Your guide to social media lifestyle branding – How to build a strong lifestyle brand on social media – from content to channels and inspiration from the top lifestyle brands.
Most of my clients know that today direct sell marketing has lost it’s power. Customers are engaging more and more with brands they can build a relationship with. Unlike direct sell marketing, lifestyle branding makes a promise to improve the world of its consumers. But how do you build a lifestyle brand through social media?
Let’s start with content. Lifestyle branding showcases interests and ideas beyond your brand or product. Whether you’re in beauty, fashion, food, tech or not-for-profit, lifestyle branding content helps to build long-lasting relationships with your customers. The content inspires and connects with customers by tapping into their values and aspirations. Below are some examples of lifestyle content:
-
Personal
Showcase the personal brand of your owner or creator – think Richard Branson -
Thought leadership
Deliver an opinion, expert advice or start a social movement – think Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign -
Leisure
Highlight travel, food, wellness, beauty, or style – think Goop or Away
Let’s talk about channels. While lifestyle branding can be done on any social media platform, I’m going to highlight the best ones.
-
Instagram Stories
Over 1 billion people now use Instagram and Instagram Stories attracts 500 million users everyday. By using high impact visuals and interactive features like polls, you can connect with your customers in authentic and intimate ways and learn more about what they like and what interests them. -
YouTube
YouTube has close to 2 billion users and is the place for “how-to” content and mini web series. It’s also the home of some of the top digital vloggers. It’s the perfect platform to host your videos which you can then showcase on all of your other social platforms. -
Pinterest
Pinterest is the go-to place for food, venue, style, event, décor and leisure inspiration. The key to leading in Pinterest is using keywords other than your brand and products. Think about what your clients might search for and deliver content that helps them achieve their goals.
Think about strategy. You know what channels make sense for your brand and you have creative content ideas, but building a brand community takes more than pushing out great content on a top platform. You need to interact with your followers to create loyal fans. Posting is good, engagement is the goal. Listening is one of the best ways to build loyal followers – ask questions and reply to comments. Tag micro-influencers and contribute to trending topics. Share curated content from your top followers and connect with like-minded brands. Social media isn’t just a publishing platform, it’s a place to get social and connect with your communities.
Are you using lifestyle branding in your social media strategy? What platforms do use the most? Share your thoughts with me in the comments below.
Recent Comments