Creating kick ass content has always been top priority for all the social media marketers. That, and selling the stuff they market of course. They miss no opportunity to come up with something fancy for their fans (of course with the intention of brand promotion). Even though their dedication to be able to contribute something to everything possible is ‘remarkable’, some of them kind of missed the mark and landed up being awarded the ‘worst post of the day award’.
Holidays and historic anniversaries are like social media land mines for brands – there is proven track record of the fact. Yet social media marketers never seem to give up, tapping their steel toed shoes, they somehow manage the horribly misguided pursuit of brand awareness.
As the entire world celebrated Martin Luther King Day, marketers weren’t far behind. Coming up with the best of the best and the worst of the worst posts, their idea was to somehow manage product promotion while paying their respects to the American leader for his role in the advancement of civil rights.
Is this a good idea? Yes and no, I feel. If your brand is relevant to something MLK did, or if you can tie your brand back to it – sure, you should definitely go ahead and honor the great man. But that should be your intention. To honor the great man. If a company like Cheetos, for example, was to honor MLK Day – it would just come across as a brand desperately trying to “ride” on MLK.
Not the best thing to do. It’ll upset a lot of people. Us included.
Be it Facebook or Twitter, Martin Luther King Day was no different. From over the top dreamy association to Malt-O-Meal food sales, MLK related hashtags were all over the place.
But amidst the worst tweeters, there were of course those – who tweeted from a brand that\’s relevant, and that actually would bring a smile to someone\’s face instead of just a shake of the head.
Ranking might just trigger a controversy, so how about you take your pick at the best tweet on #MLKDay?
It\’s important however, that when such a day comes up again in the future – your brand doesn’t make everyone’s shitlist. So:
Tie It All Back. Try and frame tweets on holidays and historic events around your brand story. If you can’t twist it accordingly, just tweet about the event rather than try and fit in your brand. Just like bad marketing makes you seem desperate, these attempts seem equally desperate.
Chirpy Is Good, But C’mon! It is not necessary to make that tweeting bird do rounds on every occasion. If you can’t be offer something ‘worth it’, give it a miss rather than seem silly or disrespectful. Instead, try and spread word. Re-tweet the accounts with amazing #MLKDay tweets. Be part of the conversation.
Picture Perfect. Try and use pictures on such events. If your brand is honoring the day in some way at the office – a picture of that will do just fine.
No Product Promotions. If Twitter doesn’t bury you alive for trying to sell your brand on an emotional day such as this, we will. Let the sensitive days be – don\’t try and label yourself as one of those brands.
We leave you, with one of our favorite MLK quotes.
If you think established brands can’t go wrong with their marketing strategies, I suggest you take a look at McDonald\’s UK Facebook page. You’ll eat your words – really quick. When it comes to social media marketing, keeping up with trends is a task in itself and even the best of the best falter.
Riding high on brand success isn’t a bad thing, but taking it for granted in terms of content marketing on social platforms, sure is! Strutting your stuff has always been the idea behind fan pages, but ‘only’ showing off what people already know you for is BORING! In that very ‘capital – bold’ manner.
Even though McDonald’s set a bad example in terms of keeping up with their brand success on social platforms with images of food plastered all over their wall, there are brands like Intel that can wake up that creative side of yours and put it to work.
A page that welcomes you with a tag line “Inspired Innovation That’s Changing The World” already sets some expectations at the back of your head. And trust me; they keep up to all your expectations – the smallest of the smallest and the biggest of the biggest. They could easily change their tag line to “Inspired Content That’s Changing The World” (the marketing world, I mean)!
Intel and chip fabrication are synonymous now. So, what kind of audience do you think this brand’s content would click with? Techies? Guys that solder their motherboards and computers together in the hopes to build their own personal mainframe? Not at all.
From what I can see on their page, they have content that caters to an audience of 13 year olds who are just getting into technology and exploring it, or for 50 year veterans in the game looking for deeper insight into the technology that Intel is investing in.
If you think this ‘diversified’ audience is just a bunch of loyalists, you are wrong. Most of them might not even be using Intel products (those that I am not even aware of). That whole lot of gathering on their page is drawn in by their amazingly engaging content. Even people as finicky as me landed up browsing through their ‘entire’ album just to see ‘what next’! That’s called keeping your audience hooked.
While I was browsing through their content, I came across some awesome categories, perhaps your brand can take a cue or two from these:
The Dictionary Craze. They have their very own version of an urban dictionary #shouldbeawordoffering not just technical terms in a cool way, but a lot many words that they have come up with themselves. And mind you, these tech freaks have created some really cool non-tech terms!
The Storytelling Techies. If you thought the life of a techie revolves around his gadgets and all things metal, you were right. But if you thought that they did be boring at storytelling, you are wrong. The company not just created a picture story, but made sure they didn’t have to use anything more than one of their products. ‘A Day In The Life Of An Ultrabook’ series is definitely one of the coolest way to promote an Ultrabook, without seeming too desperate!
As A Matter Of FACT. Facts are always presented in the most boring way to reinforce the fact that they can’t be altered. Looks like Intel took a clue from the dead beat responses and perked up their periodic factual posts with interesting images and less text heavy content.
Infographic-mania. We have all been hearing this for some time now. Infographics are so ‘in’ and why wouldn’t they be? They are easier on the brain and a great change from the usual text heavy content that you need to focus so much on while reading! Intel unlike other brands, came up with shorter infographics of their products – from how flexible they are to how they can be used. With a periodic process infographics, they have their viewers hooked on to this one.
Artistic Ideas. Most brands stick to maintaining a cover picture of one of their products or a collage of a few. Intel stands out even here, with a periodic change in their cover picture with their SciArt Series – artistic depictions of technology. Not just does this make them unique, but engages the audience and nudges them to interact with the page.
Le Videos. They have come up with not just promotional videos, but the kind of videos that coax you into buying. From the know-hows to sneak peeks to roping in star power, they covered nearly every possible dimension of promotion.
Eventful Tactics. If you thought these geeks were too engrossed in their chip fabrication to have time for issues concerning the world, you are wrong ‘again.’ Intel has been coming up with events every now and then, the latest one being to support girl education.
There may be a lot many categories you might feel I have missed out on, but believe me it’s for you to experience this page.
Their social profiles don’t just show consistency but speak of the hard work they have put in to create content that totally revamps their image in the eyes of the visitor. From geeks to freaks in 10 seconds (of course, in a good way).
Like bad examples teach you a lesson, the good ones reinforce things that you have ‘just’ been hearing:
Content Still Rules. Brands just have to come up with unique and relevant content depending upon their nature to be able to run a fan page on Facebook. After all, who spends time on an empty book?
Different Strokes For Different Folks. Offer diverse topics in your content. The more you hover about the same category, the more stereotyped you are.
Image Mania. Stock up on lots and lots of images that talk about things related to your products and not just directly about your products. Else, it smells of ‘sales.’
Infographics Are Still ‘IN.’ Pages with more infographics and less text heavy content automatically attract a lot of attention. Who doesn’t like something pleasing to the eye and easy to the brain?
Storytelling Is The New Black. A series of images or short documentaries revolving around your products, subtle and not in your face certainly boosts interaction.
Don’t Be Selfish. It isn’t just about you and your brand’s product sales; it is also about customer experience. Provide them a platform to state their issues and make them feel ‘at home.’
Less Is More. Don’t go ballistic posting images, infographics, events, etc. Be consistent but make sure you don’t seem too pushy.
Don’t forget to check out their page; it’s tech at its best!
When it comes to content marketing, social media content, and the like – no one seems to be short of ideas. What kind of content will work? What kind of content won’t work? It’s all a guessing game as far as some marketers are concerned. Sometimes, a post posing a question does well. Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes a photo of a puppy… oh who am I kidding, a photo of a puppy always does well.
But that’s not something that Mcdonald’s can endorse – is it? Or bigger brands like McDonald’s. With such massive brands, there comes a lot of pressure of having the right content on your page. It’s not enough for brands to simply share photo after photo of their products – in this case, calorie-heavy burgers and fries.
I ended up doing a little research on the types of posts we usually come across on Facebook every day. Guess what I came across? Of course, images get the most amount of focus.
Types Of Facebook Posts.
For a fan page with over a million fans, they’re ‘yummy’ content deprived. Let’s be clear here, McDonalds has nothing to share with its fans except photos of burgers? All I want to say is, “Why McDonald’s why?! I like sharing. I am a click happy person. Please give me something I could ‘share’!” And to be fair – they have the resources and the personnel to ensure that they can come up with creative content for their page – but why don’t they?
The McDonald’s UK page is a huge success and offers a steady stream of eye catching content that is always based on one theme – Their Food Products. Though their majority fans lie in the younger age bracket, there are those as finicky as me.
The Posts On McDonald’s UK Facebook Page.
The one problem with our “tummy caterers” is the fact that they think posting images of food on their fan pages is the yummiest content they could ever come up with. Maybe they have forgotten that their fans know what their products look like. There is simply no need to tear apart the menu to create different posts. A brand known for the joy it spreads among kids and adults, can certainly do better than that.
Maybe it’s time for McDonald’s to come up with a new recipe for Social Media because clearly, the current one is just ‘bland’. (I like spicy, BTW.)
And like I said, I like sharing so that everyone can put on as many calories as I do. So, even though my ‘expert comments’ (with all sarcasm intended) aren\’t required, I am going to list down a few things that McDonalds could take a look at while re-considering their social media strategy and not ban me from buying burgers from their outlets:
Le Videos
Funny Or Not, Video Content Matters!
Videos are by far, the most shared post type of brands on Facebook. They have the potential to create a never ending buzz (at least a long lasting one) and build high brand awareness.
89 million people are going to watch 1.2 billion online videos today and these users are expected to reach 1.5 billion in 2016.
The sad part, only 24% of National brands are using online videos to market to consumers.
The ‘to keep in mind’ part – 52% of consumers say that watching product videos makes them more confident about that product purchase.
Here are some ideas for a yummy video (Hint: Storytelling):
Ronald McDonald’s adventure to Burger Land. (Kinda lame, but McDonalds can have some comedians work on the content.)
How does McDonalds manage to serve customers so quickly?
Customer reactions caught on camera (positive ones, mind you) – kids reaction at getting Happy Meals and the like – it\’s cute content, will be shared.
A sneak peek into the kitchen would be wonderful! How clean are these fries that we\’re consuming after drunken nights out?
An infographic of the most consumed content type in a particular country. Wouldn’t we like to see that?
The Process Of It All.
9 out of 10 people are interested in knowing the process behind a success story (read, food). Considering their food is a major success, they sure have a unique story to be brought out in the limelight.
Don’t just talk food, talk process and be cool! Use images showing how your staff prepares all that yummy food in that ‘off camera’ kitchen – mind you, the environment just has to be “clean.” (Dirty is a major put off!)
The McHealthy Campaign?
Like I Said, It’s Not THAT Bad.
Even though you’ll find me hogging on burgers almost every other day, I like to consider myself as one of those who are particular about what they eat. Oh, I am calorie conscious! And FYI there are many like me.
Considering people are always talking about how unhealthy McDonald’s food is, posts talking about calories, nutrients are a sure shot hit. Common! Show them it isn’t THAT bad.
The Image-r The Better.
In case you missed the news, Infographics are here to stay! Get your right brain to work. Yes, that creative side of yours needs to surface.
Create interesting infographics on things like:
Calorie counts of each of their burgers, their meals – optimize your calorie count and change combinations of what you eat so you don\’t go absolutely overboard in a single sitting.
Which product is famous on which day? (McChicken is the best seller on Fridays; Double Cheese burgers are the best sellers on Saturdays, etc – brag about your sales in a humble way!)
The Shout-Out Wonder.
Instead of ‘always’ posting your own content, use your fan’s content to give you that viral push in the communities that fan is a part of. People love seeing their content shared by brands! It’s a different kind of high to be mentioned by a top notch brand.
Grab attention of all those fans that show off their McGrills in pictures and offer them a chance to feature on your cover picture. You’ll be surprised by the number of entries coming in.
I don’t want to risk my burgers anymore; but did I just hear McContent?!
Facebook has been coming up with a lot of changes in their Facebook algorithms and their general look. The latest to get introduced is the Facebook Q&A feature. This feature has been available to some pages and will be available to all by July 10. Individual accounts with over 10,000 followers are going to have the privilege of using this feature as well! Yes, it is for the popular.
From the beginning of time (as far as I can possibly recall), the social network has been conducting Q&A sessions on the pages of celebrities, but the page administrators have never had the privilege to do so themselves.
Facebook Q&A Feature Added To The Status Update Box.
The new feature will add a Q&A feature to the status update box for the famous! So now, you can have a Q&A session as and when you want (on what you want). As a page manager, I can probably just ask my audience “Hey! I’ll be replying to all comments today. What is it that you want to ask me?”– Just how cool does that sound? Very! Except that of course, I\’d have to ask them to ask questions about a specific topic – lest they ask me, a digital media professional, questions about how to prepare pancakes.
Even though most of us haven’t really come across this feature, there are a few celebrities that have mastered it already. Take a look at the Facebook pages of Arianna Huffington and Diane Sawyer.
This feature is certainly good news for the social media marketers who have been ramming their heads against walls (read ‘laptops’), to not just create content that will keep their audience engaged but have a one to one interaction with.
So how do you plan to put this feature to work, considering that you can’t summon all those big time celebrities and brands to answer all those questions (all the time)? Let’s face it, they don’t really have the time to sit and doodle. Does their audience not know of this fact? They do and still you end up ‘ghost answering.’
Radarr – a company that offers Facebook apps and creates social software for marketers asked their fans to get clarity around any social media or digital marketing questions that they might have.
It’s important to be ahead of the curve. As soon as Facebook gives you the Q&A feature on your page – you should be ready for a session the very same day to take advantage of it! First mover\’s advantage – yo!
Time To Get Q&A Ready.
The News Makers. Do you report the news, or provide commentary on a topic? Ask your fans to ask you any and all questions around a recent news story or a controversial segment and have an expert at hand to answer.
The Mean Machines Gang. In the automotive industry? Work with machines or sell hardware? Not everyone is a master of the chainsaw, or perhaps – even the steering wheel. Answer questions around the usage of hardware equipment or automotive engineering for your fans!
The Creators Of Reel Life. If you’re a movie production house or a PR agency, there is a lot of gossip that revolves around you. Why not put that gossip to work? Try and reach out to those ‘high-end’ clients like actors and influencers, and let them do the answering for you. Even if they give 20 minutes to answer questions about their upcoming movies and publications on your page Q&A, the interaction and popularity of your page, shoots up in less than a week’s time. This might just be a bit of a stretch, but if Universal Studios is listening – get Robert Downey Jr. to answer questions on your page! We guarantee you oh so much engagement!
The Bewitchers. Brands like L’Oreal, Chanel, Maybelline and others have a lot of apprehensions coming their way. The apprehensions aren’t just regarding their products but how they are better than the others. Spending some time answering questions around their products is definitely a good idea. Tell your fans you’ll take questions around the best ways to use moisturizers or any other products!
The ‘Tummy Caterers.’ Restaurant? Hotel? Cafe? Chef? You know what’s coming. Set up a Q&A session to answer their doubts around preparation of food, food storage or maybe even a particular cuisine if you’re an expert.
Other. Ah yes, the infamous Other category into which most people fall. A business offering other services. Say for example you offer printing services. Don’t ask your fans to quiz you on prices of your products or why they should choose you – instead, ask them to quiz you on questions around the process of printing, print quality and everything about the print world itself. The more knowledgeable you come across – the more of an expert you’ll seem like!
The idea is basically to keep your audience hooked onto your brand and this feature lets you do just that! Don’t forget to be prompt and polite while replying. After all, no one likes getting a ‘K’ to a long message.
Can’t figure out what to do your first Q&A session on? Tell us in the comments what your brand does – and we’ll give you ideas!
Six seconds. That’s all you need to promote your brand on Vine. A video sharing app from Twitter is getting bigger and bigger by the day, and some brands are really shining on this platform. All you need to do is make a short looping video, share it on other platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and bask in its success.
The video social network may not seem business friendly for social marketing, but there are opportunities for engagement and retention waiting to be explored. We are accustomed to the long storytelling videos on YouTube and Instagram, but Vine is going to force marketers to get more creative because clearly, six seconds storytelling is a milestone to reach. Believe it or not, it is the shortest largest ‘thing’ in social media marketing.
You can point, shoot and share almost anything and everything that you come across – make sure it’s relevant to your brand. You don’t want to ‘seem’ desperate.
Vine For Your Phone.
Here are a few brands that are vining away to success (and you are welcome to learn from them!):
Dove. They have been in the news for their powerful storytelling and guess what? They have mastered the art of vining as well! Dove not just promotes their events through vine videos, but also showcases their products and product mission. (Note: Make cute videos. Consumers are more likely to go purchase those products.)
Gap. Time lapse, if used correctly can work wonders in showcasing a product and GAP shows the way. (Note: Get creative with time.)
McDonald’s. You won’t see them vining too often, but the few that they have made are pretty impressive. Their videos feature the food they serve, but they take to moving it about throughout the course of the video than the usual commercials that ask you to come in and buy something directly! (Note: Don’t make your Vines too ‘in your face’ kinds.)
Urban Outfitters. UO makes videos featuring their products with a twist. They make fun videos using different techniques like quick snapshots and short stories; but they move around a central theme – emergency make up supplies, DIY sparkle shoes, etc. (Note: Make it fun!)
Nokia. From phone tutorials to stop motions, Nokia has mastered stop-motion filming with some incredible campaigns promoting Windows. (Note: KISS – Keep It Simple Silly.)
Pepsi. From giving a sneak peek of their products to short silly clips, Pepsi NEXT is doing it right. Well, they don’t really have to sell people their products since they are already a huge corporation. (Note: It’s OK to be silly.)
Here is a comprehensive take on how to make your Vine ‘shine’:
Make Your Vine Shine!
Time Is Money. Well in this case, it is crucial. Keep your clips within the six seconds offered. Shorter the better.
Master Storytelling. It’s the latest fad in social media marketing and you have to catch up with it no matter what! So, get creative with those six seconds. If you can’t complete your story in one clip, make sequels to promote all your products. But remember to revolve around the same theme.
Peek-a-boo. Give your followers a sneak peek of your upcoming products, events etc. It is sure to build anticipation and excitement, and keep them hooked on to your Vines.
Give Your Voice. Add audio to the short clips to ensure the message is correctly comprehended by your audience. You don’t want your efforts going waste.
The Human Touch. Make Vines that embody the nature of the brand but give it a human touch to make them more relatable.
Freshly Baked Content. Give your followers something new and refreshingly tasty often, but remember not to overdo it. Chillax!
Start A Conversation. Create fun and interesting content to induce conversation and watch the word of mouth work wonders for your brand.
Magic Of Contests. Engage your audience with periodic contests related to your existing or upcoming products. Give away exciting prizes if you can. (Bribes always work!)
Hashtag Wonder. Using the appropriate hashtags in your Vine description is a great way to spread your idea among a larger audience.
Know Your Audience. Vine currently interests the younger lot (starting at 13!). So, it is advisable to take a look at what catches their eye instead of spending time on Vines that are going to get ignored.
Get The Right People Talking. Making influencers talk about your brand can make a whole lot of difference in the way people perceive it.
The only risk with Vine content is that no one might see it. So target more and more Re–Vines. More Re-Vines means more following.
Time To Get Q&A Ready.