13 Amazing Examples of Brands on Social Media in 2021

It’s probably no surprise that social media is one of the top online activities worldwide. And the number of active users increases every year.

Source: Oberlo

Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have given businesses innovative ways to connect with consumers near and far. Harnessing social media to stand out from the competition, build relationships with prospects and customers, and create a more significant social impact will help your business grow in 2021 and beyond.

Not only is implementing effective social media strategies affordable. It can also help you hone in on a specific niche to target your ideal audience directly. Social media also has the power to help you increase brand awareness and build an engaged following. Communicate directly and authentically with consumers, and you’ll enhance your customer service, credibility, and brand loyalty.

Quick Takeaways

• Harnessing the power of social media can help your business stand out from the competition, build stronger relationships, and create a greater social impact.

• Communicating directly and authentically with consumers will help you build credibility, trust, and brand loyalty.

• To inspire and engage your target audience, make sure you have clear goals for every post and platform.

• Share quality content consistently and frequently.

• Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and share creative content on social media.

• Sharing user-generated content, publishing meaningful campaigns, and focusing on value over promotion will help you connect with followers on a deeper, more meaningful level.

The Best Brands on Social Media Today

Whether your business is B2B or B2C, you can learn a lot from these top brands on social media.

1. Slack

Large enterprises and small businesses alike can take advantage of Slack’s easy-to-use platform. It helps teams communicate effectively and collaborate online. On social media, Slack targets various demographics to appeal to different facets of its target audience. By being inclusive, the company effectively reaches and engages a more extensive consumer base. 

Slack shares productivity tips, news articles, how to create a better work-life balance, and other helpful content relevant to every team member – from the entry-level employee to the CEO. Slack also shares inspirational quotes and customer stories to keep users at the center of their brand story. 

2. Nike

With nearly 150 million Instagram followers and 35 million followers on Facebook, Nike is killing the social media game. Never shying away from supporting worthy social causes, Nike knows how to engage the crowd and inspire millions by highlighting different athletes and cultures all over the world.

Keeping the players, athletes, teams, and its audience front and center, Nike makes the consumer the hero of the stories they tell. Instagram, especially, is where Nike shines – sharing inspiring images and videos of people working hard to achieve their goals and dreams. Nike uses Facebook primarily for larger campaigns. On Twitter, they focus on communicating with their audience and addressing pressing concerns.

Whether Nike is using its platform to encourage people to social distance throughout the pandemic, support the BLM movement, or empower girls to chase their dreams despite their circumstances, they aren’t afraid to speak out and stand up for what they believe in. Their campaigns resonate with people from all walks of life, inspiring them to have courage and achieve greatness.

3. Starbucks

Starbucks fills its social media platforms with colorful photos of drinks and people worldwide experiencing the joy and happiness that comes from drinking them. Their tagline is “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.” With over 35 million followers on Facebook, almost 18 million on Instagram, and over 10 million on Twitter, they’re clearly succeeding.

Starbucks frequently interacts with its customers on social media, answering questions or addressing concerns to let people know they see them and care. The brand also understands how to use social media to influence users. 

Their popular seasonal drinks (like the famous Pumpkin Spice Latte), inclusive content (like the #WhatsYourName campaign), and their focus on diversity are just a few examples of what keeps Starbucks on top. They also know how to think outside of the box to grab users’ attention, as in their #ExtraShotOfPride campaign to celebrate Pride month in June 2019.

4. Shopify

Shopify targets every entrepreneur. The ecommerce and point-of-sale platform makes selling online easy for businesses of all sizes.

Using social media, Shopify shares insights and educational content via video on YouTube and Facebook. Their social media posts are bright, colorful, fun, and uplifting. They also publicly stand for social and environmental issues to incorporate meaning into their business and to connect with consumers on a deeper level.

Linking to landing pages from social media, Shopify effectively generates new leads and grows its customer base. Try using written and video content to educate and entertain your target audience in a similar manner so your business can do the same.

5. Square

Square makes it easy for all kinds of businesses to accept credit card payments on mobile devices. Instead of tooting their own horn, however, Square does an outstanding job of focusing on their clients first and showing their followers how much they care about them. Using social media, the company highlights customer businesses and real people sharing their experiences using Square’s products.

Their social posts are minimalistic, clean, clear, and user-focused. Like many other leading brands on social media, Square supports social movements and speaks out about them online. Recently, they’ve highlighted Asian American and African American users on Instagram. On Facebook, Square shares industry reports for specific industries, current trends, and educational articles for target consumers.

6. GoPro

With millions of followers on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, GoPro has made a name for itself as “the world’s most versatile camera.” The business tells compelling stories through social media to show consumers how they can also share their unique views through video and photography. 

GoPro highlights projects created by real customers to inspire others to join the movement. Their social media strategy effectively gets prospects thinking and considering how and why they may want to add a GoPro to their life to record their adventures and personal journeys.

For each social media platform, GoPro is strategic about the type of content they publish. Every post is catered to the audience on its respective platform, resulting in maximum engagement.

• On Facebook, the brand promotes the business, connects with customers personally, and strives to expand its reach.
• On Twitter, GoPro focuses primarily on communicating with followers and promoting or announcing new products. 
• Instagram is where they get to show off their high-quality photos and videos while sharing user-generated content.
• On YouTube, the brand shares tips, tricks, and tutorials to help newbies and GoPro enthusiasts use products to their full potential.

7. Shutterstock

Shutterstock’s tagline, “It’s not just stock, it’s Shutterstock,” sums up the company’s mission – to provide quality, authentic images customers can use for creative solutions in their businesses. Shutterstock uses its social media platforms to inspire consumers to create something new quickly and affordably. Through quality photography and video, they show viewers what they can achieve by using their subscription service.

Shutterstock recently introduced Newsroom by Shutterstock, giving users 24/7 access to breaking news from journalists, videographers, and photographers. This move shows off their innovative spirit and willingness to evolve with the times and give users what they want. Shutterstock’s YouTube channel is full of tutorials, trends, and an artist series that “humanizes” their brand by spotlighting Shutterstock contributors.

Source: YouTube

8. Wayfair

The popular home décor company uses social media to showcase and sell products to customers online. On Instagram, Wayfair shares tips, ideas, and inspiration using photography and infographics. They also host giveaways to boost engagement. Wayfair’s videos show consumers different ways to decorate and update various parts of the home – featuring their own products, of course.

Consumers can easily shop and buy online using Instagram’s convenient shopping features. If you spot something you love, you can easily view the price, click on the item to land directly on Wayfair’s website, and make your purchase. These convenient features have helped Wayfair boost clicks, leads, and sales. The company also highlights real user reviews in their posts to boost authority and brand loyalty.

9. Dove

You’ve likely seen some of Dove’s empowering ads online or on television over the years. On social media, Dove shows images and videos of women from all walks of life with various skin tones to prove that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. They aim to help every woman feel confident in her skin by breaking down harmful stereotypes and unrealistic expectations.

In 2020, for example, Dove promoted their “Courage is Beautiful” campaign to honor healthcare workers on the front lines during the pandemic. Another recent campaign, #NoDigitalDistortion, shows the danger filters and photo editing can have on young girls today. Through the campaign, Dove encourages everyone to take the pledge to only share natural, unedited photos – in hopes of boosting self-esteem and acceptance among women and girls today.

By standing up for kids and teenagers and marketing to mothers and caretakers, Dove effectively builds trust and brand loyalty across its large consumer base. Dove’s motto – “Let’s change beauty together and inspire the next generation.” – encourages adults to lead the charge.

10. National Geographic

With over 160 million followers on Instagram, National Geographic is the world’s leading brand account on Instagram (besides Instagram itself). The account shares striking photos of people, places, and animals all over the world through the eyes of different photographers. National Geographic is the king of visual storytelling, helping people experience the world and various cultures in an authentic, unfiltered light.

National Geographic places the power into the hands of its contributing photographers to create a one-of-a-kind channel. Contributors even write their own captions to share first-hand experiences and unique perspectives with users.

The organization uses its voice on social media to elevate people and raise awareness about social issues like global warming, health, poverty, and inequality. Their social platforms are highly educational and eye-opening for millions of viewers around the world. Distinctly, they effectively use Snapchat to reach and educate young people.

11. Salesforce

Salesforce also does a superb job of interacting with followers, sharing educational content, and throwing some humor in now and then. Their graphics are eye-catching, and their content is highly relevant to their target audience. They also love focusing on their employees to keep their brand down to earth. This makes them more relatable and less intimidating.

Other similar businesses may struggle to reach consumers due to their technical business offerings. Salesforce does an excellent job promoting accessible, inclusive content on social media. On Facebook and Twitter, Salesforce highlights its positive company culture by celebrating employee achievements and sharing how the organization is socially responsible.

12. Mailchimp

This software company also makes strides on social media with fun graphics, engaging video content, and helpful articles. Mailchimp is great at giving their audience variety and diversity. On Instagram, the company shares advice, inspiration, reports, gifs, artwork, videos, and more. They even have short films and podcasts to further engage and educate entrepreneurs and businesses. With close to 140,000 followers on Instagram, their innovative techniques are worth following.

13. IBM

IBM was founded over 100 years ago. The company loves sharing its rich history through brand storytelling on social media. Sharing snippets on Twitter, for example, IBM shares innovative discoveries and advancements throughout history to inspire and inform loyal followers. IBM also uses storytelling effectively to communicate how new technology positively impacts businesses, people, and communities around the world.

What the Top Brands on Social Media All Have in Common

Ready to create inspiring and engaging content for your audience? Here are some expert tips from the best brands on social media.

• Have clear goals in mind for every post you publish – on every platform.
• Consistently and frequently engage with your audience and followers.
• Try sharing more user-generated content, featuring consumers as the heroes in your stories and promotions.
• Don’t be afraid to get creative and innovative and to think outside the box.
• Create campaigns that are meaningful and authentic and, therefore, powerful, inspirational, and relatable.
• Use consistent tone, style, photography, designs, voice, and branding in your posts and across different platforms.
• Focus on providing value over promoting your products or services.

Whether you have a creative, unique brand or a highly technical offering, you can use social media to offer value and engage with your audience. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of content and social media strategies to see what your audience loves. If you’re consistent, you’ll give your followers reason to check your social channels daily and share your content with others often.

Become One of the Best Brands in Your Industry on Social Media with Quality Content

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