WHY BRAND IS IMPORTANT WITHIN SOCIAL MEDIA
Your visual identity comprises your logo, imagery, typography, colours, and other design elements including Illustration. As soon as a new customer interacts with the first touch-point of your brand, an impression is created and thereafter, sharing your brand’s message and visuals consistently helps your audience connect with you (think Steve Jobs wearing the same outfit every day). Once you’ve established a strong foundation, you’ll have guidelines that make managing your social media presence easier and more effective. This article explores the importance of brand in social media not just from a visual perspective, but also how collaborations and partnerships increase value over time. It also covers tips you can use right away to maintain consistency across all platforms and in turn build trust within your audience.
1. Define your visual identity
When choosing colour, type and image, put yourself in the shoes of your customer and imagine what they would respond well to. Where one demographic would appreciate signposting with infographics, another could find that patronising. Read the room and identify these fundamentals from the outset.
Choose up to three fonts for your primary, secondary and tertiary typefaces. Likewise, to ensure you’re working within clear parameters, choose up to five colours that complement each other. Don’t veer away from these hex–codes or else things will look disjointed. The examples on the right are pages from a brand book for psychologist and coach Natalia Sergevna; having a clear set of brand guidelines means she always knows where to go to seek out her brand assets, and also shows anyone who she works withn “this is how we do things” –– over “this is how I want things to be done” –– making it so much easier to produce content quickly. Furthermore, design software such as Canva and Adobe allow you to create your own brand – kit where you can upload all assets.
2. Share Your Message and Visuals Consistently
Having a signature style gives us an identity and builds trust. We choose clothes, restaurants, and brands that reflect – or at least that we like to think reflect – who we are, what we like, and how we want to appear. Establishing clear brand pillars provides a solid framework, making it easier to create content on the fly without second-guessing if it aligns with your brand identity. Brand pillars are also key attributes that define a brand's purpose. They guide content creation, ensuring brands stay aligned with their mission; using pillars businesses can create focused and meaningful social media posts that resonate with their audience and reinforce their values. If you’re going to take influence from other templates that have been designed, make sure you’re applying your look and feel to everything otherwise it’ll end up looking confusing and defeat the point of having a set of guidelines.
A good designer will help you to define what your pillars are, and leave links, rules and instructions as to how to use each template so that you can feel confident in designing everything according to your brand values and visual identity.
The same principles apply to your brand’s tone of voice. If it’s serious and straightforward, always speak and write in that tone; if it’s ‘I’ over ‘we’ make sure to use the same terminology throughout. Maintain that same tone and terminology across all communication. A good designer or social media expert will create a set of guidelines for you that factor in how brand is maintained across the board.
3. video Builds Trust
Where video marketing can feel daunting (putting yourself in front of the camera, eep) it's also a great way to build trust within your audience. The first interaction with your brand shapes a customer's perception and sets the tone for future loyalty. People connect with people, and emotions drive purchasing decisions. Just think about how you want your customers to feel—safe, empowered, rebellious—and use video to evoke those emotions. If you’re a bit shy to the camera, you’re not alone; read The introvert's guide to creating video content: how to thrive on social media by Creative Boom. And in the meantime, here are some tips for creating storytelling videos:
Communicate what customers can expect from your business and how you stand out from competitors.
Rather than listing facts, create a story about your business—its origins, growth, and challenges. This makes your brand memorable, relatable, and engaging.
Use storytelling videos to introduce your employees, showcase customer experiences, and highlight your business’s role in the community.
Jumping on trends and using music that fits with your brand can be fun – enjoy the process and don’t overthink it.
Carefully considering tone of voice, setting, and presentation all help create a direct, authentic connection with your audience.
Where it certainly has a dark side, is phoney and irrelevant (you need to protect your privacy) have fun with it. SoMe is meant to be social–and yes, playful so only do it if it feels right to you.
4. Save Time with a Targeted Approach
When people see your brand regularly, it becomes more familiar, which naturally builds trust. But you need to stay mindful of how you’re perceived and not waste time trying to speak to everyone. Defining your brand values early on will help you stay consistent, so your audience knows what to expect from you. Where consistency in both your visuals and voice helps your audience recognise and connect with you, having a targeted approach can streamline your efforts. Once you have the foundations in place, you’re not just "playing" on social media—you have a plan that helps you stay ahead.
5. branding collaborations
People now trust recommendations from peers or influencers more than branded content, valuing authenticity over corporate spin. This shift means brands must move away from simply broadcasting messages and instead engage with their audience meaningfully, focusing on creating genuine relationships.
To thrive, we need to establish cultural relevance by aligning with the values and interests of our audiences. For example, companies like Nike and Patagonia have successfully embedded themselves in conversations about social justice and environmentalism, building deeper connections with consumers. Authentic engagement is key. Brands that interact with their audience, listen to feedback, and foster community – as Glossier does – create lasting loyalty. This new model demands brands not just sell products but also form emotional connections, creating experiences that resonate on a personal level. All brands use video as a key tool. In today’s social media-driven world, consumers shape the brand narrative, and brands must adapt by focusing on community engagement, cultural relevance, and emotional resonance to succeed. It’s worth asking your clients for video testimonials to build trust, too.
RESOURCES
Creative Boom
This article provides a guide for introverts on how to create video content for social media without feeling overwhelmed. It encourages embracing one's introverted nature and using it to develop authentic, thoughtful content. It highlights the importance of being authentic and gradually building confidence by engaging with followers and learning from feedback, ultimately showing how introverts can thrive in the world of video content creation.
Pretty Little Marketer
Sophie Miller from Pretty Little Marketer offers valuable, easy-to-understand marketing insights with a relatable style, making complex strategies accessible to everyone. She shares practical tips, real-life examples, and consistently creative content, helping businesses and marketers stay up-to-date with industry trends. Her content is v.educational; sign up to her newsletter today.
Flodesk
A nice platform we use for email marketing is Flodesk –– we especially love it as they not only have have stunning layouts, great automation options, and segmentation functions but you can use your own fonts which we especially love as a design studio. Use our affiliate link for 50% off the overall fee for a whole year!
Alexandra Lunn Studio
A free brand audit with me is a good opportunity to see your brand’s performance across all platforms. I'll give you expert insights into what's working and what can be improved. Plus, I’ll share key tips and tricks to help you elevate your online presence and align your content with your brand’s core values. My goal is to leave you with actionable steps to strengthen your brand and boost visibility—only three spaces remain for a brand audit— book a discovery call with Alexandra here.
