For those without social media training or the resources to hire an expert, it might seem overwhelming.
The good news? Creating social media posts that grow your audience is easy once you know how. Digital marketing strategist Jordan Lomax has chosen seven social media posts – all successful in different ways – to offer inspiration for your business’s social media strategy.
1. Boy Smells' collaborative giveaway
True to its brand story and values, Boy Smells, a gender-neutral candle, fragrance and intimates brand, partnered with Korean-inspired skincare brand Saturday Skin and Slip, the brand that popularised the silk pillowcase, for a competition in August 2018. Social media users were asked to follow all three brands – which shared a similar focus on elevating everyday routines and rituals – to be in to win products worth a prize back, which included each brand’s best-selling products.
Competitions are a great way to build audiences, and collaborative competitions can deliver even more benefits. Not only can you collectively offer a bigger, better prize – thus attracting more entrants – but your brand will be exposed to the audiences of other, similar brands. The key? Select like-minded brands with audiences who will be receptive to what you have on offer.
2. Go-To Skincare’s distinct tone of voice
In a sea of beauty brands, Go-To has achieved social media success with a tone of voice that differentiates it from the rest. Every caption is witty, on-brand and aligned to its mission to simplify skincare.
Go-To has also nailed its mix of content. Instead of endless promotional posts, it offers a blend of inspirational and educational content. The brand, founded by former beauty editor Zoë Foster Blake, makes the most of all formats, too, from easy-to-understand tiles about ingredients and their benefits, highlights offering How-Tos and Q&As, and additional content on Guides, Reels and IGTV, as well as a shoppable feed using likeshop.me. Talk about Insta-goals.
To find out more about getting started with content marketing, visit our tutorial with content strategist Andres Lopez-Varela.
3. A credible and artful grid from Breeze Balm
As Instagram has become more popular and more saturated with content, it has introduced new features, such as Instagram Stories and IGTV, to create more ‘real estate’ or places for brands and individuals to post content.
The result? Users’ attention is no longer focused solely on the grid.
But that doesn’t mean the grid isn’t important. Increasingly, users head straight to a brand’s social media profile after checking out their website, so it’s important that your Instagram page acts as a microsite for your brand or products.
In other words, it needs to operate like a shopfront – capturing shoppers’ attention, luring them in for a closer look and offering an instant understanding of what your brand is all about.
Breeze Balm’s feed is colourful, on-brand and polished. Not only does it instantly convey the brand image in a fun, positive tone of voice – but it offers credibility and assurance that it’s a trustworthy business to purchase from.
4. User-generated content from Montce Swim
The benefits of user-generated content (UGC) are well established. Not only does it offer a stream of ready-made content, but UGC delivers money-can’t-buy social proof for your brand.
Miami-based swimwear brand Montce Swim reaps the rewards of UGC's by reposting images that customers have posted wearing their bikinis to their 414K followers. Reposting the images both on their grid and in their stories not only allows customers to see their products styled in different ways but can also allow customers to see how the same product can look on a variety of body types. This means brands can reap the rewards of good-faith generated by promoting diversity and inclusivity without having to foot the bill for a cast of models that represent every size category.
5. Topicals' TikTok tutorials
Want to reach a young audience? Then it’s time to consider TikTok. More than 80 million Americans use the platform every month, with the vast majority under the age of 25.
Gen Z skincare brand Topicals uses TikTok to showcase the versatility of their product, answer common questions, and share short, sharp tutorial videos like this one. With Instagram recently releasing Reels, there are even more reasons to create this type of content, which can be shared across both channels to maximize the return on investment.
6. Sephora's ‘real’ use of Reels
Instagram Reels is one of the newest formats on the content block and, as a result, Instagram’s algorithm seems to be favouring them by pushing Reels to the front of users’ feeds to encourage adoption.
While formats like Stories and IGTV are great, they don’t allow much discoverability. (In other words, only your followers will see them.) However, Instagram has included Reels in its Discover and Explore feeds, making them an effective (and fun!) way to reach new audiences.
Global beauty giant Sephora has capitalised on this format, by using Reels to share educational content about their products, share news and get personal with their staff and customers.
If you’re not a confident Reels creator, don’t worry: on Reels, followers are more open to quirky or unusual content than on other channels and formats, so it doesn’t have to be perfect.
7. Vuly’s Facebook Live interview series
Bicycle brand Vuly Play uses Facebook Live as a content marketing channel to build and engage its community.
Its weekly live show interviews athletes and outdoor personalities – and the brand uses prizes and giveaways to encourage users to tune in. The interviews are engaging, popular with customers – and a great way to build a warm audience, which will eventually convert into a customer base.
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