Authenticity (not ads) is the key to creating effective social media content  

This might be hard for some brand managers to hear, but consumers don’t care about your brand or product. They don’t care about your ice cream, your hospital’s award-winning staff, or your pale ale’s “exceptional balance of seasonal flavors.” At least, not the way you might be presenting those topics.  

Consumers just want to be entertained.

As marketers, specifically social media marketers, we’ve known that for a while now. We’ve been told, “storytell; don’t oversell,” or “create stories, not ads.” And we may have even done that for a period. But eventually, because it’s in our DNA to think our brands (or our clients) are the center of the universe, we went back to making ads. Boring, repetitive, skippable ads.

It’s also in our DNA to think that follower counts are the pinnacle of social media success. They’re not. Follower counts have been replaced by engagement rates. With the decline in purely organic social media (i.e., posts with no boosted support), you must be willing to boost your content to reach not only your community but also consumers who might not be following you. 

Make no mistake, getting closer to telling stories and farther away from creating ads isn’t easy. It requires a shift in thinking for strategists and content creators, and it requires a lot of trust from clients and marketing managers. If you’re an agency, you may need to educate clients about the value of putting stories first. 

And yes, there’s value. 

Putting entertainment and engagement first helps build stronger relationships with consumers. Making content that looks like it was created by a human being and not a marketing machine connects brands with consumers on an emotional level, not a transactional one. 

Want to connect with Gen Z? You’ll need to create content that feels authentic and organic. Content that’s lighthearted, inspirational, and helpful. (By the way, according to GWI data, those are the top three things Gen Z wants to see in their social media feeds.) The result? Stronger connections with your audience and more trust.  

Here are three ways to make those connections happen:  

TRENDJACKING — If you’re not looking for popular topics, sounds, hashtags, events, or memes to find ways to insert your brand in those conversations, you’re missing a big opportunity. Just remember the two rules of trendjacking: jump on the trend as soon as you can (late = lame), and make sure the trend is a good fit for your brand. 

FOLLOW THE CONVERSATIONS — The easiest way to understand what consumers want? Simple. Listen to your consumers. Read your comments, invest in a social listening service, and create content based on what you’re hearing. Stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a human being. (If this sounds harsh, that’s because it’s supposed to.) 

SKIP THE POLISH — Scripted content that looks like it’s been shot by a Hollywood-caliber team and passed through an approval process six layers deep? That’s an ad. Consumers want content that feels real and looks a little rough around the edges. Content that you used to find on Instagram and now you find on TikTok. Content that wise marketers are using on Facebook reels¾and that Facebook is now delivering to a wider audience of non-followers.  

There’s no doubt that with the rise of influencer marketing, sponsored content, and paid advertising it’s become harder to capture an audience’s attention. Authenticity is the path forward. It’s the best way to create content that connects with consumers and content that our target audience is genuinely excited to see.

BY Lisa Corry-Godby, Senior Director of Integrated Communications, Pavone Group

  Lisa Corry-Godby, Pavone Group, Thought Leadership