There are a ton of business opportunities on social channels. Research shows that there are an estimated 5.56 billion users browsing different social media platforms worldwide in 2026. But it’s also easy for your content to get lost in the noise. Effective social media messaging can help potential customers connect with your posts and help your business get the most out of your marketing efforts.
On an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast, Katie Welch, chief marketing officer of Rare Beauty, describes her method of developing social media messaging for the beloved beauty brand. “It’s more about brand storytelling,” she says. “Figuring out the unique points of difference that could shape a brand, that mission, that vision, those values that you can then storytell around.” By combining storytelling with a consistent brand voice, she helps communicate an idea that Rare Beauty consumers can identify with.
This article defines what social media messaging is, and discusses Katie’s strategies, which you can implement in your own social marketing efforts.
What is social media messaging?
Social media messaging is brand messaging specifically in your social media channels. It refers to both what a brand communicates to its audience via social media and the form those messages take. The “what” includes communicating your brand values and your product’s value, addressing customer pain points, and persuading people to take a desired action. Your messages can also clarify what your business is, who it is for, and why it exists.
The forms your social media messages can take include posts, and your brand’s comments and responses to direct messages (DMs)—essentially anything communicated on social media channels in your brand voice.
What are the benefits of effective social media messaging?
Here’s what effective social media messaging can do for your brand:
Clarifies your brand identity
Social media messaging is an opportunity to personify your business and communicate your brand identity. Your identity is the set of traits that characterizes your company and makes it distinct from any other company. If your brand is a character, your unique brand story is the setting, and your social media posts are the stage. The messages you choose to share help your audience develop their impression of your brand and set it apart in their minds.
As Katie says, “Storytelling is key to building any brand.” Your brand’s story shapes your social media messaging and helps it reflect your company’s mission. Selena Gomez started Rare Beauty to break down unrealistic standards of perfection. For Rare Beauty, this means developing posts that focus on helping customers see the beauty in themselves through a brand voice that is consistently sincere and heartfelt.
Encourages engagement
By being authentic and consistent in your social media messaging, you show your audience how to engage with your brand. If your social media presence is silly and sarcastic, you invite engagement that is more humorous. If your posts are more serious and heartfelt, you encourage similar responses. Either way, you are showing customers how to connect with your brand.
One valuable form of engagement is customer feedback. This post from Rare Beauty asks viewers which scent of lip balm they prefer, and many comments answer that question. Rare Beauty can use this feedback to determine what fragrances are most popular and potentially use that data to develop new products as well.
Builds trust within your community
Social media provides businesses with a way to stay involved with current events and movements relevant to their target audience, location, or brand ethos. Brands have an opportunity to use their platform and messaging to be mindful and helpful in situations that go beyond business ventures.
In January of 2025, when Southern California suffered two devastating wildfires, Rare Beauty made an eight-slide post for its Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook accounts. The brand acknowledged the damage that had been done to a large portion of its community and offered resources for victims of the fires, vetted organizations for people to donate to, and places to volunteer.
This post highlights Rare Beauty’s commitment to its community and its willingness to pause promoting products to use its platform to help people in need. The post maintains brand colors in the text and background and brand tone in the language of the post, but shows that the company values its community enough to use its platform for something beyond commerce. In doing so, Rare Beauty builds trust with its customers, showing that the brand cares about the people it markets its products to.
Tips for crafting effective social media messaging
One of Katie’s top pieces of advice is to keep your messaging consistent with brand values. “What you’re putting out there, your look, feel, tone, and manner all have to be aligned,” she says. With consistency, you inspire trust and familiarity with your brand.
Here are more tips from Katie about crafting your social media messaging:
All platforms
In her appearance on Shopify Masters, Katie offers insightful tips for how she has approached messaging on behalf of Rare Beauty:
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Develop your brand’s point of view. Katie highlights the importance of understanding your brand’s “why.” Embodying your brand’s mission and values authentically in your messaging helps customers understand why they should value your business and product over others.
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Engage with your audience subcultures. “What are those subcultures that you can engage with so that you can penetrate that culture? Who are the people that are driving those conversations within the subculture that your brand belongs to?” Katie asks. Getting familiar with their values will help your brand speak to them authentically.
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Understand where your audience is. “Where are they showing up?” Katie says. “How can you engage with them? I think the more that you can understand the community that you’re entering, the better off your brand will be.” Point being: You can’t effectively message to your audience if you don’t know where they spend the bulk of their time.
TikTok
Social media messaging on TikTok should prioritize entertainment value and have a conversational tone. According to 2025 TikTok trends, users are skeptical of content that feels like advertising. Captions should lean toward a more casual tone, for example, the way you would speak to a friend.
For Instagram posts, prioritize Reels,because they get promoted to non-followers. Let your messaging tell your brand’s story and show customers what your values are.
This Reel from Rare Beauty is in Spanish and features an older woman of color as the model. These details speak to Rare Beauty’s mission to create a welcoming space for all ranges of identity.
When developing messaging for Facebook, alternate between short-form posts that effectively promote your product(s) and long-form posts with detailed information. For short posts, use an ad copy formula: a hook that speaks to customer pain points or product features and a call to action. Supplement this text with visual content. For longer posts, use Facebook’s high word count limit to focus on storytelling or sharing customer testimonials that provide social proof.
Social media messaging FAQ
What is social media messaging?
Social media messaging is brand messaging specifically in your social media channels. It refers both to what a brand communicates to its audience and the form those messages take. Social media messaging engages with a business’s audience by expressing its brand identity, keeping customers informed and connected.
What is the most used social media platform for messaging?
WhatsApp is the most used social media platform for direct messaging, but all social media platforms are important for brand messaging.
What are social media messages?
Posts, captions, comments, and direct messages all fall under the umbrella of social media messaging. Any instance of communication on behalf of a brand via social media is an example of a social media message.
Is there a difference between texting and messaging?
Generally, texting refers to the sending and receiving of text messages between people on mobile devices. Messaging, on the other hand, refers to instant messaging people do via a social messaging app, such as Facebook Messenger. A brand might text a customer if they’ve signed up for text-based marketing and message a customer in response to an Instagram DM.
