Social Media Best Practices That Actually Build Your Brand

Most brands post constantly on social media and see nothing happen.

They announce new hires. They share office photos. They celebrate company milestones. And their audience scrolls right past.

The problem isn't the platforms. It's the approach.

The Fundamental Mistake

Brands treat social media like a company bulletin board. They post what's happening inside their walls instead of what matters outside them.

People don't go to social media to shop. They go to be entertained, educated, or distracted. When you show up with something genuinely interesting, they pay attention. When you show up with another "Welcome to the team" post, they don't.

Visibility requires value. Consistency without value is just noise.

Start With Questions, Not Announcements

Your customers ask you questions every week. Those questions are your content strategy.

Start typing a question into Google. The autofill shows you what people are already searching for. Tools like Answer the Public and SEMrush reveal thousands more. Your own customer conversations hold dozens.

Pick the questions that matter to your audience. Answer them thoroughly. That's how you build authority.

The COPE Framework: Create Once, Post Everywhere

Creating nine pieces of entertaining content sounds exhausting. It's not when you understand repurposing.

COPE stands for Create Once, Post Everywhere. You start with one long-form piece of content. A blog post. A video. An interview. Something with depth.

Then you break it into smaller pieces for different platforms. One 1,500-word blog post becomes five LinkedIn posts, ten tweets, three Instagram captions, and a handful of story slides.

The long-form content does the heavy lifting. It establishes your expertise. It ranks in search. It gives people something substantial to engage with.

The short-form content amplifies it. It meets people where they are and pulls them back to the source.

The 9-1-1 Rule

For every nine pieces of content that educate, entertain, or inspire, post one piece about who you are and what you do. Then post one soft sell.

This ratio keeps you from becoming background noise. Your audience learns to associate your brand with value, not pitches.

When you do sell, they're already listening.

Video Amplifies Everything

Video isn't optional anymore. It's how people prefer to learn about products and services.

You don't need a production crew. You need answers to real questions, delivered clearly. Film yourself explaining something your customers struggle with. Put it on your website. Share clips on social.

When someone reaches out after watching your content, the conversation starts differently. They already know you. They already trust you. You're not starting from zero.

The Minimum Viable Approach

You don't have time for this. I get it.

Here's the simplest version:

1. List five questions your customers ask regularly.

2. Pick one. Answer it in 1,000 words or a 5-minute video.

3. Use AI to turn that answer into five social posts.

4. Post one per week.

That's one piece of long-form content per month. Five social posts. Sustainable. Valuable. Strategic.

Do that for six months and you'll see the difference.

What Actually Works

The brands winning on social media aren't posting more. They're posting smarter.

They answer real questions. They teach instead of sell. They show up consistently with content that matters to their audience, not just their company.

Visibility isn't about being everywhere. It's about being valuable where you are.

Start with one question. Answer it well. Repurpose it everywhere. Repeat.

That's the practice that builds brands.