It’s no surprise to learn that 82% of the population in the United States now has a social media profile. It begs the question, though – what does the other 18% do with every spare second?!
Image-based platforms are rapidly becoming the preferred choice. Instagram and Snapchat usage is going nowhere, and Twitter is almost keeping up, since it switched up its layout to become more visual. Facebook still dominates, and LinkedIn is still a favorite amongst professionals.
There’s no denying that social media marketing is something that all brands – large, small and in-between – need to be doing. A loose guess-work approach to the social stratosphere never works. What you need is a strategic plan and a deep knowledge of your audience.
Only then can you select the most appropriate channels to run with. These are the god-like brands that are partnering with all the right platforms.
BuzzFeed Quizzes & Quick Recipes are Super Shareable on Facebook.
It’s no wonder you’re finding it so difficult to have your brand gain much exposure on Facebook – 50 million businesses have a page on the site. The majority of brands have to dig into their pockets and invest in paid Facebook ads.
Imagine having a dedicated Facebook fan base that does most of your sharing for you because they love your content so much. 73% of Facebook users “unlike” brands that post too much, but BuzzFeed offers something of interest – and they can’t get enough.
BuzzFeed’s Facebook audience is at well over 11 million likes and its success lies in the fact that they’re directing users to a place they want to visit for their own fun, rather than for the benefit of a company.
The publisher is taking full control from Facebook in response to its algorithm changes and has hit back in a unique way. They’re prepared for battle, because they know that Facebook will only show their posts to users when their friends have commented or shared.
BuzzFeed has created their own news app to bring users over to them directly, where they can have a more personal relationship with their audience.
Takeaway Tip:
✓ Publish content that gets people excited to encourage shares and comments
Victoria’s Secret Thrives from the Angels’ Instagram Following.
We were introduced to the slightly addictive image-centric feed we now know as Instagram back in 2010. Being a purely visual platform, it’s the perfect hangout spot for companies that want to showcase beautiful products and beautiful people.
Victoria’s Secret is the largest global lingerie brand, holding 61.8% of the lingerie market. Its success is largely derived from clever marketing, rather than the company necessarily designing and making the best underwear in the world.
Enter the Victoria’s Secret Angels and their combined mammoth social media following.
When the company’s audience comes basically pre-made, it has been almost plain-sailing to execute strong digital marketing strategies. The Angels make up the brand’s network of influencers and they represent a lifestyle that many fans idolize.
The Angels that currently work for the brand have a combined Instagram following of over 133 million followers. How’s that for exposure?
Takeaway Tip:
✓ Love them or hate them, social media influencers work. Get yourself a public figure with an established following.
Donald Trump: America’s Twitter-Loving President
Twitter provides us with a fast-paced, newsroom-like feed where we can publish our innermost thoughts to millions of followers in seconds. That’s if we had millions of followers. Which Donald Trump did – before he was banned, that is.
As the first president to use Twitter to the extent that he does, Trump expressed his need for social media. He said: “If I don’t have that form of communication, I can’t defend myself. I get a lot of fake news, a lot of news that is very false or made up.”
More than 6,000 tweets are broadcasted every second on Twitter, so it’s safe to say a tweet has to be pretty special to stand out. Luckily, Trump knows exactly how to do that – whether through controversy or breaking news – which could explain why he once got so much response from the platform.
Takeaway Tip:
✓ Keep your Twitter feed fresh and active so your customers know you’re worth a follow.
The Washington Post is First Off-the-mark with Snapchat.
When Snapchat launched in 2011, its original stand-out point was that all posts were ephemeral and could self-destruct in 10 seconds or less.
That feature changed somewhat as the app developed. Posts are still instant, but users can now access them for longer if they’re posted on a story or Snapchat ad. It’s all about being immersed in the moment and sending out updates straight from a smartphone, in real time.
Snapchat’s audience is skewed towards younger generations and 45% of its users are between the ages of 13 and 24. The Washington Post took this and ran with it, using the platform as a cool way to get quick news to younger people in new ways.
It is the first editorial partner to deliver breaking news via Snapchat’s Discover page, 7 days a week, all day long.
Now, Snapchatters can get their chunks of news at a faster pace than ever before and The Washington Post plans to grow their audience significantly through this newer form of social media marketing.
Takeaway Tip:
✓ Snapchat is all about what happens in the moment. Let your audience get involved in behind-the-scenes action.
Red Bull’s Marketing gets its Wings from YouTube.
The internet never seems to get bored of watching videos and is currently watching YouTube videos at a pace of 1 billion hours a day. To satisfy this hunger for video, more than 300 hours of content is uploaded to YouTube every minute!
Red Bull is one brand that wasn’t about to let the video trend pass it by. The marketers there knew that people didn’t want to watch footage of actors drinking from a can of Red Bull, so they chose to focus their YouTube channel on something entirely different.
The result? They became the most subscribed brand on YouTube.
They achieved that status by establishing a brand identity that would draw people in – extreme sports. They got professional extreme athletes on board to showcase their skills in snowboarding, mountain-biking, paragliding and other dangerous activities.
Oh, they also sent a guy into space to complete a 128k supersonic freefall. No big deal.
Now, people think of Red Bull as much, much more than just an energy drink.
Takeaway Tip:
✓ Create video around something bigger than your product.
The Social Media Approaches that are Becoming the Norm.
Social media marketing never stops developing. Platforms like Snapchat and Instagram are always adding features that keep marketers and users on our toes. To keep up, brands are adopting contemporary strategies that improve customer experience and streamline marketing and communication methods.
Social strategies that were once unheard of are now becoming the norm across the business space. If you haven’t already, here are some popular social media approaches you can expect to see soon.
Giving the Customer Service Department Their Own Channel.
The brands that are doing it right listen to what their customers want. Consumers nowadays avoid picking up the phone when they want to have their say. Smartphones are being used less for calls, and more for scrolling social media feeds, texting, watching videos and listening to music.
Creating social media accounts that are solely for customer service purposes gives customers a quick, easy means to send an inquiry or complaint over to brands, without being forced to listen to cheesy filler music while they’re put on hold.
Large fashion brands like ASOS and Boohoo were some of the first names to latch onto this idea, launching Instagram accounts @asos_support and @boohoo_cshelp
What benefits does this tactic offer businesses?
- Reduces costly phone calls. Figures from 2014 found that BT was able to save £2 million every year by deflecting customers away from the phones
- Frees up time for customer service operators
- Provides an easy way to deal with customers that are demanding some attention
- Allows for 24/7 customer service to influence loyalty
Letting Chatbots do all the Hard Work.
Chatbots could be a digital marketer’s best friend when they’re properly implemented. They work by generating automated responses through a messenger interface, so your customers can communicate directly with your brand.
Powered by rules and Artificial Intelligence, bots are becoming more human-like and can go a long way in representing a brand well. Domino’s pizza company used bots to show that they’re way ahead of the rest of the fast food market.
They created DOM the Pizza Bot that allowed users to order their favorite pizza by simply having a quick chat with Dom. Domino’s was able to achieve the impossible: making pizza ordering more fun than it already was! Initially, Dom was only able to order a customer’s usual pizza from their “favorite basket”, but with the fast development of bots, capabilities are likely to improve vastly to make the technology relevant to more industries.
What benefits does this tactic offer businesses?
- There’s no need to encourage customers to download apps they’ll only use once
- Provides information to customers quickly
- Cuts down the need for customer service agents around the clock
- Facilitates the chance to demonstrate wit and brand personality
Reminding Customers How Great You Are.
You never get a second chance at a first impression, but remarketing strategies allow you another chance at a second impression.
Remarketing campaigns are set up for businesses to show ads to customers across different platforms.
It works like this: A customer shows interest in your product or business but falls off at the last stage and doesn’t make a purchase. You catch up with them on a new platform to remind them about what they’re missing.
E-commerce stores are especially known to nail their remarketing campaigns. Say you browse cowboy boots in an online store and show a particular interest in three brown leather varieties, you’re probably going to see those pairs show up in Facebook ads once you leave the online store.
What benefits does this tactic offer businesses?
- Keeps you connected to a relevant audience
- Offers a lower cost-per-conversion and higher ROI, as clicks on remarketing ads usually have a lower cost per click
- Allows highly targeted advertising
WHAT’S YOUR STRATEGY?
With all of this colorful inspiration from industry leaders, you’d better be hyped to inject some power into your social media marketing strategy.
Contact the Impress!ve team to get started on defining a strategic approach to your social media plan of attack. We’ll work with you to zone in on the channels that will work harder for your unique brand.
With careful research and testing, we create that magic formula with the perfect combination of social media channels, placing just the right amount of weight on each.
Don’t let your competitors take the lead.
