4 Ways to Showcase Your Brand Values on Social Media

Love it or hate it, social media plays a leading role in most brands’ digital marketing. 

It’s where we consumers hang out, laugh, talk about current events, or rally around important causes. So, if you’re not using it, you could miss out on a lot of brand awareness. 

If you are using it, are you showing up with your brand values?

HubSpot ran a State of Consumer Trends report and found “Content that reflects your brand values is the third most interesting and memorable content to consumers”. This comes right after “relatable content” and “funny content.” 

In this blog, you’ll learn why brand values are so important to showcase on social media and, how to do start leveraging yours.

Table of Contents

• Why Are Brand Values Important on Social Media?
• How to Choose the Right Social Media Platform
• 4 Ways to Capture Your Brand Values on Social Media
• Free Resource: Create Your Digital Marketing Plan

Why Are Brand Values Important on Social Media?

Brand values are powerful on social media because they help build community and connect with your audience via interactive platforms they’re already spending time on. It’s important to talk about your brand values in any marketing avenue (email, website, social media, or beyond).  But social is particularly good for reaching new people while communicating with your existing audience via regular touch-points. 

On top of that, social media is where people go for connection and entertainment (more so than straight selling or information on a company’s products). By leading with your values on social media, you increase your chances of building an engaged, loyal following that shares those values.

The impact can go beyond business growth and sales, too. With the right content and audience, your brand can help raise awareness about important causes and even spark action. 

First, Choose the Right Type of Content and Social Media Platform for You

Before you figure out how exactly to showcase your brand values, you need to decide where to do it. These days, there are many options available.

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• TikTok
• Reddit
• Snapchat
• Pinterest

Unless you have a full-time social media team, chances are you can’t be everywhere—nor should you.  

Here are four questions to consider when choosing your social media platform(s):

• Determine where the majority of your target customers are hanging out
• Get a lay of the land: What type of content does well there?
• What type of content are you well-equipped to create? (e.g. Do you have the resources to write engaging copy or create compelling videos?)
• How can you stand out on that platform?

For example, at Drio, most of our ideal customers are on LinkedIn the most, so we put most of our social media attention there. 

LinkedIn is increasingly becoming diverse in the type of content it promotes, but engaging listicles, personal posts, and quick tips do well. We stand out by infusing our personality, offering reflections from lessons we’ve learned, and, of course, leading with our values. 

By the way: Follow us on LinkedIn via Drio’s page, Hazel’s page, and Rachel’s page. 

4 Ways to Capture Your Values on Social Media

How you communicate your brand values on social media will be unique to your company and your target audience. Not every format, platform, or content style will be a fit. That said, here are some guidelines to keep in mind. 

1. Consider How Visual Elements Reflect Your Brand Values

Written and audio content drive home the messages that communicate your values. But visual elements play an important role too, especially on image and video-heavy platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok. 

Your color palette, logo, typography, photography, and other design elements should align with your values. Ideally, you’ve already worked with a brand designer to establish a visual identity that does so.

For example, if one of your core values involves community and uplifting individuals, showcase authentic photos of real people. 

Or, if sustainability is a part of your brand’s initiatives, you may have a color palette that reflects a natural feel, along with images of nature.

2. Tell Stories That Capture Your Brand Values

Posting straightforward proclamations of your values has a place—and it certainly gets the message across. But storytelling allows you to show what you stand for. After all, entertainment is huge on social media. Stories can be a great vessel for entertaining your audience while simultaneously building their connection to you. 

Share personal experiences, lessons you’ve learned, or stories about individuals you’ve helped. To make your stories engaging, get super specific on the details to bring them to life. And always ask yourself: Why would my audience like this story?

3. Showcase your Stance on Aligned Causes 

Not every brand “gets political” or outwardly engages in current events. It’s up to your company to decide when and how often you talk about things like humanitarian crises, social issues, or environmental disasters. 

But, doing so can be a powerful way to showcase your brand values if the issue at hand is tied to your core values. 

Here are some ways to post about aligned causes:

• Bring awareness to the cause by sharing its impact
• Show your audience where they can donate to the cause
• Encourage your audience to stay informed on the issue
• Share insights from people who are experts on the cause 

Keep in mind that no one can advocate and voice a strong opinion about everything happening in the world. If your brand doesn’t post an official stance on every issue, that’s fine. 

How do you decide what you should post about on social media? Your brand values are your compass, helping you call the shots. Ask yourself: Is this issue related to or aligned with our values? 

If it is aligned, then consider:

• Do we have the proper expertise/information to contribute?
• Is it a cause our audience deeply cares about?
• Does our audience want us to contribute? Or would it seem random and out of place?

If your brand is actively involved with specific initiatives (e.g. gender equality, workers’ rights, or sustainability), start conversations around current events that fall within those. You can also create guidelines for addressing other issues that fall outside that scope. This will help provide direction when you feel pressured to post about everything that hits the airwaves.

4. Introduce Your Team 

The people behind your brand drive your core values, so show your audience who those people are. 

You can create behind-the-scenes content and day-in-the-life posts or have team members make their own introductions. 

Here are some ideas:

• Introduce your CEO and have them talk about what matters most to them or why they’re so aligned with your brand values.
• Introduce new hires and ask them why they decided to work for your company. 
• Ask team members to talk about their background or an experience they’ve had at your company that aligns with your brand values. 

By showing the faces that make up your collective, you add a human element to your brand values.  

Free Guide: Weave Your Values Into Social Media By Revamping Your Marketing Plan

If you’re ready to optimize your social media presence by leading with your brand values, it’s time to get your marketing plan in order. 

A well-laid-out marketing plan is like a GPS with built-in travel advice. You can get started on yours today with our free guide:

Download our free resource: 5 Simple Steps to Building Your Digital Marketing Plan.