If every brand had a script they could run to make sure everyone was saying nice, informed things about what they do, you can bet the owners would think about it. That’s just the natural state of trying to sell or promote something – we want to be appreciated, liked or even loved for our efforts.
Yet that’s not realistic, as we all know. Moreover, the conversation around your brand happens everywhere, from social media threads to dinner table discussions, so it’s hard to really perfect and shape what everyone would think.
That doesn’t mean you’re powerless. You might think you have little control over what people say, but there are ways to guide these conversations in a positive direction as long as you do so without too much hard manipulation, and are effective about your approach.
Let’s explore how a modern brand could do that in 2025.
Listen Before You Speak
Most brands jump straight into shouting their message. In 2025, that doesn’t really play as well, where every other brand is doing the same thing all over their social challenge. Try the concept of “minimum effective dose,” that is giving the most you can in as restrained a form as possible, and see how that helps.
This means understanding what people are saying about your brand already, and how to gently push that in the right direction. Some social listening tools help you track mentions across platforms, giving you a peek into how people really feel about your company. You might find that customers are obsessed with a feature you barely talk about, or they’re confused about something you thought was obvious, and so posting a guide about this and referring to it could be a great solution.
From there, similar information could become the foundation for every communication decision you make going forward. Tracking what people say about your competitors also shows you gaps in the conversation that your brand could jump into, so it works both ways.
Relationship Management
Influencer marketing still works, but if you want success, it should go past simple paid partnerships. The best discourse improvement will then take place trough real relationships with people who care about your industry or what you stand for.
If you have a good record of working with micro-influencers in your space, loyal customers who love sharing their experiences, or industry people who appreciate good products, those will build you a web of credibility and referral. So, focusing on building connections with these individuals can help them become natural advocates who talk about your brand because they want to.
Track Community Mentions
Community mentions are great, because through them you can help develop the kind of discussions you want to see around your brand. If you share your take on things, ask questions, and give people something valuable that makes them want to engage.
You could use a community mentions service to see which types of content are assisting the most conversations and where those discussions are happening across different platforms, while also helping you become positively referred to through automated helpers like the AI overview.
With this advice, you’ll be sure to correctly shape the discourse around your brand.
Thanks for stopping by!
Magda
xoxo