Have you ever wondered what makes a social media campaign go from good to great?
As a marketing agency, we think about this all the time. In fact, we research it, test it, debate it, and spend far more time than we should do (has anyone actually fed the kids today!?) fretting over it.
Because, we know all too well that you can spend hours creating a social media post.
Agonising over wording, choosing the perfect image, adding the right keywords, and making sure every last detail is perfect… to just… disappear into the sea of endless socials, never to be seen by more than a handful of lucky people ever again.
Meanwhile, a post knocked up in 10 minutes because something happened to be particularly relevant that day suddenly takes off, and you’ve hit the heights of virality without barely lifting a finger.
Sound familiar?
The two keys to social media success
The truth is, great social media content isn’t always about creating something bigger, better, or more polished.
Often, it comes down to two very simple things: timing and emotion.
And if you can nail both? That’s when things can get really interesting.
Timing is everything on socials
There’s a big difference between posting about something your audience might be interested in and posting about something they’re already thinking about.
When your content meets your audience at exactly the right moment, it has a much better chance of cutting through.
We saw this first-hand during the summer months with one of our lovely clients, who shared an educational Reel explaining why it was the ideal time to snip your lavender – and, importantly, how to do it properly.
It was useful, relevant, and perfectly timed to the gardening calendar. And rather staggeringly, it resulted in more than a million views.
Yes, you ready that right, more than a million.
It wasn’t about jumping on a random trend or trying to manufacture virality. It was simply about understanding what people were interested in right now and putting the right expertise in front of them at the perfect moment.
It might have been a simple strategy, but it was incredibly effective.
Tapping into your audience’s emotions
The second ingredient that can transform good content into great content is emotion.
And we’re not just talking about tugging on heartstrings.
Nostalgia, humour, curiosity, surprise and ‘oh my goodness, that’s so me’ relatability can all make people stop scrolling. And once they’ve stopped, that’s when you’ve got them.
One example we’ve spotted recently is an NHS bowel screening campaign.
Now, booking a bowel screening probably isn’t at the top of most people’s list of exciting things to do. But the campaign found a brilliant way to make the subject feel much more approachable.
It paired an image of Scott and Charlene’s Neighbours wedding (back in the day!) with a sample screening bottle and the line:
‘If you remember this… it could be time for this.’
Suddenly, something that could feel awkward, uncomfortable, or even a little daunting becomes relatable.
And that’s clever marketing. Very clever marketing.
It’s tapping into a shared cultural memory to make a serious message feel more human – and much more likely to be noticed and shared.
Sometimes on socials… you can even do both
Of course, the real magic happens when you combine timing and emotion – which isn’t always as easy as it sounds.
But here at Piece of Cake Marketing, we’re not daunted by things being a little trickier.
Which is why, when Take That were visiting the CBS Arena, we saw an opportunity.
We created a Reel featuring a life-size cardboard cut-out of Gary Barlow himself, with the caption: ‘Spotted: Gary Barlow in Coventry City.’
Was it actually Gary Barlow…?
No.
Did we expect people to get the joke…?
Absolutely.
It was timely because Take That were actually in Coventry, and the humour gave people a reason to stop, watch, and share.
And it worked, with well over 260K views… Now that’s what we call practising what we preach!
How can you make your content go from good to great?
The next time you’re planning your social media content, don’t just ask: what should we post?
Instead, consider if:
- There’s something happening right now that your audience is already interested in
- You can connect your content to something timely, seasonal, or topical
- You can make it more relatable
- Humour, nostalgia, or a little bit of emotion could make people feel something
- There’s a reason someone would want to share this with someone else
Because sometimes, the difference between a post that gets seen and one that gets shared isn’t a huge creative campaign.
It could be one small tweak, a clever cultural reference, a bit of humour, or simply understanding what your audience is thinking about right now.
And that’s what we love so much about social media – you don’t always need a bigger budget, but you do need to be paying attention.
If you’ve not got the time, don’t worry – we can help!
At Piece of Cake Marketing, we’re experts in social media, staying up-to-date with the latest trends, techniques, and algorithm updates so that you don’t have to.
Get in touch with us to find out more about how we can help take your social content from scroll-past to stop-watch-and-share today.