Social media: It’s not enough to just be there

A long time ago social media brand marketing was about presence. AKA have a profile, post sometimes, ride the trends. Today? Well, if your brand still treats social as a checkbox activity, you’ll get drowned in the noise. It’s no longer about presence. It’s about making a presence.

At R&T, after developing our strategy we look at what conversations our clients can lead, the ones they can authentically join, and what kind of content people want to see from them. Authentic content that shows who they are, what they stand for and who they’re for. Not just what they sell.

From this, we’re constantly testing and evolving. What works one day might not the next but staying authentic matters just as much as staying agile. It’s about learning and adapting without jumping from one idea to another for the sake of it.

You can’t be everywhere and about everything. That leads to mushy, forgettable social media. Instead, it’s about choosing the conversations that fit. Sustainability, creativity, self-care, music, or whatever you stand for. That focus keeps your story clear, while leaving room to evolve as culture and conversations shift.

Then, within that space, decide where you join in and where you lead. Join when it makes sense, when a trend or cultural conversation naturally aligns with your brand’s tone and values. Lead when you’ve got something fresh to say. AKA your own ideas, campaigns or perspectives that others will want to follow. The balance between the two is where brands thrive. Grounded in their identity, yet always part of the wider conversation.

Being part of your audience’s lifestyle means your content sits next to their personal posts, not standing completely apart. You want things they scroll past and share with a friend, not think “oh there’s an ad.”

Let your brand sound like a human, not a billboard. Try mixing formats and thinking “what do they want to see”. Maybe it’s behind the scenes, humour, questions, even moments of imperfection.

At R&T, we’re lucky to work with brands that trust our approach and give us room to experiment. Take Brooklyn Brewery UK, we’ve been managing their social channels for the past three years, and every year, or even month, has felt new with constant evolution and fresh ways to connect.

This year, two standout moments were our Glastonbury and Yard Sale Pizza collaborations, both chances to mix up content, tell unique stories, and go big on creators, influencers, and cultural trends.

And it paid off. We saw engagement rise an average of 9% during the one-month Yard Sale partnership and a 12% average during our three-month Glastonbury campaign.

For Rustlers, we’ve spent the past year redefining their social presence. Developing a distinctive tone of voice that matches their brand personality and testing how different styles perform across platforms. The result? An average engagement rate of 12.4%, plus a surge in community interaction driven by a passionate fanbase.

And these were campaigns optimised for reach yet achieving well above industry average (0.12% via Rival HQ).

Yes, social media trends are tempting. A viral sound, a dance, a cheeky audio clip. If you jump too broadly, you’re stepping back to the days of the sea of generic posts saying, “Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend with our product” or the dread day of the year posts, cough cough World Friendship Day anyone… That kind of content kills distinctiveness and doesn’t really say anything.

Trends should be used when there’s a clever match to your brand. Twist it, subvert it, inject your voice. Don’t copy it. Otherwise, you contribute to the “everyone looks the same” problem.

We talk about “standing out to fit in” but often brands play it safe instead of testing what might actually work. The truth? Playing safe rarely gets noticed. And that’s not going to help with building a brand on social media.

Take Loewe. Most luxury brands assume that showing up on social means clinging tightly to their polished tone of voice and picture-perfect editorial visuals.

Loewe flipped that idea on its head. They’ve struck a balance between their signature, high-fashion aesthetic and content that’s unexpected and meme like. They’ll poke fun at themselves, share BTS snippets, or riff on trends. All while keeping their craftsmanship front and centre.

The result? Well, Loewe hasn’t lost its premium edge. If anything, they feel more alive, more culturally relevant, and they meet younger audiences where they are without cheapening their identity.

And then there’s KFC. The UK channels have made a conscious pivot to win over Gen Z, and they’re definitely not doing it with stylised food shots.

Instead, they’ve leaned into partnerships with unexpected creators and embraced the chaotic, tongue-in-cheek “Gen Z brain rot” style that dominates feeds.

Sure, some of it looks silly at first glance, but that’s exactly why it works. It mirrors the way younger audiences consume and create content online.

By stepping outside their comfort zone, tapping into trends with personality, and letting individuality shine, KFC is pulling in wild engagement rates. More importantly, they’re showing that even a heritage fast-food brand can stay relevant by experimenting boldly and collaborating beyond the food niche.

Both brands prove the same point. You don’t need to abandon your brand identity when you loosen up. You evolve it.

Even by the time you finish reading this blog, odds are new formats, aesthetics, sounds are emerging. Although I’ll still forever be stuck on “me as a baby” TikTok… That being said, what worked last week might already have aged. Social media doesn’t wait.

At R&T, our approach is simple (but not easy), build your foundational brand strategy, your lane, your voice, your content pillars, but always stay fluid.

Test new content alongside your core business as usual style posts. Essentially new formats, new voices, new creators, new styles alongside what’s currently working. And if something lands, that becomes the new “business as usual”. If it doesn’t, well, it’s time to move on and try something else.

We don’t just accept that change is constant. We lean into it. Because social media doesn’t reward those who sit still, it rewards those willing to test, tweak, and try again.

Georgia Andrewes

Georgia plays a pivotal role in steering the agency’s creativity with a strategic focus. When she’s not leading the team to push creative boundaries or translating conceptual visions into campaigns, you’ll find her at gigs, traveling, or renovating her little Victorian flat.