As digital marketers, we all know the impact a great social media campaign can have on a business big or small. Whilst those who understand a strong customer service platform is essential in any business, optimising those social media platforms in particular is even more vital in the 21st century.
Investing a little time, money and effort online is essential. Here are some of the best social media brand campaigns to date, and the impact of their clever marketing:
Case Study #1 : CatchAChoos
One of the biggest and influential fashion brands in the world, Jimmy Choo, doesn't exactly need any clever tricks up their sleeves and they certainly don't need to be giving away freebies when their coveted footwear starts at £275 just for ballet pumps.
However, the brand came up with a real-time treasure hunt around London using social media, or the social media platform Foursquare to be precise.
Under the user CatchAChoo, a pair of their brand new trainers were placed at venues for just a couple of minutes at a time whilst shoe fanatics were given clues to track down their very own pair of Choos.
The Result:
· In-store sales increased by 33%
· Positive mentions about Jimmy Choo online using the @CatchAChoo mention increased by 40%
· There were around 4,000 mentions on Twitter
· And 4,000 participants across Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare
· This equates to 1 in 17 people of Londoners being involved
A fun and personal way for mega corporations to interact with their audience, especially with high fashion brands who can sometimes have a snobbish feel about them. This campaign also relates perfectly to the style of shoe too; you're running around London after trainers, not the usual stiletto Jimmy Choo are famous for. They made the whole campaign appropriate to those that love fashion and fitness. By bringing their marketing back down to street level, Jimmy Choo made themselves relatable AND gave those not able to afford highly expensive yet gorgeous footwear a chance to own their very own Choos.
Case Study #2 : ISpyLevis
Localised to just Australia and New Zealand, Levis were finding that they were alienating their young market down under. To tap into this neglected market, they went straight to social media and in particular, Twitter. With the ISpyLevis campaign, Levis listed a number of clues across Twitter for users to track down. The only difference being the reps wore the product and had to take them off if caught.
The result:
· Levi's gave away hundreds of their jeans over a six week period
· Obtained 1000's of direct followers on Twitter
· Resulting in a reach of over 300,000 people
The social networking platforms are occupied with the age range of teens to mid 30s. In fact, 89% of the online population under the age of 30 years regularly use social networking (in comparison to 65% of 50-65 year olds). When that younger target markets is dwindling, it's wise to get yourself an online social networking campaign.
Case Study #3: Thumbs Up For Cadburys
As Cadbury's Chocolate were approaching their one millionth like on Facebook, they decided to do something special by building a massive chocolate thumbs up under the campaign name "Thanks A Million". Cadburys invested their time and efforts into a two day online experience fans could follow.
The result:
· 350,000 fans talked and shared about the UK based campaign
· Attracted a further 40,000 new fans in two days
"Thanks A Million" allows fans to keep up with the process feeling like one of the team throughout the whole process. By revealing the ending of the project (just two days) fans are unlikely to get bored or frustrated. They know the end point and follow you throughout.
Whilst paying for your social media or investing in giveaways and stunts is still a proven way to gain views, engagement and eventually conversions for your business, if you can be quick off the mark, you can optimise your business for free too. For example...
Case Study 4 : Tesco Mobile
Despite the number of brands partaking in this particular social media win, the credit has to go to Tesco Mobile for instigating the biggest brand Twitter conversation ever.
It started with Riccardo Esposito having a bit of an issue with Tesco Mobile. What should have been the average complaint response oh-so familiar with the likes of brands such as Ryanair ("Hi @TwitterHandle, please submit a complaint to our customer services department using the online form"), the social media managers at Tesco Mobile turned the situation into a clever marketing tactic.
With the ball well and truly rolling, it wasn't long before other brands got in on the action.
Although it got a little tense at times...
The result:
· Unknown! However, the combined followers of all the brands is over 1,800,000. Just imagine the reach...
· This campaign brought MUCH personality to otherwise faceless brands. They became more human and the quick-witted banter between each brand was fun and light-hearted. It showed us it's possible to have a fun side to brand competition and was completely suited to the UK target market tapping into our 'afternoon tea' and snacks stereotypes. Is Jaffa Cake a biscuit or a cake?!
Case Study 5 : Netflix
And it doesn't need to be out in the open for all to see. If you have a great online strategy, it won't be long before it's shared across the internet. The prime example is 'Captain Mike of the good ship Netflix' who conducted the entire customer service discussion with inspiration from Star Trek.
Norm was having some trouble downloading an episode of Parks and Recreation when he decided to pop online to voice his concerns. Rather than a complaint, it resulted in what he said was "the best customer service experience I think I've ever had".
On opening with "This is Cpt. Mike of the good ship Netflix, which member of the crew am I speaking with today?", the pair continued their entire conversation Trekky style, Norm stating that "Dammit, I'm an engineer, not a navigator!" until the issue was successfully resolved and Lieutenant Norm left thoroughly satisfied.
Netflix optimise this delightful conversation immediately by giving Norm a complete transcript of their conversation, which in this digital world, went viral for all to see. Nice job Netflix.
The result:
· Viewed over 1 million times on Imgur.
· By transferring that usually frustrating phone call where you press 1,5,7,# and 1 again to finally reach an actual human, to the live chat option, you get near instant satisfaction. Obviously, there is still that aspect of disconnection (is it just a robot on the other end?) so that personal and relatable approach made that particular customer feel valued AND the problem was swiftly solved with quick cooperation from both sides.
Case Study #6 : Surprise! Album
Beyonce has certainly built herself up to be one megabrand. With Jay-Z included, they are worth approximately $1 billion and were named the highest earning couple in 2013. Instead of partaking in the usual musical advertising (signings, interviews and billboards) Queen Bey decided to release a digital album...on Instagram.
With many celebrities using Instagram as a platform to advertise, it can get annoying when your favourites shoehorn in a number of pointless product placements. We're looking at you, supermodels and sport stars!
The result:
· 611,038 likes on Instagram
· 42260 comments
Beyonce's album release was understated and completely natural with just the simple tagline "Surprise!" to accompany the short video. Unlike the usual product placement advertising you see on Instagram, this post felt like any other image Beyonce would upload rather than a "Hello, this is a new album. Please buy it". Celebs - take note.
Do you have any other examples of brands doing it right on social media?