Social media can be an incredibly powerful tool - it connects businesses directly with their audience, cutting out the middleman, and allows businesses and customers to develop ongoing and mutually beneficial relationships. However, there is a caveat: in order for social media to be of benefit to a business, the business must leverage it to publish, promote, and share quality content that will resonate with the target audience. It isn't enough to simply post coupons and self-congratulatory pats on the back.
Companies looking to start their own social media campaigns would do well to follow the lead set by these four examples. Each is producing stellar, original, and enticing content on their social feeds, and this content is having an impact.
Guinness
If you follow Guinness on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, then you would know that the newest IPA from Guinness is nitrogen infused. And that is because you wouldn't be able to avoid the beautiful and captivating photos of glistening Guinness glasses - topped with a perfect head of foam, water beads dripping down the side, and light penetrating through that black, murky liquid to highlight the beer's natural caramel and amber coloring. If you think this description is a bit hyperbolic, go ahead and visit Guinness' Instagram page yourself and you'll see what we mean! And it isn't all photos of Guinness glasses, either. From pancakes made with Guinness to photos of the company's historic breweries, there's much to see. Suffice to say, for fans of Guinness, it's an incredibly inviting social media page.
GoPro
When you think GoPro, your first thought is probably, "What do I do with this thing?" Well, GoPro has not just one answer for you, but hundreds upon hundreds. The company is one of the best in the business at leveraging user-generated content. GoPro's mentality is fairly simple - show existing and potential customers just what can be achieved with the company's many portable action cameras. The resulting videos and photos are not only compelling to look at, but provide GoPro customers something to aspire to; in other words, GoPro positions itself on social media in such a way that it isn't merely selling cameras - it's enabling individuals to document rich, fulfilling, and memorable lifestyles. That's pretty hard to beat!
Oreo
Oreo and Vine (the video app that allows individuals to create short, short videos) wouldn't seem to be well-suited for each other, but anyone who has been to Oreo's Vine page will tell you otherwise. The company's many videos are downright cinematic at times, and manage the challenging feat of transcending their humble medium (let's not forget, they're advertisements) to become truly compelling and captivating content. Even if you dislike Oreo cookies or have never had one, the company's Vine videos are so well made that your personal opinions on their product are almost inconsequential. Who wouldn't want to see a perfectly executed homage to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining made from Oreo cookies and milk?
T-Mobile
Some adjectives that might be said to accurately describe T-Mobile's Twitter feed include irreverent, honest, funny, sarcastic, snarky, direct, and open. The company, lead by its CEO, John Legere, has made a point of being completely forthright with its customers. On the company's Twitter profile, you will see T-Mobile actively engage with customers, openly call out competitors for their principles and policies, and generally having a good time. The company knows how to have fun and not take itself too seriously, while still adhering to the age-old standard of good customer service. The results? Nearly 600,000 followers - not exactly small peanuts for a growing telecommunications company.
Companies Must Provide a Reason to Come Back
For a corporate social media profile to truly succeed, it must provide customers with ample incentive to return again and again. A social media page that is nothing more than press releases, product announcements, and coupons is destined to fail. It's important to remember that individuals voluntarily opt into corporate social media feeds - and they can just as easily opt out if the content that is being produced isn't compelling or useful to them. These four companies show that it can be done. In fact, they almost make it look easy.
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