At Studio Five, we don’t just want to give you a sneak peek of what goes into our strategic approach to brands on social - we want you to excitedly unwrap a package of insider expertise to really maximise how to make your brand stand out through beautifully curated and strategic social content. This week, we’re diving into the deep end on the importance of a content strategy refresh (or dare we say - a facelift for your brand) on social media.
A Social Refresh: The What, How & Why
First things first.
What is a social feed refresh?
Good question. And no, it isn’t clicking that circling arrow to make sure your page is up-to-date. When we talk about a social refresh, we’re discussing how best to strategically approach your brand’s visuals, tone of voice and overall rollout plan across your social pages with a fresh perspective. We’re talking about putting yourself in the shoes of a digital consumer and asking what you’d want your brand to be known for, to advocate and be identified by. What do you want your brand to say - both visually and literally - on social?
Try answering these questions about your brand’s current social content as a starting point:
- What do I want my brand to evoke on social?
- Is my brand captivating and engaging my core audience with my current content mix?
- What kind of content will create the most value and solve pain points for my audience?
- How do I want my content to make my audience feel?
- Which trends do I need to be on top of and weave into my content?
If you are unable to answer these questions with certainty or clarity, your brand probably needs a social media refresh strategy.
Now, let’s get into Five’s secret sauce for levelling up your social - by embedding it with purpose and intention to win the hearts and minds of the consumers that will be your key converters.
The What: What's the role when you scroll? Defining the role of your social content
When you flick through the content previously posted on your social spaces, what do you identify as the main goal/s of your page?
- Is it to sell a particular product/ service?
- Is it to connect & cultivate an online community?
- Is it to tell compelling stories?
- Is it to educate your audience?
- Is it to empower/ inspire others?
Or is it a mashup of these elements? Defining the role of your social media on different platforms is the most crucial but often forgotten step in creating a sustainable content strategy. Why? Because the role of your content inevitably dictates the type of content you should be putting out to your desired audiences. The key part of this step is to seek clarity about what your audience will find valuable and use that as a goal post to frame how you can tap into their unmet needs through your content.
The How: Let’s turn on the social stove.
So - you’ve got the direction and role of your brand on social covered. What next? Now it’s time to turn up the social heat by coming up with a killer plan for your creative content.
1. Find inspiration:
Soak up all the knowledge, scour all the resources and open all the tabs! Pinterest and Instagram will be your key strategy sidekicks here as you dive into researching social trends, the latest happenings in your industry and what emergent competitor brands are doing and doing well. The key here is to use inspiration as a starting point to identify what you do and don’t love for your brand, and to stir up some thought-starters on how to show off your brand’s unique elements using these ideas that inspire fresh content.
2. Plan your content (like a boss):
Fail to prepare and prepare to fail, people! Putting together a solid, versatile content plan - that’s not overly ambitious - will be key for ensuring you can roll out content that’s high quality, consistent and in keeping with your brand’s truth & essence.
One of the most effective ways to map out your content ideas is through content pillars.
Content pillars allow you to plan your content based on core sections that can create a consistent message for your audience when dishing out content. It creates a reinforcement layer about who your brand is and pinpoints key messages that you want to communicate to them on social media.
3. Nail your social aesthetic:
Define your key brand assets for social and stick to them! Get consistent with your colour palette, imagery style, font selection and even how you style your IG stories. You want people to instantly recognise your brand as they scroll. Don’t be afraid to play around with colour, and really have fun with this part! Landing on a palette that speaks to your brand’s personality will guide your visuals and catch the eye of wandering scrollers.
4. Add a voice to the visuals:
Let's start by understanding what the TOV is. Ever heard the saying ‘it’s not what you say, but how you say it’? That’s exactly what the TOV is. It’s the voice, tone and personality people associate with your brand - the ear to your brand.
TOV is the most important on social media as this is prime marketing space where you can strike up a conversation with your audience and engage with them on a one-on-one basis. An effective TOV only works when it’s consistent and fluid across the various channels that your brand uses to communicate. From emailers, to Instagram posts, to tweets - #consistencyiskey.
So, how do you define your tonal style for your social content?
Do you want to sound clever? Cheeky? Bold? Witty? Informative? Approachable?
Are you a punny hunny? An emoji devotee? Maybe you can’t resist a heartfelt insta-essay?
All these are key points you need to take into consideration when crafting your brand’s social TOV.
Want to master your brand’s TOV? Check out our full breakdown article.
The Why
If you’ve been unsure of your approach on social media for some time now, and have been promising yourself to make key changes in your content (and you’re here right now), it’s probably high time for the feed’s facelift. If you’re not engaging your key audiences, not seeing the follows or returns you’d like to, or simply feel a bit lost as to the next steps on social for your brand - we’d be happy to unpack your key pain points to turn your social into a strategic and stand-out tool for your business.
Putting the words to work: Check out our webinar.
Interested in knowing how all these parts come together and actually apply to a brand example? Check out our webinar ‘How to Own Your Social Strategy’ to hear directly from our Founder & CEO, Lauren, and Janay, our team’s Senior Strategist.
Webinar Part 1: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/studiofive
Webinar Part 2: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/studiofive2
Plus, stay tuned for how we press play on these tips & tricks by unfolding the strategy that Studio Five whipped up for one of our favourite clients - The Fish Pot Restaurant.
