Five brands nailing it on social media

Social media is a great way to reach consumers and build a brand - but it's an art that some have mastered better than others. Here, we're taking a look at five social media pages that go above and beyond - and what they're doing to stand out.

1. Greggs - Twitter

What they’re doing right:

Greggs is great at brand building. They’ve got a humorous tone of voice for their Twitter feed that reels in retweets and replies. They also demonstrate a clear grasp of meme culture - essentially a form of communication for millennials and Gen Z that, when properly understood and used, works wonders for brand loyalty. Memes allow young people who frequent social media to relate to the page and therefore the brand. It’s also revealing to look at what Greggs interact with. On top of environmental trends such as #GBSpringClean and promoting Fairtrade coffee, Greggs also use their page to publicise their vegan sausage roll regularly, without coming across as holier-than-thou. By posting about these topics they show their willingness to be conscientious as a brand, which is a major driving factor in consumers when making purchase decisions. Regular content targeted at calendar events such as Valentine’s day and Christmas only serve to further keep them relevant throughout the year. Check the page out here.

2. Lego - Instagram

What they’re doing right:

At Lego, sharing is caring. Their Instagram page posts Lego-based content from other Lego creators. This is a clever technique, as it makes use of the followers of these independent creators too by pulling in their likes, comments and shares. Their page is an eclectic mix of Lego characters in beautiful settings, highly skilled Lego builds (check out their full scale McLaren Senna) and, of course, their latest products. There isn’t a sales element to the page. The products are presented in a way that is exciting and fresh with a link in their bio, but it’s about raising awareness more than anything else. They drive traffic using targeted, relevant content aimed at highly covered calendar events throughout the year such as St Patrick’s Day and April fools - which means when people search these hashtags, they’re encountering Lego’s posts. And let’s face it - there’s something downright nostalgic about spending time on their Instagram page. Check the page out here. 3. MailChimp - Facebook

What they’re doing right:

MailChimp are gifted storytellers. Facebook these days is a place to tell stories and share photos - it’s used less and less for much else. It’s fitting then that MailChimp use it for exactly that - storytelling. By sharing insightful videos that focus on client journeys and how MailChimp helped them get there, they manage to market themselves in a way that makes them seem more interested in their clients than themselves.

They also establish a position of thought leadership, regularly sharing content such as blogs on tips and tricks among other links. By offering insight, they offer their page visitors a reason to stay, while pushing their perception towards the role of thought leader. Check the page out here.

4. Deloitte - LinkedIn

What they’re doing right: Deloitte’s LinkedIn is a fantastic example of industry leadership in action. A stream of tightly scheduled thought pieces, interviews and reports that firmly establish them as a knowledgeable market leader. They make great use of hashtags, internal and external linking and data sets to make their page a dream for SEO and Google ranking. It’s probably why they made LinkedIn’s own top 10 pages in 2018.

LinkedIn posts need to be formal, authoritative and to the point. They’re the professional face of your business’s online personality. Deloitte have nailed this tone and continue to educate and inform their page visitors with relevant and insightful content. Check the page out here.

5. KFC - Twitter

What they’re doing right:

KFC are marketing wizards. From their famous ‘FCK’ apology in 2018 to a livestream of a Colonel Sanders cat climber, they’re exceptionally savvy with their wit and how they interact with their audience. Their Twitter page jumps on trends that go beyond the realm of social media - in the above example, they teamed up with prominent gaming streamers to promote their brand alongside the fastest growing sport in the world - ESports. They regularly interact with celebrities and channels such as Chrissy Teigen and Tiny Kitchen to bring unique brand experiences to their audience. Arguably the best aspect of their Twitter presence is how far they take their brand within it. KFC famously use 11 herbs and spices on their chicken. So, they only follow 11 people on Twitter - the five former spice girls and six guys named Herb. It’s small, but the media picked up on it and Twitter loved it. They also mix product promotion with the ridiculous, such as the Kentucky Fried Hot tub. It’s almost hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t. They create loads of original content focused on building the brand as a chatty and cheeky friend - with a view to capturing that all important brand loyalty through subtle channels such as replies and retweets (RTs). Check their page out here. Good brands seize a position These pages are all quite different. Tonally, you have Greggs (cheeky), Lego (wholesome), MailChimp (forthcoming) Deloitte (knowing/assertive) and KFC (enthusiastic/bit bonkers). Content wise, there's also a range, covering thought leadership, storytelling, aspirational imagery, memes, live events and collaborations. But there is a common denominator here - just like in the offline world, each of these brands has identified a distinctive positioning territory they can own. By playing with the combination of tone and content, they've managed to create stand-out pages that are distinctively theirs. That's how you brand on social media.