What I’d Do Differently If I Launched a Brand on Social Today

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👋 Hi everyone, Samer here!

Today we discuss a few strategies to keep in mind if you’re starting a brand from scratch on social.

Let’s dive in!

Find a Lucrative Niche

Picking the right niche will help your brand success down the line.

For some, this happens almost instantly, for others, we need to dig a bit deeper and find the sweet spot.

I always recommend finding a hyper-niche because it helps you narrow down your content strategy—and narrowing down helps you stand out.

What do I mean by niching down? Here are a few examples:

After niching down 2−4 levels you can find a topic you can potentially be the best in the world at.

Here’s an example of someone who niched down and is not a brand. Viral Video Club position themselves as helping entrepreneurs and creators make viral content on social.

viralvideo.club

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Focus on a Single Platform

The version of me who used to work in agencies would be horrified at this, but it’s clearer now in 2024 that focusing on a single platform has its merits.

Building on one platform before expanding prevents the dilution of efforts and resources.

Choose a platform that aligns with your niche—Instagram for visuals, TikTok for trends, LinkedIn for B2B.

Dedicate your efforts to mastering the chosen platform’s algorithms, audience behavior, and features before spreading out.

I love what Cheez-It is doing on TikTok. The content is a mix of unhinged, branded, and UGC.

@cheezit

can’t shower without my snacks

Invest in Community Management

Long are the days when community management meant customer service.

Most of my clients want to ‘build a community’ around their brand, but achieving that requires blood, sweat, and tears.

I’ve written about rapid social response before and brands who are excelling in the range from mega brands with millions to small businesses. There are so many examples of successful (and fun!) community engagements, we often have one or two break out every single week.

My favorite—and a cliche in the social media world—is still Duolingo. Just read the comments on any of their videos and you’ll know.

@duolingo

you asked, we answered 🗣️ math + music are now available on android #duocon #duolingo #math #music

Start with Low-Budget Content

The anti-aesthetic movement is here to stay.

We know audiences like a more raw, and authentic look over overproduced content.

This is great news if you’re on a budget (who isn’t?)

The brat summer epitomizes how something that’s traditionally “ugly” and lo-fi can go viral and become a cultural trend.

Big brands are also embracing this. Look at what Nutter Butter is doing on TikTok 🤣 

@officialnutterbutter

it is unknown

Use Creators/Influencers Early On

Content creators build hype and reach audiences faster and more authentically.

Working with small content creators helps achieve this scale.

This is not exclusive to big brands with the $$$ anymore.

Look at Silky Gem, a candy brand started from an immigrant’s kitchen that now rakes in hundreds of thousands of dollars and has expanded operations beyond the founder’s kitchen (trigger warning: chewing ASMR)

@silkygem

✨Wicked Wonder Collection✨ Preorder yours now! #Silkygem #crystalcandy #candy #snack #mutraucau #kohakutou #asmr #asmreating #snack #edib... See more