4 Mistakes Brands Make in Content Production (And How to Fix Them)
2/10/2025
Having an overly complicated approvals process for getting social content out the door. If you don’t trust your team and you don’t embrace some risk, you’ll always be stuck at the bottom of the pile—or worse, doomed to mediocrity. Invest in your social team. Trust in them. And remove some of the barricades.
Using famous faces. Too much of the budget is poured into celebrity talent and macro-level influencers—often at the expense of truly compelling content. Most brands can achieve richer, more engaging storytelling by redirecting those dollars toward crafting narratives that offer real value to their audience. While it may take more effort to find them, micro-level content creators who genuinely love your product and have an inherently engaging style provide a more authentic, credible connection to your brand. If you do have dollars to invest, prioritize sparking curiosity and inspiring engagement rather than chasing awareness for its own sake. Find a small creative agency, preferably outside of the bubble of New York and LA, and challenge them to change the conversation you’ve been having with your audience.
Adding to the brain rot. I’m still seeing too much emphasis from brands on trend-driven content, leading many consumers to tap out. Instead, brands can actually provide value to their customers by educating, entertaining, and/or building community. If you have a small brand and/or a small budget, try focusing on the storytelling. People will connect with stories more than they will with products. As a small brand, remember you can afford to be fun, a little irreverent, and offbeat. Maybe leverage your existing customers into the content creation process. And if you are going to hop on a trend, make sure it ties into the brand’s identity and vision.
Following the crowd, despite good intentions. If you want to stand out in the oversaturated market of consumer brands across the overwhelming landscape of social media posts and ads, maybe the content you need to create isn’t digital at all. Instead of photos, videos, and animations, maybe try pop-ups IRL. Instead of New York, LA, and Miami, maybe try Dallas, Denver, and Columbus. It always hurts my heart a little bit to see brands/clients spending precious resources on content that, even if it’s decent and/or had a couple days of traction, was ultimately going to get lost in the mix (just like this post)!
