From time to time, we work with clients who have recently experienced a rodeo of brand development, or rebranding, and have been charged a five-digit amount by the proclaimed best agency in town, just for brand guidelines that fail the first real-world test online.
Of course, no one expects brand guidelines to predict next year’s TikTok trends. But in 2025, when over 5.4 billion people are using social media , you need a brand identity that’s ready for the real world — digital-first, platform-adaptable, and human-centered.
Below are a few foundational pillars worth engraving on your social media team’s wall, followed by 2025 brand communication essentials for those ready to move beyond the basics, and a quick self-check to see if it’s time to raise the bar.
What Really Matters on Social Before diving into content calendars and hashtag strategies, every brand needs a solid base — a framework that ensures your communication works consistently across all digital touchpoints: landing pages, emails, social posts, display ads, and beyond.
There are four key ingredients required to cook your content well — each playing a crucial role in shaping how your brand resonates online.
Tone of Looks Over Tone of Voice Tone of voice tends to be overrated — 95% of brands end up sounding almost identical anyway. What really makes the difference is the tone of looks: the way your visuals carry a consistent feeling across reels, carousels, and image posts. Even if the copy changes or the palette shifts, the content should still feel unmistakably like your brand. This is where human judgment still outperforms AI — algorithms can mimic style, but they struggle to capture and replicate the nuanced visual consistency that creates real recognition and trust.
Strong Narrative Behind Formats Every social media touchpoint should connect to a bigger narrative. That’s what unifies your content and ensures all your efforts work toward the same long-term goals. Don’t obsess over variety for its own sake — build around clear content pillars your audience recognizes, connects with, and returns to. When the story is strong, the format becomes flexible.
According to a Deloitte Digital, “social-first” brands—with throughly thought of narrative-driven content strategies—achieve 10.2% average year-over-year revenue growth .
Multi-Platform Presence Your audience isn’t standing still. They’re jumping between TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn — sometimes within the same hour. If you want to stay relevant, you have to meet them where they are. That means showing up across multiple platforms in ways that feel native, intentional, and consistent — not just cross-posting the same thing everywhere.
Feedback Loops and Strategy Anchors Even the most intuitive social media managers can’t rely on gut instinct alone. Strategy needs structure. Brands that build in feedback loops — regularly reviewing performance, testing new ideas, and adapting based on what’s working — are better equipped to meet audience needs in real time.
2025 Brand Communication Strategy One might think the “human-centered” part of how brands should show up on social media is a nice-to-have — but that would be a costly mistake. Behind every corporate decision is a human being: sometimes with a sharp sense of humor, sometimes with a sentimental streak, but never a feelingless machine. And in 2025, this principle is becoming even more relevant in B2B as well as B2C.
Whether you’re selling software or sneakers, people prefer relationships that are stable, trustworthy, and long-term. That’s why today’s most effective social media strategies are shifting away from traditional ads as one-off interruptions and toward fluent devices — recurring brand elements that audiences can recognize instantly, across platforms and over time. These devices work because they create familiarity, strengthen emotional connection, and make every new piece of content feel part of a bigger story.
Among the many ways to build fluent devices, two stand out for their impact:
Recurring Faces One of the most effective ways to build consistency in your audience connection is through recurring faces — the people and characters your audience comes to know and expect. When those expectations are met time and again, attachment grows stronger. Think of Duolingo’s green owl, Ryan Reynolds ’ Aviation Gin persona, or Anastasia Soare’s regular appearances in Anastasia Beverly Hills content.
Recurring faces can take several forms:
Influencers – creators who appear repeatedly in brand content or campaigns.Founder personalities – leaders who share insights, behind-the-scenes stories, and personal perspectives.Brand characters – mascots or fictional personas that become synonymous with the brand.Founder personalities, in particular, have become increasingly central to B2B brand storytelling. Audiences enjoy following successful individuals they trust and getting a peek behind the scenes at leadership thinking — and in B2B especially, LinkedIn is full of influential founder and expert accounts shaping brand perception far beyond product pages.
Long-term Content Formats as Recurring Topics “Long-term” might be social media’s favorite buzzword — and it’s easy to see why. While most people consume content passively from their recommended feeds rather than by actively following, some formats break through and become anticipated events. Post the first, second, and third editions of a series, and over time you build an audience that knows to expect a monthly podcast, a Friday industry roundup, or a weekly tip series.
Of course, it’s important to evaluate the performance of long-term pieces as they roll out — even if we give them a bit of incentive and breathing room to gain traction. It's still all about quality over quantity.
Successful examples? In B2B, HubSpot’s “Marketing Against the Grain” podcast has built a loyal audience by delivering actionable relevant insights. In B2C, with LEGO Ideas fans submit and vote on new set concepts, with winners turned into products, keeping the community engaged year after year.
Social Media Brand Checkup Answer honestly — and if possible, pass this around to different stakeholders: your marketing team, management, or even a potential customer. A well-rounded perspective can reveal blind spots you might miss.
Give yourself 100 points in total — 10 per question . Deduct points where things don’t fully apply. Anything under 80? It’s probably time to level up
When you scroll your last 9 posts, do they clearly look like they’re part of the same brand? Does your voice feel familiar and consistent, even when switching from Instagram to LinkedIn or other platforms? Are you using a defined set of visual styles and post formats? Do your captions support ongoing conversations or themes — or are they mostly standalone announcements? Are you using recurring faces (influencers, founder personalities, or brand characters) your audience recognizes and connects with? Do you have long-term content formats your audience fancies the most? Are you active on at least two relevant platforms, with tailored, strategically chosen content? Do you measure post performance beyond likes — using insights to inform future decisions? Do you routinely review analytics to refine content strategy (e.g., frequency, formats, timing)? Could a new visitor understand what your brand stands for — just by spending 30 seconds on your feed? So, What Now? If it feels like a lot, that’s completely normal. Most brands don’t fail because they lack content — they fail because they lack a clear structure behind it.
The self-assessment above isn’t a one-off checklist — it’s something worth revisiting every few months, especially as your goals, team, or audience evolve. Use it to realign, recalibrate, and refocus. Your brand doesn’t have to be everywhere, but wherever it shows up, it should show up on purpose .
Need help with getting started? Drop us a line or check out how we’ve helped brands like Corwin and Nove Nivy build a social presence that actually reflects who they are.
