Today we’re getting into strategies for developing effective social media creative as a brand, through the lens of conceptual content. This is loosely defined as creative that goes beyond simply selling and seeks to create a deeper connection with the audience. We’ve all seen an ad that was clearly just pumped out to be an ad. We’re going to make a case for going deeper. As a somewhat simplified example, picture an ad with a call to action on a photo of a frosty can of beer (non-conceptual) versus a commercial about Clydesdales during the holidays that happens to feature beer (conceptual). Non-conceptual content is obviously viable in specific places, but for organic social media strategy in particular, your success will live and die with how engaging your creative is. Conceptual content is a somewhat nebulous category, but for us one of the biggest differentiators is the idea that conceptual content almost always tells a bigger story, even if it’s a simple one. If you work with us (and we fully embrace the irony of selling to you in this moment) we’ll talk about storytelling a lot, as we believe it’s a foundational element of almost all effective creative.

Great storytelling driven by conceptual content is how we create moments that resonate for your audiences for hours or even days after their initial viewing. Creating a moment or a series of moments and making those moments lasting and unforgettable is essentially what great storytelling has always been about, and in social media marketing, it’s one of the most reliable ways to get people talking about you and, most importantly, thinking about you even when they’ve moved on from your content. Here’s a few tactics that will start you down the road to a deeper connection with your growing audience.

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1. Emotional resonance

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It’s probably tempting to hear the advice “connect on an emotional level with your audience” and jump straight to, “Well, I guess we have to make them cry.” Look, if you find that works for you, excellent. But for most of us, that’s not actually a great strategy. It’s a risk to attempt to push emotional buttons for marketing purposes, as audiences are more savvy than ever about detecting sincerity. You risk alienating people, seeming inauthentic, or even potentially offending the very people you’re trying to connect with. 

Instead of going straight for tears, we generally think about emotional resonance as simply being open to revealing the human side of your brand. Behind every great endeavor is a group of interesting people with relatable stories and admirable achievements. Nearly every brand was founded with a vision dreamed up by someone with big goals and the drive to try to achieve them, and those stories can lead to powerful insights about the core values of your brand that the audience otherwise may not know about. On social media, you’re asking for your audience’s attention, even fractionally, and opening yourself up a bit to them is a subtle way of saying that following you isn’t just about marketing. So let’s not be afraid to be vulnerable to create those meaningful connections. And never forget: Making your audience cry probably isn’t ideal, unless it’s tears of joy.

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2. Encouraging discussion/debate 

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Thought leadership is a ubiquitous brand goal, and the rise of social media has created an environment where it’s easier than ever to put a flag in the ground to claim some real estate in the land grab of knowledge in your space. Being a voice on the cutting-edge of an industry isn’t just about showcasing experience and having strong opinions, though. It’s also about listening and reacting to other stakeholders in your industry, as well as the audience you’re all trying to reach. Curating the most timely, relevant discussions around your industry through your social channels is an excellent tactic for establishing a place of importance in that world.

Regularly asking direct provocative questions or opening conversations with a stance on an emerging topic are excellent starting points. It’s a content type that’s templatable, easily replicable, and, if done right, is a huge value add for your audience, which will grow in proportion with the frequency of great conversations they can find on your channels.

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3. Bring them into your world

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There’s a social media moment we all occasionally have where you come across a piece of content and immediately say to yourself, “I need to know more about this.” If the post is done well, it will provide the tools to discover more about that topic, in all likelihood directing you to learn more on a landing page, for example. Tempting an audience with knowledge is a well-worn tactic in marketing in general, and social media is the perfect venue for it.

Audiences are starting to expect a much deeper understanding of the goods and services they use to be part of the equation in determining where they want to spend their money. People are more interested in how the sausage gets made than ever, and giving users ways to get to know you on a deeper level is one of the best ways to turn a one-time customer into a lifelong evangelist. 

One of the best places to start when you’re generating topics aligned with sparking curiosity is your public-facing inbox or social platform direct messages. What are the questions your audience is regularly asking you about your product or service? Basically, turn your frequently asked questions into part of your content strategy and you’re likely to intrigue people in ways they didn’t expect, and at the very least your inbox will thank you! 

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4. Memorable/shareable content

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This entry is somewhat different from the others, in that hypothetically you should be considering shareability in nearly everything you publish on your channels. After all, algorithms are mysterious, but one of the things we do know is that when users share your content it’s always a good thing. Unless they’re sharing it because you meant to type “platform” but it autocorrected to “platypus” and now your audience thinks your SaaS business is a front for promoting one of the most interesting and mysterious creatures on the planet (trust us, look into this when you’re done here, and also proofread your captions).

Determining how to make something more shareable is, of course, the tricky part. There are so many variables to what’s truly shareable, but some of the biggest factors are: humor, the unexpected, insider insights that challenge common knowledge, facts or sentiments your audience feels strongly about, and the list could go on. It’s really dependent on your brand, your audience, and the specific goal of the content you’re creating. Not everything is always going to be shareable, but when you see an opportunity to create something that has that potential, definitely lean into it.

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5. Aligning against a common problem

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One of the jobs as a brand vying for eyeballs is to turn casual observers into interested fans. Ultimately, one of the time-tested ways to accomplish that goal is to highlight a common problem that we can all agree we’re against. Before you start to think we’re suggesting being deliberately controversial, let’s look at a concrete example. Charmin, one of the largest toilet tissue brands, ran a nationwide campaign featuring animated bears with bits of toilet paper stuck all over their behinds.

This is obviously far from deliberate controversy designed to spark debate. But what it does do is check a lot of the boxes for a nice, shareable, memorable content play. It’s taboo but not divisive. It’s cute and funny but has a clear value prop. And it implicitly asks viewers to take a stand on a topic where there’s really only one logical side to agree with. Unite your audience with each other and with you against a common enemy, and the followers and engagement rates will thank you.

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6. Familiarity/anticipation

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Social media platforms absolutely chew through content, even with a conservative publishing cadence. One fairly ubiquitous answer to this problem for brands on a strict budget is to come up with recurring post types that can be templatized and replicated in a way that provides variety in a familiar package. Things like Throwback Thursdays or Wild Hair Wednesdays or First Friday Facts are great examples of this strategy in action. Those last two we just made up right now, so feel free to steal them, but please tag us in your Wild Hair Wednesday posts because we’re only human and the thought of missing that is a little too much.

So templating a recurring post type on a regular cadence is an excellent tactic for efficiency in strategy and creation, but luckily it also has the bonus of conditioning your audience to expect certain types of posts at certain times. Anticipation has been a cornerstone of bringing audiences back since the writer Thomas Hardy invented the cliffhanger in the 19th century. We all remember where we were when we got to the end of A Pair of Blue Eyes and realized that scoundrel Hardy made it so we were going to have to pick up the sequel! This isn’t quite like that, but the principles are the same. Namely, the goal is to give the audience a reason to come back, something to anticipate that plays into a sense of routine and familiarity combined with some fun and interest.