When it comes to brand communication, many companies stop at the basics. Sure, a pretty website, a flashy logo, and a catchy name do wonders for attracting customers. But a brand far surpasses these aesthetic elements. Each brand tells a different story, has different roots, and offers customers something they, ideally, can’t find elsewhere.
So, how do you go above and beyond logos and names to truly communicate the soul of your brand on social media? It’s not just about what you communicate, but how you get the message across.
You’re not only communicating with paying customers every time you post a picture or block of text on Instagram; you’re also delivering a message to (potentially) millions of individuals, each with their own tastes, preferences, and personality.
TIPS TO ENHANCE BRAND COMMUNICATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fortunately, by using the brand communication techniques below, you can successfully generate an appealing company image and ethos, and effectively present it to millions of potential customers on social media. By knowing your target audience, maintaining authenticity and honesty, and engaging in creative ways, you’ll not only get their attention, but you’ll earn their respect—and likely their hard-earned money, too.
As you discover key techniques in social media brand communication, you’ll see real-world examples as we cover case studies that show just how beneficial proper communication can be for a company.
RESPECT THE BASICS
While developing unique traits that distinguish your brand remains paramount, the basics serve as a solid foundation from which to improve. Before you start practising some of the strategies further down below, you need to ensure your brand looks inviting and attractive.
Remember, first impressions are crucial! Customers will instantly judge your entire brand by merely glancing at your logo, or within seconds of clicking on a link to your website or social media account.
What can you do to capitalise on these first few seconds? Make them as attractive and pleasing to the eye as possible. Before customers even start reading your latest post or checking out your newest product, they’ll see colour or lack of colour, themes or randomness, and order or chaos.
Here’s some advice on solidifying the basics of brand communication.
POLISH YOUR WEBSITE
If your social media posts are successful, they’ll direct customers to your website. When it comes to websites, simplicity really does pay off. Instead of cramming every morsel of content onto a page, consider a sleek, clean, and minimal look to avoid overwhelming curious browsers.
Let’s take Lush for example—one of the most successful cosmetics companies in the United Kingdom. After clicking on their website, you’ll notice a few key traits. Sure, their products are bright, flashy, and eye-catching. But the layout of their site is simple—a plain white background, black banners, and everything separated into clean, flush blocks. This helps customers easily navigate their homepage and buy their products.
The layout also prompts customers to scroll down. After only a couple of flicks of the mouse, customers arrive at the bottom of the page after viewing an array of products, offers, and categories.
You also need to make sure your website looks awesome on different devices. Request that your developers transfer the same aesthetics and level of simplicity over to the mobile version of your site.
CHOOSE A THEME
Consistent themes are key when it comes to visually communicating your brand. Choose a theme, and apply the same colours and patterns to your website and each of your social media platforms and posts. Customers will quickly learn what your business and content look like, and your posts will catch their attention as they scroll through endless feeds filled with competitor products and posts.
Take Mushroom Revival, for instance. This small yet successful supplement company has a consistent theme across platforms that makes its presence known to customers. Their website features soft, blocky pastel colours that are easy on the eyes.
When you head over to their Instagram page, you’ll notice the same colours and style at play. Although they post a wide variety of vibrant photos, their educational and podcast posts stay true to their theme, and customers will start to register this pattern after only a few posts.
IS YOUR LOGO ATTRACTING OR REPELLING?
Creating a logo might seem like a simple task, but it can make or break a brand’s image on socials. Companies often try to pack their logo with impressive detail and fluorescent shades. While this certainly catches the eye, it disregards the first principle of logo design: simplicity.
A single symbol, image, or name often gets the job done. Gymshark serves as a perfect example of logo simplicity. This billion-dollar business sells enormous amounts of gym clothing, all branded with the company name and a minimalist drawing of a shark head that looks like it was created with only two strokes of a pen.
Logos play a pivotal role on social media platforms such as Instagram. They show up on every post, reel, and story. Make sure your customers know that logo before they even click on your posts. Need some inspiration? Check out the 10 best logos of all time.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Knowing your audience is such a vital communication point that it has become somewhat of a cliché. However, there are aspects of this topic that will help you pinpoint paying customers.
As mentioned above, your brand communication will fall on the eyes and ears of millions of social media users with different personalities and interests. You’re not going to win over everybody, but you can maximise your conversion rate by catering to those most likely to support you. This involves providing truthful, valuable content that hits on the emotions and logic of your target audience.
Below are some tips on strengthening your relationship with your audience.
FIND YOUR VOICE
You may have mastered how your company looks, but you also need to consider how your brand sounds. Take a quick scroll through your Instagram or Twitter feed and pay close attention to each brand post. You’ll notice that, as you read their words, each one sounds and comes across slightly differently. A considerable amount of attention goes into how each of these posts is crafted.
You can only discover your brand’s voice once you truly know your audience. If your company sells sports supplements, for example, you’ll need to communicate in an urgent and energising way that motivates your customers to grab a bottle of your drink and head straight to the gym. Optimum Nutrition does a fantastic job at penning this kind of language. Their Instagram posts are short, brief, and to the point—no-nonsense.
In contrast, some businesses communicate by harnessing humour. Check out the opening sentence on the Cards Against Humanity website. It reads, “Cards Against Humanity is a party game for horrible people”. How do they get away with selling millions of decks with such a voice? Because they know their audience inside-out!
Once you’ve discovered your voice, you need to work to maintain it. Harness the same voice on your website, in every ad, and across all social media platforms. Consistency in voice will build a real and solid relationship with your customers, allowing them to get to know your brand as a virtual friend.
BE AUTHENTIC AND BOLD
Let’s be honest. As a business, your core goal is to try and grab the attention of customers and convert their interest into numbers in the bank. While their money offers a valuable asset, it’s not the most valuable thing that every customer possesses.
Trust arguably ranks higher than money when it comes to the resources you can acquire from customers. If they trust you, they value what you have to offer. And if they value your products and brand, they’ll likely keep coming back and spending more money in the long run.
But how do you earn the trust of your customers? Be authentic. As you develop your voice according to your audience, fortify it with honesty and transparency. And be bold! Don’t be afraid of your own voice.
Furthermore, don’t copy other brands, don’t steal jokes, and don’t make promises that you can’t live up to.
By using brand communication techniques, you can successfully generate an appealing company image and ethos, and effectively present it to millions of potential customers on social media.
OPTIMISE YOUR CONTENT
When it comes to brand communication, content remains king. Strive to create content that people will remember and even go out of their way to share with other potential customers.
Content ranges from in-depth blog posts to short and snappy Instagram posts and tweets. Check out the five key points below that make for interesting, high-quality, and shareable content.
POST FREQUENTLY
Stay on top of your posting game! People use social media every day, often for several hours. This means you have the opportunity to express your voice and display your products multiple times per day, every single day.
In the words of entrepreneur and author Gary Vaynerchuk, “The biggest thing I can tell you is that you have to make as much content as possible”. Follow in the footsteps of this business giant by capitalising on frequency.
Posts several times per day, at the same intervals, every day of the week. Put your message out there, make your products seen, and make use of the age of information and communication that we currently live in. Posting every day takes time. While you’re busy making deals and drafting ideas, make sure your graphic designers and social media managers are aware of what to post and when to post it.
FOCUS ON QUALITY
Frequency is important, but don’t skimp on the quality of your posts. Although a proponent of quantity, Vaynerchuk also stresses the importance of quality: “It’s the intent behind the content [that matters]”.
Post regularly, but make sure every post counts. Ask yourself, what’s the intent here? Are you posting a picture of a product to sell? Are you trying to drive traffic to your site? Are you simply working on a post to accumulate more followers and likes on Instagram? Develop the intention behind the post and adjust your words, pictures, colours, and language to match.
ENGAGE
Make your posts engaging. When you’re not posting products and links to your site, make things entertaining! Post polls on Twitter. Ask your followers what products they want to see next, or even pose the age-old question, “Is it acceptable to put pineapple on pizza?”.
Remember, you’re not just on social media to sell. You want to build trust, cultivate a community, and even make your customers laugh once in a while in the name of rapport.
WORK WITH THE ALGORITHM
To ensure your posts make as big an impact as possible, you need to work with the almighty algorithm. Harness the power of search engine optimisation (SEO) to make your blogs rank higher on Google and other search engines. Everything from using the correct titles to SEO checklists will help your content gain more attention.
On social media, you’ll need to decide which posts matter the most. Use minor posts to grow your following organically. When you’re about to post something big, such as promotions or new releases, use the sponsor tool on Instagram and other platforms to drive traffic and conversion rates.
GO AND GET YOUR MESSAGE OUT THERE
There you have it. You’re ready to communicate your brand to millions of social media users. You know your audience. You know your voice and how you want your brand to come across. You’re even aware of what to post and when to post it. Get out there, be authentic, and start communicating honestly and confidently to make your mark on the world.
