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A lot of brands and advertisers say they want to be ‘social-first, but when it comes time to actually create (or give feedback) to social content, they revert right back to traditional ideas of what that content should look like. In short, they just…make an ad.
Don’t worry, I didn’t forget – we are all ultimately trying to sell something. At the end of the day, it’s our job to get someone to buy ✨the product✨. But in an increasingly crowded social landscape, if we skip the part where we make a real connection with our social followers, the algorithm is going to quietly filter us out of their feeds, and out of their minds. Once that happens, we’re back at square one.
Sometimes content can be repurposed across platforms, and sometimes it makes your brand painfully skippable.
‘Social-first’ is a term that’s tossed around a lot, and we tend to assume everyone should know what it means – I mean, it’s 2023, right? As a social strategist, I still see plenty of instances where ‘social-first’ to a brand means ‘we are resizing this for social.’ And to be honest, that hurts my little social strategist’s heart. So, I’m here to help you learn how to leverage more social-first tactics to break through the mess of (oftentimes really bad) ads and drive real impact for your brand.
Above: Sprite’s “spicy sprite” April Fool’s Day joke leaned into an existing cultural conversation about the brand to drive impact.
Social first is less ad, more entertainment
Think “what would I want to see in my feed?” It’s probably not the billboard you saw on the highway yesterday or the commercial on Hulu you used as white noise. People know we’re advertising to them, so how can we keep them engaged and entertained, providing value with our content beyond selling something? Let’s give consumers credit. If they’re entertained, they’ll naturally want to explore more on their own.
While a lot of platforms try to copy each other, there is still a distinct reason people go to each one – Instagram to show off, TikTok to laugh and learn, Pinterest to dream.
And that doesn’t mean the content will be completely devoid of product. Some of the most effective brand social has actually been all about the product. Take Sprite’s “spicy sprite” April Fool’s Day joke. Literally just about the product, but it leaned into an existing cultural conversation about the brand to drive impact – and win awards.
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Above: Dunkin’ Donuts Instagram tends to focus more on meme formats, UGC-style imagery, and promotional messaging.
It uses each platform the way people do
I know, there are so many of them now. All the more reason to have a buttoned up social strategy (and a dedicated social team). You don’t act the same way across platforms, and your brand shouldn’t, either.
If your social team brings you an idea, but you don’t understand the social trend, that probably means you should do it.
While a lot of platforms try to copy each other (*side eye, Zuck*), there is still a distinct reason people go to each one – Instagram to show off, TikTok to laugh and learn, Pinterest to dream. When crafting content, if you take a moment to consider native platform functionality and understand why users choose to have a separate account for each, you’ll be that much closer to reaching who you want to.
It’s not matching luggage
Give people something new to discover when they encounter your brand on a new platform. It should be recognisable as your brand or part of your campaign, but not a carbon copy of what they’ve already seen from you on Instagram. Think of well-crafted social content as puzzle pieces vs. matching luggage, and leverage each platform for its unique strengths. Sometimes content can be repurposed across platforms, and sometimes it makes your brand painfully skippable.
A good example of diversifying across platforms is Dunkin’. While they do repurpose some content pieces across IG and TikTok where it makes sense, their TikTok leans more into trending video styles specific to that platform, while their Instagram tends to focus more on meme formats, UGC-style imagery, and promotional messaging.
Above: During the rise of TikTok, Duolingo let their social team run with trends, leading to positive results for brand awareness.
It’s messy (at least sometimes)
Oof, I know. This one’s hard. But considering the pace that social trends come and go, your brand must be agile when making content if you’re going to participate fully. Of course, you need to have an element of pre-planned content (all hail the organised content calendar!), but letting your social team run with an idea is where the magic happens. My advice? If your social team brings you an idea, but you don’t understand the social trend, that probably means you should do it.
If you want your brand to be (and stay) culturally relevant, you need to learn how to effectively leverage social trends and be nimble in your processes.
One of my favourite examples? Duolingo. During the rise of TikTok, they were letting their social team run with trends, and now they’re an account people actively seek out across social media, which has done wonders for their brand awareness.
It moves at the speed of culture
Remember that part about being agile? It doesn’t just apply to social – it’s simply the world we live in now, and many brands are still trying to catch up. If you want your brand to be (and stay) culturally relevant, you need to learn how to effectively leverage social trends and be nimble in your processes. Let experimentation be your friend! Even if something flops today, you’ll have tomorrow to try again.
Above: Wendy's has been successful on social because of its close interaction with fans.
It’s supported with strong community management
If not, you’re missing out on the ‘social’ part of it all. Posting content is only half the battle. Without a good engagement strategy and community management centred around building up your social audience, your brand is missing out on creating relationships with your most dedicated fans.
Don’t underestimate the power of a well-crafted AND well-executed social strategy.
Part of the reason brands like McDonald’s and Wendy’s have seen success on social is because they are active participants, getting involved in the comment section with their fans. They even pop up in comment sections outside of their bubble sometimes, when it makes sense for their brand and their audience. Another one of my favourite community-centric brand social examples is Liquid Death. They fully embrace that their die-hard fans are the reason for their success, so they make sure to make them the centre of attention by featuring UGC often.
If you take anything from this read, let it be this. Don’t underestimate the power of a well-crafted AND well-executed social strategy. Even implementing a few of these suggestions can help your brand start to move in the right direction towards creating more impact amongst your audience on social. Social media may be constantly changing, but it’s not going anywhere. And please, at the very least, stop resizing everything for social.
