What strong companies have in common on social media

The algorithm is the problem. Or is it?

Many companies post regularly. They show news, write texts, set hashtags. And yet – nothing happens. No reach, hardly any response. The reason rarely lies in the algorithm. It usually lies in the vagueness of their own communication.

Strong brands are clear

Social media is not an advertising billboard. It is a space in which people build relationships – including with brands. And relationships are formed where you understand what someone stands for. Followers stay if they have a clear image, as studies on success on Instagram confirm:

Accounts that have a clear communication logic – i.e. have recognizable topics, tone and design – generate significantly more engagement than those that post “a little bit of everything”.
(Cordeiro et al., 2025, Journalism & Media)

But what exactly does that mean? Followers want to know who they are following and what this account stands for. You can achieve this through clarity: followers must be able to recognize at first glance what they can expect from your account and what topic you are pursuing

Recognizability is no coincidence

Strong brands rely on repetition, not coincidence. They develop a consistent, visual design system, which at best also goes hand in hand with the website and other brand presence.

And no, that doesn’t mean you should put your logo everywhere! A more subtle approach is required here: Instead, opt for subtle uniformity in typography, color scheme, tonality and, above all, the basic theme. This is because the eye remembers patterns and repetition creates trust – an effect that psychology refers to as mere-exposure (Zajonc, 1968):

The more often we see something, the more positively we evaluate it.

Structure beats volume

Many companies confuse activity with impact. More posts, more hashtags, more formats – in the hope that something will work. But “more” is not a strategy.

On the contrary: it turns out that frequency alone has little influence on engagement.
impact is created when form, content and tone are coordinated.

That can mean:

• You manage your topics in clear formats.

• You use a recognizable visual language.

• You remain consistent with what your brand stands for.

This creates what people call “authentic” – but it is actually: structured and honest.

Visual clarity as a confidence factor

Brand communication on social media is also design communication. If the feed is visually overloaded, changeable or inconsistent, the brand appears restless.
If it is clearly structured, legible and consistent, it creates calm – and therefore trust.

Because design shapes how brands are categorized even before anyone reads the text.

So back to the initial question:

What connects strong brands?

• They communicate systematically, not on a whim.

• They create orientation instead of chasing attention.

• They have a recognizable visual and linguistic line.

• They take social media seriously – as part of their brand management, not as a side project.

So you don’t recognize strong brands by the fact that they post the most – but by the fact that they have something to say and do it consistently. Followers know what they get from them. And that’s exactly why they stay.

And now?

If you want your social media presence to work for your brand instead of just eating up time and resources, we’ll be happy to take a look at it together. We develop structures that stick – instead of posts that fizzle out.

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