A Thumb Stopping Social Feed

Labor Day Weekend marks the unofficial end to summer. Back-to-school season is in full swing, and the beach goers are soaking up the very last of the summer sunshine over the extended weekend. For brands, these two notorious events are double underlined as featured topics for their content calendars.

The tricky part with this season is that every brand is taking advantage of Labor Day and back-to-school for content. Both organic and sponsored posts are filling up the social feeds of consumers. What does it take for brands to break through the clutter and create “thumb-stopping” content.

I’ve compiled a list of the three most engaging pieces of content that I’ve discovered on my social feeds that clearly broke through the clutter, for me.

 

1.

Rainbow Writing Utensils

• Discovered on: 
  • Instagram
• Published by:
  • Staples | Showcasing other brands such as Dixon, Paper Mate, Expo
• Sharable?
  •  Yes! Photo is eye catching and compelling because of the bright colors and aesthetically pleasing layout of each item.
• Value: 
  • Staples is bringing value to its brand by “highlighting” the variety of products being sold for back-to-school season. The caption of this image is promoting Staples to be specialists for school supplies. The main purpose of the post is for branding, but drives sale by providing click to purchase tags through Instagram’s shopping feature.

 

2.

Buy 2 Get 1 Free

• Discovered on: 
  • Instagram
• Published by: 
  • Divinity LA Bracelets
• Sharable?
  • No, personally I would not share this photo because it would be a photo of someone else on my personal profile. However, I would direct message this post to any of my friends that I know would enjoy the special offer.
• Value: 
  • Value is brought to the brand through this post by showcasing the bracelets as a collectible item, that they should be worn in multiples. In this case, Divinity LA Bracelets is showing three together because the promotion is “buy 2 get 1 free”.

 

3.

Labor Day Apple Watch Badge

• Discovered on: 
  • Twitter
• Published by: 
  • Tim Cook | The face of Apple on Twitter, since the brand itself does not Tweet.
• Sharable?
  • Yes, I would retweet it to show others about the unique reward.
• Value: 
  • The tweet features a picture of the Apple Watch with the “special award” (a new badge) that has never been seen before. Additionally, while most fitness promotions for other brands are limited to activities that require leg function, Tim Cook mentions that this badge can also be earned by those who complete a wheelchair workout. This promotes inclusivity in addition to the Apple Watch.