🚫 Top 5 brand killers to avoid in social media

(with examples and solutions)

Social media can be a game-changer for your brand, but it also comes with its fair share of hazards. Even the best brands can stumble and fall into traps that hurt their reputation, confuse their audience and diminish their engagement. In this article, we'll break down the top 5 brand killers on social media and give you some straightforward tips to steer clear of them, keeping your brand strong and trusted.

1. Inconsistent tone of voice:

When your brand speaks with different tones across platforms, it confuses your audience and dilutes your identity.

Ask yourself...: Does your brand's social media use casual, playful language, while your website is formal and stiff? Can you tell if your social media posts have been written by different people? If you asked your team, would they know by heart what the tone of voice of your brand is?

Solution: Develop a comprehensive brand voice guide and implement regular training for your team to ensure a consistent tone across all touchpoints.

2. Poor visual identity:

Inconsistent or low-quality visuals can make your brand appear fragmented and unprofessional. The same happens when there is no consistency on where the logo or other brand elements are placed, among others.

Ask yourself...: Is the same version of your logo used across all (or most) platforms? Do any of the pictures you use look pixelated or blurred? Are your brand elements placed consistently in predetermined areas of your content?

Solution: Conduct a brand design workshop to refresh your visual identity and create a detailed brand style guide. Regularly check the visual consistency of your brand across all platforms.

3. Neglecting your brand story:

Failing to communicate your brand’s unique story can lead to missed opportunities for emotional connection and competitive differentiation.

Ask yourself…: Is your brand story included in your communications strategy? Does your audience know what you do, why you do it and how?

Solution: Develop a narrative arc for your brand story and create a content calendar that includes storytelling elements. Use visual storytelling techniques like infographics and animated videos to bring your brand story to life.

4. Excessive rebranding:

Constantly changing your brand's visual elements can confuse customers and undermine brand recognition.

Ask yourself...: Are you using different logo versions, different colors or random typography in your posts? Do you vary a lot your visual style (using for example icons, photography, illustration…)? How difficult would be for someone looking at your last 5 posts to recognize them as part of your brand?

Solution: Establish a clear brand evolution plan with milestones and timelines. You can extend the life of your current brand with new brand templates and with simple tweaks, like rethinking how you combine your brand colors or rearranging your brand’s visual elements.

5. Inconsistent social media activity

Irregular posting schedules and varying content quality can make your brand appear unreliable and disconnected. This inconsistency can confuse followers and hinder engagement.

Ask yourself…: Does your company post frequently for a few weeks, then goes silent for months? Are you only posting reactively, instead of having content planned beforehand? Do your channels only feature industry news or updates?

Solution: Develop a comprehensive content calendar to plan and schedule posts consistently across all platforms. Use tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to streamline your scheduling and ensure regular, on-brand content. Additionally, establish a content approval workflow to maintain quality and brand alignment in all posts.

Reach out for an informal chat!

Is your brand facing any of these issues? A brand audit can help identify and address these challenges. Reach out to explore how we can enhance your brand’s presence and consistency. 💡