Out there in the far reaches of social branding lie the brands that most of us would assume nobody wants to hear about. You know: Those boring, lifeless brands that sell building supplies, office stationary, and industrial automation technologies.
Such businesses shouldn’t feel separated from the world of social. It’s not what you sell, but rather the content you provide that makes social branding successful.
If you’re one of those brands that believes it has nothing interesting to say on social media, then this post is for you. It’s time to change your outlook, shake off that doubt, and step into the bright lights that are social.
There’s No Such Thing As A Boring Industry
A wise man once said “You’re only boring to those who aren’t in your target market.” That quote pretty well sums up the lob-sided thinking that surrounds attempting to market otherwise boring products on social networks.
So, while your products are likely as dull as you might believe; your brand doesn’t have to represent itself that way to your customers.
Top 3 Boring Brands Doing it Right on Social
Without further adieu, here are top “boring” brands that kick ass on social:
3. Lowes
What the heck could a brand like Lowes possibly offer its social consumers to capture their interest and build their brand? The marketing team at Lowes aren’t sitting around agonizing over things and looking at their “boring” chain of stores as a hurdle to overcome.
Since their brand is focused on providing the materials for do-it-yourself projects, and the trick to social branding is to stay away from constant, shameless promotions of your products; Lowes decided to take another approach. Helping their customers to use the products they sell. You can find these videos on Twitter (was also found on Vine, by the way) using #lowesfixinsix in the search.
#LowesFixinSix: Use coffee filters to stop soil from draining out of your freshly potted flower pots. #Vine pic.twitter.com/XrifolIc1W
— Lowe's (@Lowes) April 20, 2017
While it might seem impossible to teach someone something in six seconds, the super short videos posted by this brand prove otherwise. The loop numbers on these videos are in the hundreds of thousands and even millions. Laying mulch in your garden, and learning how to secure extension cords when using them around the house has never been so exciting!
2. Siemens
Siemens is a multi-conglomerate B2B technology firm that specializes in automation technology, medical diagnostics equipment, infrastructure development, energy systems, and a number of other industries related to modern technology. While technology can be exciting, the industries Siemens services are highly specialized and technical; not something the average consumer would have interest in.
Siemens’ social presence is all about showing the world what a positive impact their brand is having on our health, wellness and safety around the world. The company’s Twitter presence has been regular, sometimes several times daily, since 2011. And their tweets are anything but boring!
3,500 m2 full of #digitalization and #ingenuity! Secure your ticket & visit us at our @hannover_messe booth https://t.co/aZIU9npzBx #HM17 pic.twitter.com/zzwaI7QZTY
— Siemens (@Siemens) April 21, 2017
Rather than posting dull videos or blogposts about how mammography scanners are made or how a skyscraper’s ventilation system operates, Siemens takes us inside the world of good they’re doing in places like Egypt, where they’re currently setting up technology to provide clean, green energy to over 15-million residence of the country.
They don’t just stop at what the company does either. Siemens delivers current news and views on all matters related to their industry, such as oil and gas crises and healthcare system development in countries around the world.
1. Post-it
The Post-it brand may just have one of the largest social media followings of any “boring” industry company on the planet (data as of April 21, 2017):
- 4.5m Facebook followers
- 31.4k Twitter followers
- 14.8k Pinterest followers
- 37.9k Instagram followers
While those numbers aren’t likely to give Taylor Swift or Selena Gomez a run for their money anytime soon, they’re certainly impressive for a division of 3M Technologies whose sole job is making colored pieces of paper with non-permanent adhesive on the back!
Post-it’s social media “posting” strategy is quite simple, yet also quite unique. Especially with their Pinterest and Instagram following. They know that their consumers are used to seeing Post-its all over their office and home with notes written all over them. So Post-it posts clever pics and graphics with popular movie, novel and inspirational quotes on, you guessed it, Post-it notes!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTHv4wkgXgZ/?taken-by=postit
They also use their Facebook and Twitter accounts to link to interesting blogposts, including their own, that include insightful business profiles, infographics – all while leveraging mostly user generated content from their website and other social profiles. In fact, user generated content is what’s made Post-it such a heavywieght among dull brands on social.
These Companies Have Taken Boring to a Whole Different Level!
I hope you now realize how a little creativity and out-of-the-box thinking can help elevate even the most boring of brands. The world needs boring products and services. However, in order to cater to modern social audiences, your brand has to be anything but in order to gain a following.