered. For brands, we're not saying to post randomly, but to rather take some inspiration from it, it's clear that people crave authentic experiences, so maybe it's time to mix up your marketing strategy!
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