November 18, 2021
The word cool is quite a hard one to pinpoint. There isn’t a single solution to make anything & everything cool as it’s completely down to personal taste. It’s a hard thing to define but everyone wants a piece of it. You can’t call yourself cool, it has to be said about you, and if you do say you are cool, you're almost definitely not.
Either way, people like and want cool things and if someone was to say that they thought you are cool, you couldn’t help but smile and walk with a bit more confidence and prowess (if you are walking at the time obviously).
Our interpretation of ‘Cool Content’ incorporates a vast range of factors and varies from client to client. But we have attempted to break down our thoughts in the following categories on how to create cool content for social media:
When you are creating content you shouldn’t be creating something that will appeal to everyone, it should be targeted to your customers and what they might think is ‘cool’.
For example, if you are creating social content for a music events company you would use imagery that sparks anticipation and excitement alongside copy that explores community and passion. In contrast, if you were creating social content around a platform that increases productivity through meditation, you would use imagery that instils reflection and mindfulness with copy that inspires and provides clarity.
This being said, there are obviously blurred lines between sectors and industries that have similar customers, hence why groups of people who have similar tastes and styles tend to like similar brands.
Making sure that the content people are seeing from your brand is different and unique (in comparison to everything else on their feed) helps you to cut through the clutter of social media.
You want to create content that people actually discuss or at least have an opinion on. Everyone has heard of the age old saying of ‘any press is good press’ (or some version of that) but creating something that starts a conversation, sparks a thought or has people talking, further strengthens an audience's relationship with your brand.
Take Kanye West (or 'Ye' should I now say) for example. People either love him or they hate him, but everyone knows him and has most likely heard his music. I’m not saying be Kanye West (far from it) but if your current content blends in with your competitors, how do you expect to meaningfully stand out in your market?
This can be as simple as choosing colours that compliment each other with a balance of good typography and a clear direction/purpose. We (humans) tend to form a first impression instantly with many things and it’s important that the first impression is a good one.
Imagine the person you see in the street dressed sharply and walking somewhere with purpose. You can’t help but look at them and think ‘damn they are cool!’. This is the kind of reaction you want people to have with your content.
“Fashion changes, Style endures.” - Coco Chanel
In this digital age it is highly likely that the first interaction someone has with your brand is going to be a piece of content that they see on social media, so making sure your social presence is reflective of your brand is imperative.
As a studio we are constantly referencing films (so much so that we have made a game of it called ‘Film-me In’ where you say a quote from a film and then everyone has to guess the film you are referencing) anyway all fun and games aside; we think that nostalgic and pop-culture references are definitely cool.
Bringing in a sense of nostalgia can help get people on board. Perhaps you are taking an 80's action icon (known for being cool) digging out his double denim, combing back his mullet and telling you how cool / ice cold this modern day beer is, or using an old game (E.G mouse trap) to explain your service in a more familiar and interactive way. Taking something that people are familiar with and making it your own can really resonate with some cool sensors of your customers (as long as it is aligned with your ideal customer type, of course).
As we have said before, music is very important to us as a company. Music brought us together and it’s rare that there isn’t a speaker blasting some anthems out (at the point of writing this: Franc Moody - Dopamine). Needless to say the choice of music on your content is very important and can elevate it from being average to epic.
All in all there isn’t a singular formula to create cool content for everything and everyone, it comes from having a deep understanding of your customers and creating assets that resonate with their personal preferences. The more you understand about your customer the better you can create content that they can relate to and that speaks to their 'cool sensors'.
Again this is all opinion based and these are just some of the ways we try to keep chill factor low with the content we create. The main thing you have to ask yourself is...
What’s cooler than being cool?
ICE COLD
(Outkast - Hey Ya!)
