Finding your brand voice on social media can be a real challenge. With so many platforms to populate and a torrent of content on each, it can be more than a little intimidating to get started, let alone find a confident and consistent brand voice.
When you look at organic social media posting you will see many individuals and companies switching styles and techniques looking for the one which resonates. We see more and more that creators are commenting on the changing algorithms as the reason for something working one day but not the next. Famously, Instagram has been pushing reels out alongside other content types in a bid to stay relevant. An attempt to fight back against the TikTok wave (tsunami) coming its way.
So this all sounds a little dramatic, let’s break it down a bit more.
Finding Your Own Unique Style
The truth is that finding the ‘right style’ doesn’t have to be that hard – the main difficulty people face on organic social media is not knowing what to post and running out of steam. We work with our clients to create a posting schedule which helps us map out what content is going out when well ahead of time.
As a team we discuss style, strategy, imagery and focus each month to keep ideas fresh, relevant to the brand and – most importantly – consistent. Consistency is key and whether you are a startup travel company or a seasoned education provider, making sure your posts follow a clear tone of voice and a structured strategy is half the battle. As consumers we expect to see certain things from certain brands. Red from coca cola; quick witty changes from Just Eat; and provocative fun from Aldi on Twitter. This consistency is just as important to your brand as it is to theirs.
Follow A Structure
If you are feeling like your social strategy has lost direction, or perhaps never had direction then the best place to start is looking at content types. This is simply working through different types of post styles and identifying what is right for you and your audience, as well as considering what is achievable for your agency or team.
Starting with content types can also fill your page with ideas so that when you are staring gormlessly at an empty social plan, you have some structure and post types to fall back on when you draw a blank.
For example, if you are posting 10 times a month, alternating 5 post types throughout the month will keep your feed fresh and inspired.
What Do We Mean by ‘Post Types’?
It’s important not to confuse these with content pillars or your brand tone of voice. Post types are more like the vehicle with which you post. For example, a post type may be a day in the life, your content pillar might be your staff focus and your tone of voice might be fun, witty and expert-led. Your post type is your framework.
Post types can be broken down into various subsections to help you identify the theme behind what you are posting. This is helpful to brands who are still working through the tone of voice and looking to make sure content is varied.
If you are starting a new social strategy it could be worth experimenting with different post types for 2-3 months and reviewing engagement rates to see what worked and what didn’t. We would recommend selecting a few to test rather than one of each. Too many post types will mean your data is too thinly spread, in turn meaning you will not have enough to take a real view of.
Here are some common post types which work for most brands.
- Personal – these are you posts showing who you are as a company and a person
- Day in the life
- An interview with
- Meet the team
- 3 things i have learnt
- Behind the scenes
- Business – these posts support your business messaging and your services/successes
- Monthly update
- Testimonial
- Infographic
- Our team
- Client focus
- Educational – these posts highlight your expertise within a given field
- Did you know
- Industry update
- Tips and tricks
- Infographic
- Polls / research
- Provocative – not for everyone but these posts can gain stronger engagement rates
- Industry opinion
- Highlight a problem
- Common mistakes
- Campaign criticisms
- Debunking myths
- Entertaining – these posts are great for experimenting but often need to be reactive so make sure you have your finger on the pulse of your focus channel.
- Memes
- Gifs
- Trending sounds
- Image slide shows / reels
- Team selfiesHopefully this sheds some light on how you structure or restructure a social strategy to stay consistent and on brand. Our team works with clients of all shapes and sizes so don’t hesitate to drop us a line and ask about social media planning – we can even do an audit if you ask nicely 🙂 xx
