What makes a brand memorable on social media?
The answer is sticky content, which lives up to its name. It sticks. But what contributes to its “stickiness”? Our secret formula heavily relies on human psychology in marketing, so you can use it successfully to enhance brand recall through social media. It has five ingrained, stable components. You can find more, of course, but these are the most critical for making your brand’s name get etched in users’ minds on social platforms.
See how you can incorporate them into your social media marketing strategy.
5 Elements of Social Media Psychology for Higher Brand Recall
Element #1. Catchy slogan
A brand slogan is a phrase that encapsulates your brand’s identity, differentiates you from the competition, and leaves a lasting impression because it’s short and easy to remember.
When crafting it, you should prioritize relevance.
Here’s how.
“There’s a huge difference in creating a memorable slogan for a younger and older target audience on social media. It should reflect their specific needs and motivations, diverse for each target demographic,” remarks Stephan Baldwin, Founder of Assisted Living.
For example:
Age Is Just a Number is one of the famous catchy slogans targeting senior customers on social platforms.
If you target a younger generation, snag a nugget of inspiration from one of the historic slogans: “Red Bull gives you wings.”
Got your slogan?
Now, repeat it more often to let it embed in users’ brains along with your company name and build a memorable brand through psychology in social media. Just like Red Bull does, transforming it into a hashtag #givesyouwiiings.
Element #2. Shared values
82% of people want to see brands aligning with their ethical, social, environmental, or other values.
Let’s review the most prevailing.
- Financial stability value
Financial stability is an ingrained value in the sphere of finances. It is a vital principle for the target audiences of banking institutions, credit unions, insurance companies, etc. If you run a financial business, you should constantly communicate it through your social media marketing channels.
For example:
altLINE Sobanco supports this value and educates small businesses on LinkedIn on reducing financial risks amid inflation.
- Family value
Family connection is a not less frequent value spelled out by brands over social networks.
Being the basic unit of society, “family” is engraved deeply in consumers’ minds. People’s thoughts and feelings wire around family values. In fact, the average monthly search volume for family-related content hits 99,000 in the USA only.
Here’s an example of family bonding demonstrated by Max Life Insurance.
- Sustainability value
Last but foremost value for many: 44% of consumers prefer companies that commit to sustainable living.
“You can bring up eco-friendliness topics more often to resonate with a conscious customer base and improve your brand awareness on social media,” says Gerald Lombardo, Head of Growth at Popl.
Look at this example of Popl embracing “green” practices with digital business cards and sharing tips for businesses on how to be more sustainable via Instagram.
Element #3. Novelty
Research proves a novel experience has a powerful psychological effect on the human brain. All thanks to dopamine release, which encourages memory persistence. So, newness can help you make your brand more memorable through social media.
Jesse Hanson, Content Manager at Online Solitaire & World of Card Games, advises businesses to pump up social channels regularly with unique content ideas:
- New trendy topics
- Product announcements
- User-generated content (UGC)
- Reactive marketing campaigns (responses to the recent happenings or phenomena)
- Industry-related news
Hanson notes, “It’s significant not only to repost the latest market updates but to become their original source – their creator – and let your social media audience discover them firsthand. This positions your brand as an innovative industry leader and makes people follow you for more news.”
Learn from the example of Unreal Engine, a tech giant in the gaming industry. The brand regularly shares new game releases, gives sneak peeks into company events, and generates news in the realm of game development on Twitter.
Element #4. Positive emotions – the torch to humor
A positive emotional appeal with humor is yet another psychological component to increase your brand recall on social media. Actually, it proves so effective that 59% of marketers plan to double down on funny content in social media marketing.
Think about it: users won’t ever remember your flat, lifeless social media posts that evoke exasperated yawns. But more people will bear your brand name in mind if you write amusing and witty posts, like this humorous Facebook ad copy by Blinkist.
“The best thing about humor as a social media content strategy is that it’s universal. It works in marketing and advertising campaigns on any social platform,” notices Morgan Taylor, Co-Founder of Jolly SEO.
Yet, no matter how hilarious your content is, it may be left unnoticed, buried under the piles of other social media posts.
Unless –
Unless you follow this reminder from Morgan Taylor: “Just don’t forget to add adequate hashtags to boost your brand visibility and up your SEO game on social channels so your fun content gets found by more users.”
If you decide to try your hand at generating humorous content, use proper hashtags, such as #meme, #funny, #humor, etc.
For example, look at the following TikTok meme from Jolly SEO.
Element #5. Storytelling
According to cognitive psychologist Jerome Brunder, facts wrapped in stories are 22 times more memorable than facts alone. That is why storytelling gets social media content stamped in our minds.
Consider different story types that can become your content pillars for social media success:
- The origin story
- Stories of successes and failures
- Educational stories
- Customer stories
- Seasonal stories (tied to holidays, weather conditions, or seasonal events)
- Behind-the-scenes stories, etc.
However, for Brooke Webber, Head of Marketing at Ninja Patches, “It’s not what you tell in your story; it’s how you narrate it. The best way? Design a character specifically for brand storytelling on social media. It can reflect your brand’s personality through compelling narratives your audience is more likely to recall later, associating them with your name.”
For example:
Take a glimpse of Ninja’s story in pictures illustrating a week in Ninja’s life, told by the company’s character on TikTok.
Or take the Duolingo social media strategy. Its official mascot, Duo, and in-app characters tell irresistible stories, and Duolingo’s social media brand awareness is skyrocketing.
FAQs on Social Media Tricks for Brand Memorability
How to make social media content memorable?
Follow these strategies backed up by social media psychology:
- Create a captivating brand slogan and repeat it in your posts
- Bring in fresh social media content
- Share common values
- Ignite a positive emotional response with humorous content
- Tell a persuasive and engaging story
Which social media is best for brand awareness?
All social media platforms are superb tools for driving brand recall. However, each has its peculiarities in terms of higher-performing content.
- For sharing values → Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
- For humor → TikTok, Instagram
- For industry news → Twitter, LinkedIn, Threads
- For text-based storytelling → Facebook, Twitter
- For visual storytelling → Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn
- For video storytelling → TikTok, YouTube
What are the best tools to create unforgettable social media posts?
Generate social media content that sticks with these tools:
- ContentFlash
- Canva
- Hootsuite
- MeetEdgar
- BuzzSumo
One Last Note
So, you have the right social media marketing formula to cement your business name in people’s minds and strengthen brand recognition and recall.
Bid farewell to boring, run-of-the-mill posts and welcome renewed social media content with neuroflash’s AI writer! Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting, this AI-powered tool is your secret weapon for outstanding and captivating social media posts.
Author: Maya Kirianova.
Maya Kirianova is a people-first content creator. With a passion for crafting insightful articles on technology, marketing, and UX/UI design, Maya adds a unique touch of personality and humor to her work. Beyond her creative endeavors, Maya is a devoted cat lover, enthusiastic traveler, and lifelong learner of foreign languages.
