Brand Voice vs. Slang: A Safer Social Media Plan

A slang word can rack up billions of impressions in a single year—Sprout Social reported “aura” generated 31.9 billion impressions in 2025. That number makes small business owners and marketers do the same thing every time: open their scheduling tool, type the trending word into a caption, and hope the algorithm rewards them.

Most companies get this wrong. Not because slang is “bad,” but because slang is high-context—and automation is low-context. When a lean team uses social media automation to keep posting consistently, the risk isn’t missing a trend. The risk is scheduling something that reads like you’re trying too hard, or worse, saying something culturally loaded you didn’t understand.

This post is part of our Small Business Social Media USA series, where we focus on practical ways American small businesses can stay visible without burning out. Here’s the stance I’ll defend: your brand voice matters more than trend participation—especially when you automate.

Why slang and automation are a risky combo

Slang changes faster than your content calendar. The internet can take a niche phrase, explode it across TikTok and Instagram, and then declare it “cringe” in weeks. If you’re batching posts on Monday for the next three weeks, you’re operating on a timeline slang doesn’t respect.

Sprout’s team points out how quickly language evolves now—words that once took decades to normalize now pop up “overnight” and shift meaning just as fast. That speed is exactly why automated posting can backfire: you’re publishing at scale, but you’re not always checking context at the last moment.

The shelf-life problem: scheduled posts age in public

A scheduled post is like milk with no expiration date. You may write it when a term is hot, but by the time it publishes:

• The slang may have shifted meaning
• The audience may be tired of it
• Another community may have “claimed” it in a way you didn’t see
• A creator may be calling out brands for co-opting it

The reality? Consistency beats spontaneity for small business social media—but only if your consistent voice is stable. Automation should protect you from chaos, not force you to participate in it.

When internet slang actually helps a small business brand

Slang isn’t automatically off-limits. It can work when it’s an extension of a voice you already own.

Paul Quigley (GM of Listening at Sprout Social) made a useful point: a spike in conversation doesn’t mean your brand should start using the word. That’s the right filter. “Trending” is not a strategy.

Use slang when it passes the “three-fit test”

Before a term touches your brand account, it should pass three tests:

1. Audience fit: Your customers already use it (not just “people on the internet”).
2. Brand fit: It matches your existing tone. If you’ve never been playful, slang won’t suddenly read as authentic.
3. Moment fit: You can connect it to what you sell or what you stand for—clearly.

A practical example from the source: Ryanair uses slang to poke fun at its own no-frills reputation. That works because the brand’s personality is already self-aware and intentionally chaotic. Most local service businesses (dentists, law firms, home remodeling, accounting) don’t have permission to act like Ryanair—and that’s okay.

Slang can signal belonging—but only if you already belong

Slang often comes from specific online subcultures, regional communities, and creator ecosystems. If your business isn’t part of that world, using the language can read like a costume.

A good rule I’ve found: If you can’t explain where the term came from and why people use it, don’t publish it.

How slang backfires (and what it costs)

For a US small business, the downside isn’t just a few sarcastic comments. It’s real business damage: a screenshot that lives forever, negative Google reviews from people who didn’t even buy from you, or local press that turns a small misstep into a “brand fails” story.

1) It doesn’t build long-term trust

Sprout’s research cited in the article is blunt: while 93% of consumers say brands should keep up with online culture, that doesn’t mean they want you to repeat every trend.

Consumers consistently say they prefer brands that are:

• Honest
• Inspirational
• Distinct (nearly 60% want brands to prioritize original content)

That maps cleanly to small business marketing. People follow your bakery, gym, salon, or HVAC company because you’re reliable and specific—not because you can mimic a meme.

2) It can become cultural appropriation fast

This is the non-negotiable part: slang is often tied to communities that get erased when brands copy the language without understanding or credit.

The article mentions how creators can lose control of their own trends—like the “demure” trend and the trademark scramble that followed. Even if your intent is harmless, the impact can still be messy.

Here’s a snippet-worthy standard for your team:

If your post uses language created by a community you don’t serve and can’t credibly represent, you’re borrowing trust you haven’t earned.

3) Automation amplifies the mistake

If you publish a weird slang caption manually, you can delete it quickly. If you’ve automated variations across platforms, duplicated captions, or queued a week of “on-trend” posts, you’ve multiplied the cleanup.

Automation is powerful—but it’s also a force multiplier for tone-deafness.

A practical “Slang Safety Checklist” for automated posting

Answer first: You need a process that reviews language right before content goes live. That’s the simplest way to keep automation and authenticity in sync.

Use this checklist whenever a post includes slang, meme phrasing, or “chronically online” references.

Pre-schedule research (15 minutes)

• Meaning: What does the term mean in plain language?
• Origin: Which community or creator popularized it?
• Sentiment: Are people using it positively, sarcastically, or as an insult?
• Brand risk: Could it read as flirty, insulting, political, or stereotyping out of context?

Brand voice filter (5 minutes)

• Would a real employee say this to a customer in-store?
• Would you print this caption on a sign in your lobby?
• If the term disappeared tomorrow, would the post still make sense?

Timeliness check (2 minutes, day-of)

Right before the post goes live (or the night before), do a fast check:

• Is the term still in use today?
• Has there been backlash or a context shift?
• Are major accounts mocking brands for using it?

If you can’t do this last step, don’t automate slang. Schedule evergreen posts and keep trend participation manual.

A smarter way to stay culturally relevant without talking like TikTok

Small businesses often assume cultural relevance means copying the language. It doesn’t. Cultural relevance comes from understanding what your customers care about and responding in a voice that’s yours.

Make your brand voice “automation-proof”

If you’re using social media scheduling tools, build a voice that holds up even when content is batched:

• Write captions that don’t depend on a single trendy word
• Prefer clear benefits over internet references
• Keep humor rooted in your daily reality (your shop, your process, your customers)

A local example that works: a neighborhood coffee shop posting “We’re testing a new cold brew recipe—tell us if you want it brighter or chocolatey.” No slang. Still current. Still social.

Let creators carry the slang (if you want the vibe)

Quigley’s advice in the source is solid: sometimes slang belongs in your ecosystem, not on your brand account.

A practical play for small business social media in the US:

• Partner with a local creator who already speaks the language naturally
• Give them boundaries (brand values, claims you can’t make, what not to joke about)
• Let the creator publish in their voice, then you repost or run it as a paid partnership

This approach keeps you culturally present without forcing your brand to perform.

Use social listening—even lightweight—to avoid tone mistakes

You don’t need an enterprise “war room.” You do need a habit:

• Track the words your customers actually use in comments, DMs, and reviews
• Notice recurring phrases (“quick turnaround,” “family-owned,” “finally found someone reliable”)
• Turn that into your vocabulary

Quigley’s line captures the shift perfectly: the world used to be told what to think about you through ads; now the world tells you what to think about you. For small businesses, that’s not scary—it’s useful.

What to do this week: a simple operating system for tone

If you want a plan you can implement fast, do this:

1. Write a one-page brand voice guide (3 traits, 3 “never do this” rules, 5 example captions).
2. Create two content lanes:
   • Evergreen (automated): tips, FAQs, behind-the-scenes, offers, testimonials
   • Trend/reactive (manual): cultural moments, memes, slang, fast responses
3. Add a “day-of review” step for anything non-evergreen.
4. Measure what actually converts: saves, DMs, link clicks, appointment requests—not just views.

A viral post that doesn’t generate leads is entertainment. That’s fine sometimes. It’s not a small business marketing plan.

Brand voice wins—especially when you’re scaling with automation

Internet slang will keep accelerating. Sprout’s data shows how quickly terms can explode (31.9B impressions for “aura” in 2025), and that pace won’t slow down in 2026. The temptation to copy-paste culture into your captions is real—especially when you’re trying to stay consistent with a small team.

Here’s the better standard for social media marketing for small business: be clear, be original, and be on-brand more often than you try to be “on-trend.” Use automation to protect your consistency, and treat slang like a special effect—only used when you’re sure it improves the message.

What’s one word or phrase you’ve seen brands use lately that instantly made them feel less trustworthy—and why did it land wrong?