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Did you know that a lot of consumers look at social media before deciding on what products to buy? According to a report by UPS, millennials, some of the largest consumers in the world today, consider social media a part of their shopping experience. In short, social media isn’t only a marketing option but a mandatory part of any business. However, there's more to it than just creating an account and uploading random posts. It requires strategy, and that isn’t easy. So, how do you do it? Getting some inspiration from the brands that are doing well on social media is a good way to start!
GoPro
GoPro, the world’s most versatile camera, has a total of 16.2 million Instagram followers, 2.23 million Twitter followers, over 10.7 million Facebook followers, and a widely used hashtag (#GoPro). This company makes use of its social media platforms very well by creating value, promoting products, and interacting with their customers.
GoPro has a great social media presence and is present on a lot of platforms, but they’re using each of these networks differently. For instance, they use Facebook to promote their brand, reach new clients, and connect with their existing customers. Instagram is their platform of choice for showcasing the quality of their cameras and promoting user-generated posts. Twitter is used primarily for product announcements as well as for communicating with customers. Their YouTube account is made for uploading videos showing tips and tutorials on how to use their products.
They don’t simply post the same content across all of their social media accounts. They’ve properly identified what each platform is best used for and created a strategy to ensure that they get the most out of each one of them.
Furthermore, GoPro encourages engagement by holding contests – the GoPro Awards – where GoPro users can submit their photos or videos taken using GoPro cameras online.
Nike
Nike is another brand that makes excellent use of social media. With over 93.3 million Instagram followers, 7.95 million Twitter followers, 33.3 million Facebook followers, and a ton of engagement, this brand is no doubt one of the best brands on social media today.
Focusing on its athletes and sports teams instead of the product itself, Nike has drawn its audience’s attention to the people who make the brand. This is evident in their use of their social media platforms.
Nike uses Facebook sparingly, specifically for their big campaigns. This is possibly due to Facebook’s algorithm that prioritizes posts from family and friends on the users’ feeds.
Nike’s Facebook account still has a substantial number of followers, but their Instagram account is where a lot of their fans go for inspiration. This company posts high-quality images of their athletes in action, videos of people working on their fitness, and a lot more. Nike also uses consistent filters and their popular hashtags, like #justdoit.
Just like with GoPro, Nike uses their Twitter account to answer questions or address concerns. Aside from that, they also opened a separate Twitter handle for their customer service.
Spotify
Spotify has an innovative approach for its social media campaign. Take their “2018 Goals” campaign, for example. This campaign received a lot of attention because they successfully utilized social media, mainstream media (billboards and other physical ad spaces), and their users’ experiences. They have many entertaining podcasts that you can watch.
By creating witty ads and displaying them in various strategic public locations, they’ve maximized the ads’ visibility. Moreover, the artists taking selfies with the ads, and the Spotify users who also did the same, increased their visibility and engagement online. It utilized both online and offline marketing and created a cycle that made the campaign last for a longer period.
Wayfair
Wayfair, a home décor company, realized the power of social media to increase brand awareness and for showcasing and selling their products online.
Their Instagram page provides inspiration, tips, and promotions. For instance, they upload content that shows beautiful furniture arrangements in refreshing shades, videos highlighting features of their products, ways to update your kitchen, tips on how to improve the look of a room, and so much more.
Moreover, they also made it a lot easier for customers to purchase their products online. Some of their posts contain an “In This Photo” feature where users can see the list of items shown on the image along with their prices. Once selected, the customer will be directed to a page where they can easily click the “View on Website” button for a seamless shopping experience.
Wayfair not only focuses on aesthetics but also in making the purchasing experience easy and convenient for their customers.
Pop-Tarts
Another one of the best brands on social media is Pop-Tarts. They’re especially great at brand marketing on Twitter. Instead of sounding like a brand, Pop-Tarts’ approach is more geared toward the younger audience — witty, sarcastic, and funny. They post plenty of tweets that a lot of Twitter-savvy people love. Their fun voice, when posting or responding to their customers, makes it easy for people to relate to them.
Public service announcement:
1. Pop-Tarts are not ravioli
2. Pop-Tarts are not sandwiches
3. There will never be a Tide Pod flavored Pop-Tart
National Geographic
National Geographic has utilized their social media platforms well with beautiful photographs and informative content. Their Instagram account enjoys a whopping 122 million subscribers and a lot of engagement from their audience.
Aside from their own stunning original content, they’re also exceptionally skilled in utilizing user-generated content through their photo community. Photographers from all around the globe submit their images to get featured on their account.
Starbucks
If anyone knows how to get followers interacting, it's Starbucks.
Starbucks’ Facebook account is designed for providing information. They upload a lot of eye-catching photos of their drinks, and plenty of fun and colorful videos. Their Facebook also contains tabs for their store locations as well as job opportunities.
Their Twitter account is built for interacting with their audience. They try to connect with their followers on a personal level, building relationships and increasing their audience engagement.
Starbucks’ Instagram account is filled with aesthetically pleasing images and videos of their drinks, and people enjoying their drinks. Like their other social media accounts, they also make it a point to respond to as many followers as possible, which is probably one of the reasons why they’re so successful at engaging with their audience.
Starbucks has over 35 million followers on Facebook, 11.3 million followers on Twitter, and 18.2 million followers on Instagram. They also have separate accounts for their stores located in other countries.
Dove
Dove is known for their ads that are geared toward women empowerment and their feel-good campaign, showing people that there are many kinds of beauty. Their marketing strategy aims to improve self-esteem, and their campaign, which encourages women to share genuine images of themselves, has not only helped break beauty stereotypes but build brand loyalty.
Wendy’s
Wendy’s social media strategy has gained a lot of fans. Their sassy tweets, roasting, and jokes are so epic that people are following them and eagerly waiting for what they’re going to say next. They even won the number one spot on Fast Company’s 2019 Most Innovative Companies list under the Social Media Category.
What These Brands Did Right
So many brands are on social media today trying to get audience attention. Competition can get tough, and you have to manage your social media properly to stand out. While it’s highly important to create a unique marketing campaign to suit your brand, it’s also good to learn from and replicate (or improve) what other companies that are successful in social media are doing right. Here are a few points to remember.
Understand What Your Goal for Each Social Media Platform Is
You don’t have to be present on all social media networks, but you do have to know what your company’s goals are, and what social media platforms can help you achieve them.
GoPro uses their Instagram account for showcasing their products’ quality and connecting with their target audience through featuring user-generated content. On the other hand, they use Twitter mostly for interacting with their audience.
Engage With Your Audience
Most of these top brands have at least one thing in common: They’re engaging with their target audience, and they’re not just doing it occasionally. They’re making target audience engagement a priority. Social media platforms are first and foremost social networking sites, which means people are there to connect with others. Thus, you have to do just that. Respond to their questions and comments and find ways to encourage them to engage with you.
Using tools like Eclincher can help you monitor comments and mentions so you can respond quickly and accordingly.
Limit Your Promotions and Provide Value Instead
Your social media account should be used for connecting with your target market, and always uploading promotional content isn’t the way to do it. Find the best social media manager tool to make this process easy. If you do it too often, people will get bored and lose interest. Nobody wants to be sold to all the time.
People prefer brands that they can relate to, so provide your audience with content that matters and provides value to them. Think of Nat Geo’s beautiful imagery and informative content, or Wayfair’s tips on how to arrange your furniture.
Utilize User-Generated Content
User-generated content is a powerful tool for promoting your brand. People believe what people like them say more than what brands tell them. Encourage people to post images about your brand on social media by featuring them on your own feed, just like how some of the best brands on social media do it. You can also hold contests or awards, like what GoPro does.
Think Outside the Box
Your social media strategy isn’t limited to online strategies. There are tons of ways to promote your products! Think of innovative ways to showcase your brand, just like Spotify’s campaign, which combined social media with physical ad placements (or mainstream media) to increase visibility, encourage user-generated content, and extend the ad’s presence.
Create a Campaign That Matters
Your campaign can simply revolve around a cause, like what Dove did. What does your brand stand for? You can start your marketing strategy with that.
Be Consistent
Your images should be consistent throughout. It helps to maintain a template or a filter. This doesn't just help with aesthetics. It can also increase brand recognition. Additionally, it’s equally important to have a consistent tone and voice in your captions and responses. It can help your audience relate to your brand better.
Use Humor When Appropriate
A lot of people like a good laugh. Humor never goes out of style, so incorporate it into your content whenever appropriate.
Your social media accounts can help you reach your target market with ease, but your digital marketing strategy needs to be on point. Don’t hesitate to spend time, resources, and effort in building your brand online, because once you’re able to develop the right strategy and reach your audience, it’ll all be worth it. Stay updated and informed, study your competitors, and get inspiration from the best brands on social media.
The Bottom Line
If you want to be one of the best brands on social media, take a page from these nine businesses. They’ve cracked the code and figured out how to use social media to their advantage, whether it’s through providing valuable content, being interactive with followers, or using humor and wit. What can you do to replicate their success on your own business’ social media pages? Try incorporating some of these tactics into your strategy and see what happens!
