How to Be Creative on Social Media (Especially when you’re “not” a creative person)

Many business leaders believe that they’re not creative. Instead, they see themselves as only analytical or “left brained”. Hopefully this blog post will challenge that mindset and help you realize that you can be creative when it comes to social media marketing for your business.

Everyone is Creative

Have you ever stared at a blinking cursor on your screen with no ideas in mind? Maybe you’ve looked at a blank digital canvas wondering what images or colors to use. It can be intimidating to come up with something fun and new for a social media algorithm. Maybe you’re thinking that you’re better off just sharing a link to your website and hope that your audience understands that you’re a business leader and not a creative social media professional. However, this line of thinking actually hurts your online presence and feeds into the “I’m not creative” myth”.

• Let’s break down the right brain vs. left brain myth. You may have heard or even said to yourself: “I’m just not a creative person—I’m more left-brained.” People see left-brained people as logical, analytical, and numbers focused. Right-brained people can be viewed as more creative, emotional, and artistic. While there is some truth to that, it’s not the full truth. Creative thinking involves multiple regions of the brain, including those responsible for logic, planning, memory, and emotion. And even the most technical or analytical work may often need creative solutions.
• Creativity doesn’t mean that you have to write the best compelling book, or design the Mona Lisa in Adobe Photoshop. Instead, creativity can mean that you’re a good storyteller, you can use images to make people feel something, or you can use your own perspective to share the lessons you have learned along the way.
• Another way to see yourself as a creative person is realizing that you already do creative things on a daily basis. For example, when a problem arises in the company, you may need to get creative to come up with a solution. You often have to think out of the box and may even do something that feels risky. It may not be the exact same as writing a clever and fun social media caption, but it uses the same skills and tools during the process.

The most important step is challenging your thinking and keeping your mind open to the creativity at your fingertips.

How Can You Be More Creative with Social Media?

The always changing social media landscape demands creativity on a regular basis. Why? Because online consumers want to be educated and entertained in new ways when they’re scrolling on their favorite app. The best way to think of it is to remember the last social media post that you saw that made you laugh, read the full post, or click on their call-to-action (CTA) button. It stood out to you for one reason or another and that should help drive your own creative thinking for your own social content strategies.

• Tell the story. People love to read an engaging or heartwarming story. Use past examples like customer service interactions, things you’ve learned from your own mistakes, or a humorous story about things you’ve had to learn the hard way. It doesn’t have to be a New York Times Best-Seller, but it should be relevant and original.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously. As a digital marketing agency, we would argue that any business in any space doesn’t always have to be uptight and professional. Of course there are times to be serious and make sure you understand the climate you’re in…but you can leave room for creativity. Your audience is scrolling on social media as a getaway from their daily life. They’re looking to watch a funny video, laugh at funny photos, or learn something new that is in digestible pieces. If you’re only sharing content from your website with no creative twists…you’re missing out.
• Use your personality. A vital part of social media marketing is understanding that people follow people, not a brand. When someone follows your company on Instagram, it’s likely because they’ve worked with your company in the past, saw a post that resonated with them, or saw an engaging ad that left them wanting more. They’re not following your channels because your brand colors are cool, or your logo is fun to look at. Therefore, you should use that personal connection through videos, photos, or personal stories to help nourish this connection and gain trust with your followers.

Tips to Build Your Confidence Over Time

We understand that creativity can become exhausting. Writers block is a real issue that plagues even the most artistic people. So let’s lay out a few sustainable ways to remain consistent with being creative in an ever-changing landscape.

• Keep a “creative stash” in your Notes app. Like we mentioned above, you’ve probably seen a post that stuck with you. Whether it was educational or entertaining, it hit a nerve in a great way. When that happens, open up your Notes app and write down the idea. What do you think made the post successful? What style of writing did they use? What stood out the most in the image or video? This will help be your idea library when you are in desperate need of inspiration and creativity.
• Start small by focusing on making one highly creative post per week. As you brainstorm what the creative post should look like, it’s important to feel a sense of risk. You’ll never learn and grow if you don’t push your content to be more creative. Focus on making this one post either story focused, or have a well designed image that grabs the attention of your followers. Not sure if it’ll work? Ask yourself if you would stop scrolling to read the post.
• Don’t compare yourself to the Nike, Duolingo, and Nutter Butters of the world. Although, you should check out Nutter Butter’s TikTok if you want to be entertained and confused at the same time. These large companies have dedicated teams, unlimited budgets, and years of market research to use towards their social media marketing efforts. It’s ok to learn from them, but stick to your strategies and remember who your audience is and what they need.

Being creative doesn’t mean you have to create the best piece of art. It means you can create an experience for someone to connect with a deeper human emotion.

Put Pen to Paper!

We hope you see yourself as a more creative person who has the abilities and tools to produce more engaging content for your social media audience. Remember to start slow and continue to challenge yourself and your team. Your engagement will only improve when the quality of your content does. Keep writing, keep designing, and keep pushing the status quo.