Which brands are doing a great job with social content, but aren’t Dell, Coke, or Burberry—the brands we so often hear about in social media? I went to digging and came up with a few interesting examples of off-the-radar brands doing some interesting stuff when it comes to social content.

Take a peek at the following eight examples of companies you might not think of when it comes to creating and curating strong social content:

Moosejaw (Facebook)



Moosejaw doesn’t take itself too seriously on Facebook. And why should it? The company is a mountaineering brand. In fact, one recent post that garnered a ton of “likes” and comments was a photo of a watermelon on a deli slicer. What does that have to do with mountaineering? Not much. But it shows personality, and it clearly resonated with fans, which means it got in more news feeds.

A few other things Moosejaw is doing on its Facebook page:

• It used a customer photo as the brand’s Timeline pic;

• It posted updates on wildfires in Michigan, and what people could do to help; • It makes personal posts (“Rode to work. Did you?”);

• It posts often about merchandise and products. (It’s important to note that these posts don’t dominate the page.)

Mint.com (blogging)



Mint.com may be one of the best corporate blogs you’ve never heard about. The brand does a fantastic job of showcasing content it knows will be relevant to its customers (categories include saving, housing, investing, and family), but more importantly, much of it is what I would call “non-branded” content.

What does that mean? Post such as:

• “How marketing tactics can give new grads a competitive edge”

• “Time to go Tankless?”

• “Cloth Diapers vs. Disposables”

• “Is Credit Repair Right for Me?”

• “Rachel Weingarten: Summer Style on a Budget”

And the best part? As far as I can tell, Mint.com uses a cadre of guest bloggers. Great way to build community—and reach—for the blog.

Patagonia (blogging)




What’s great about the Patagonia blog, The Cleanest Line, is that it clearly knows its audience. Sure, the blog promotes the occasional Patagonia-sponsored event and merchandise (although that’s fairly rare). But more often than not, it’s blogging about the experiences that customers relish. For instance, a photo blog post about a guy who traversed Australia, an interview with Patagonia “Surf Ambassador” Trevor Gordon, or a post detailing how Patagonia’s stores across the country took part in Bike to Work Week.

Chobani (Pinterest)



Chobani’s not the most pinned brand on Pinterest, but it seems to have a firm grasp on how to use the platform to drive engagement—and traffic—for the brand.

Just look at its boards. There are the expected Nutrition, Chobani Kitchen, and Holiday Treats boards. But there’s also content that pushes the envelope for the brand, yet reels in buyers. Boards such as Chobaniac Creations (all sorts of ideas), Chobani Champions (lots of picctures of kids and kids eating healthy), CHO the Places We’ll Go (travel shots but also shots of the CHOMobile traveling the world), and my favorite, Insta-piration, featuring all sorts of Instagram pics using hashtags.

Red Bull (Pinterest)



Yeah, I know Red Bull isn’t exactly “under the radar.” But with just 692 followers to date and 11 boards on Pinterest, Red Bull isn’t a hot commodity, either. But I love how the company is using the tool to extend its brand personality.

Some of the better boards include: Holy Shit (people doing crazy stuff, like kayaking out of a plane), Festibull (a variety of photos from their popular event), and Give Us Wings to Fly Here (my favorite, made up of destinations to visit with those wings).

Overall, it’s a great example of curated content on Pinterest.

Boston Celtics (Instagram)



No matter which NBA team you root for, you got to give it to the Celtics’ social media team. With tools like Instagram, the team is nailing it when it comes to content. It accomplishes a few things:

1. As a tool to get fans excited. For instance, there’s the “Let’s Go Celtics!” towel, which I think the entire city of Boston “liked” on Instagram.
2. To give fans a behind the scenes look at Celtics life. 
3. To have fun.

Overall, it’s an excellent use of images for a brand that’s not entirely based on photographic content.

Boeing (blogging and video)



When you think content, your mind probably doesn’t got to a world-class jet manufacturers. But Boeing’s got a firm grasp on its audience (Boeing geeks, essentially), and what they want to see online.

Vice president of Marketing Randy Tinset, brings that to life in his blog, aptly named “Randy’s blog.” In it, he showcases trips around the world to market the new jets (recently visiting Sao Paulo), insider photos from Boeing plants (very geeky), and stats and numbers that only people who care about these jumbo jets would read about.

Not surprisingly, the blog garners a number of comments. For a blog focused on manufacturing jumbo jets, that’s pretty darn impressive. Again, Boeing knows its audience.

Boeing also does an incredible things with its video content. Just look at the numbers: 14,000-plus subscribers to its YouTube channel and a whopping 4 million-plus video views. Much like Randy’s blog, the channel focuses on some pretty geeky jet-based content—test flights, new technology, behind the scenes footage.

One video that inspired a ton of traffic and comments (98 to be exact) is this one, which shows the in-depth process of how Boeing tested its Boeing 787. Keep in mind, 102,000-plus people watched this video and 98 commented, and it’s more than 11 minutes long.

Intel (Google+)



Intel excels on a platform it knows its customers are using (Google+ is well known for its tech base), but it’s Intel’s content that does the trick. Of course, most of the content is “branded content.” But that doesn’t mean it’s not compelling.

For example, the SciArt created by youth across the world is pretty darn cool. So are the simple quotes it shares in visual format (a recent Picasso quote garnered 105 pluses and 32 shares) and a recent link to an article on the company’s curated IQ site about social TV trends. It also mixes in a healthy dose of product promotion, but Intel shares a decent amount of content that’s interesting to its audience.

Have you seen any brands that are get social content?

Arik Hanson is principal of ACH Communications. A version of this post originally appeared on Communications Conversations, where you can enter the 2012 PR Reader's Choice Awards. Learn more about the awards here.