How can this be? Truth is, consumers are SEVERELY unimpressed with branded social content. So why pump out content your audience isn’t even interested in? Changing with your audience is absolutely crucial to making sure they are receptive to what you’re posting and that they love every second of it. Follow along as we go into what you may be doing wrong, and how to fix it!
We talk a lot about how important having a good brand voice is, and the importance of eye catching visuals that grab people's attention in such a saturated online world. But there IS one thing that is way more important, and that is what you are SAYING. Most consumers are more likely to interact with content they find helpful and interesting, over anything with just a strong voice or captivating visual aesthetics.
While having all three are important on their own, focusing too much on the superficial aspects of posts can KILL your engagement. People will appreciate nice sounding and nice looking posts, but only if both make the message you’re trying to spread even more interesting. It’s like garnishing your food. Not needed, but a nice touch. But like, who wants a plate just full of garnishes? We don’t.
Too many brands post content that is WAYYY too clickbait-y, and no one likes that. (Literally try and name one person… you can’t). And some brand content is just way too promotional, like they’re trying to pitch their brand to you at every single social post. It gets exhausting!
Some red flags to look out for in your brand’s content and others:
Use this little checklist to keep your posts in check and to be able to roll your eyes when other brands fall for these faux pas. Pity them, they haven’t learned the error of their ways.
One of the easiest things you can do is ask yourself ONE SIMPLE question. “What is the purpose behind this piece of content?” Whether it is a blog post, or a tweet, or an Instagram Story poll, making sure there's a reason that you’re posting is a NECESSARY.
Making sure that your content stands on its own without a shiny call to action, fancy advertisement, or glitzy infographic. Your message should be interesting enough on its own, you shouldn’t NEED to spruce it up. All of the surface level changes should only help elevate a post, and not make up for a lack in substance.
Back to talking about brand voice, something we L O V E here at Lately. As a brand, we make sure that everything we write has a similar voice, because it ties all of our socials together and helps us stand out (and be ourselves!) I mean, why write a blog post like you’re writing a peer reviewed scientific study? Add some personality in there.
BUT (and this is a big but), having an inconsistent or overly flashy brand voice that takes away from the content you post is not what you want to do. An effective brand voice helps social posts be even more successful, think of it as another piece of the pie that makes up a PERFECT social post. Mmmmm… pie. Anyways, if you’re worried that your brand voice could be taking away from the content, just ask yourself if you’re being genuine and unique. Stay true to you, boo!
The bottom line, you need to be authentically you. People are bored at brand posts because they’re too stiff! They clearly just want to sell you a product and entice you with flashy/incorrect headlines that don’t hold up. And audiences are smarter than brands think! People know when you’re just trying to pitch them your product or service, or when your words are completely hollow. When a brand’s social posts have nothing human about them, people notice.
Your posts should be equal parts good content AND humanness! Nothing is worse than scrolling through a brand's social media and feeling like you’re reading stuff churned out by a massive multi-million dollar corporation robot. If you look at the big brands now, they’re trying SO hard to seem authentic online, think about brands posting memes or starting fake fights with other brands. That stuff is easy to fake, but your audience will recognize authenticity over the fake stuff… think of it like sweeteners in coffee.
