You’re a social media manager. You love riding the wave of new trends. You see the newest trend on TikTok and you immediately think about how you can apply it for your brand to engage your audience. But then, you remember those brand guidelines you need to follow. What now?
Balancing brand guidelines and creativity on social media often feels like a tug-of-war. Let’s look at a few ways to ensure they co-exist.
Find Your Brand Voice
Brand guidelines are there to help you, not restrict you. Start by understanding the brand persona—what it stands for and believes in. If your brand was a person, what kind of personality does it have? Don’t just write from the brand; write from the heart, mind, and voice of the brand. Remember, you create content for your brand, not just to jump on trends out of FOMO.
Maintain Consistency
While many brands offer some leeway for social media content due to its dynamic nature, your job as a social media manager and brand guardian is to define a coherent content strategy and guidelines that align with the brand. Besides maintaining a consistent brand voice, use the brand colours and elements thoughtfully to ensure your audience recognises your brand whenever they see a content from you, even if you’re joining a popular trend—see @gomobysingtel.
Incorporate Local or Heritage Elements
Whether you’re a homegrown brand or an international brand, having a local touch never hurts. However, make sure it’s not overpowering and doesn’t take over your entire brand identity or values. Your goal is to make your audience feel connected with your brand, without stripping away its unique personality. Just like how the Ronald Mcdonald mascot greets customers in Thailand with the local WAI gesture—isn’t it an endearing way to show how the brand cares and relates with the local audience?
Going Off-Brand Once in a While
Social media is ever evolving. Play with formats and new trends. But know your audience, know what makes them tick, and what they truly resonate with. This is important because we don’t want to go off-brand just for the sake of it. Instead, go off the grid and play out of the sandbox you’re provided with, only when it’s going to make your brand memorable and stand out more—not just another voice lost in the wave of trends.
Leverage Content Creators and Influencers
You’ve got that killer idea that just can’t sit on your brand page? Engage someone else to do the job. But while you’re at it, remember, consistent elements that represent your brand should be incorporated into the content to aid with brand recall. After all, the idea you’re paying for should work for your brand, and not just for the influencers you’re working with.
Ideas are cheap, execution is everything. You don’t have to sacrifice creativity for the sake of brand guidelines. Make your social media content uniquely your brand. If you need help making your campaigns and content a little extraODDinary, drop us a note and let’s catch up over coffee!