We love our comfort zones. Very few people truly enjoy stepping out into the “unknown” and taking risks. If you’re the type of person that is afraid to go against the grain and do something different, then it’s possible that will translate into your brand’s marketing as well. If your marketing efforts are just making you blend in, then what’s the point? You should desire to be different because being different gets attention. Here are three ways you can take your brand outside of its “comfort zone” to stand out on social media immediately.

Key #1: Allow your audience to guide your brand 

As a brand, it’s important to come onto the “social media scene” with clarity. You need to have guidelines, rules, and consistent brand messages that you want to communicate. Maybe your product is a “healthy, on-the-go snack”, or its “great for fitness enthusiasts”. Whatever the case, you need to know what messages you want to communicate, and who you want to target those messages to. But often what can happen, is that over time your audience can start to move your brand in a direction you never thought about going. Most of the time, this is positive. My advice if this starts to happen: go with it. Nothing will bring your brand out of the box faster than by giving your audience the freedom to shape your brand in the way THEY see it to be. Allow for breathing room. Listen. Be flexible.  

Key #2: Create community around something bigger than the product you sell

Most brands are very comfortable talking about the products they sell. I would even say they’re too comfortable. How many brands do you actually see following the 80/20 rule? 20% of your posts on social media every month should be specifically about your brand and the products you’re selling. The rest should be about anything else. MOST brands are talking 100% about their products, their promotions, and their new initiatives. One quick way to break away from what everyone else is doing, is to experiment with talking less about yourself and more strategically on topics that build community around something larger than the product you sell.

Key #3: Care about your consumer more than you care about them buying from you

This is KEY to building a thriving community of raving fans, and guess what – very few people (if any) are actually doing it! If you can truly accomplish this, you will stand out. As I recently shared, people are smart, and they know that brands are on social media to get more business. Going against the grain in this case would be to authentically communicate that you care about your consumer, and not just because you want what’s in their wallet.

Doing something different with your brand on social media can be risky, but none of these tips are irreversible. If you find after experimenting with any of these strategies that your previous methods were working better, then you can easily transition back. The point is to be willing to be different to avoid brand stagnation. You just might do something that makes your brand explode to a new level, one you never thought you could get to on your own.