PSA for Marketers: Utilize Multiple Social Channels!

These days, social media is not only a way users interact with each other, but also a way in which they interact with brands. If done correctly, social media can increase positive consumer perception of a specific brand. Consumers are typically not active on one social platform alone, so brands that are not active on more than one platform could definitely be missing out on capturing more audience attention or potential new business.

In addition to missing out on a portion of your audience, being active on multiple social platforms means increased search engine rankings, a great customer service experience, and being on par with the rest of your competition, as they are already on multiple platforms (Hovde, 2017). A breakdown of each point is below:

·      Increased search engine rankings- As we know, “content is king,” and the more content, the better. More quality social media content will help a company boost their rankings.

·      Greater customer service experience- Being active on multiple social platforms means a company or brand can see more about what customers are saying about them. Customers can also send direct messages, and if there are any types of anticipated issues, the company can be proactive and warn customers before anything occurs.

·      Competition is already on multiple social platforms- When a customer expects your brand to be on a specific platform and you are not, they could turn to competitors that are active on that channel. Do not let your competitors have an extra shot at reaching your customers!

Although being active on multiple social platforms is essential for companies, not just any platform will do. Companies really need to take a look at their industry and business goals to determine which, if any, social platforms do not make sense to tap into. According to Neil Patel, company marketers should be asking the following questions in order to decide which social channels are right for their business and/or which channels to add to their social strategies:

1.     Where is my audience?

2.     Where is my audience active?

3.     Where is my audience searching?

4.     What niche social media sites are right for me? (Patel, 2018).

Patel suggests that by following the below rules, your company will see a return on your investment:

“Must: Join the Big Four: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+

Should: Consider the Lesser Three: Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube

Could: Check out Two of the Little Ones: Tumblr, StumbleUpon, Reddit

Possibly: Find One Niche Site” (2018).

This strategy suggests being active where it is essential, but also finding a way to make use of social media unique to your brand or business. Generating great content is a must, however, if this content does not lead to engagement amongst audience members, the content’s ROI will be weak.

“Content without conversation is just broadcasting…It goes to the listener/reader/viewer/visitor…and stops there” (Novak, 2010). Any content that is posted for marketing purposes must have the intent to be an engagement vehicle. These sentiments also enforce the idea that a brand/company focusing on just one social media platform alone are missing out on engaging consumers through multiple other channels.

To summarize: marketers need be thoughtful when it comes to content.

“Our world is shaped by the relationships and conversations we have with other people – by the emotions we feel as well as the information we receive. As you consider the message you have to bring to the world, ask yourself: is this a conversation starter? Who will I interact with as a result of my putting it out there? How will the conversation proceed? What might happen?” (Novak, 2010).

The result of the engagement will lead to marketers better understanding their consumer base.

Real Life Examples of Social Media Success:

Wayfair

In 2017, Wayfair capitalized on new shopping features offered through Instagram. This new feature allows products to be tagged so Instagram users can go right to a specific landing page to view the product in more detail.

Here’s an example of the tagged products:

(Jackson, 2018).

After clicking on a product and getting to a landing page, users will also be able to see all items tagged in the original post as well, a good selling point for complementary items for purchase. 

(Jackson, 2018).

When the user hits the “shop now” button, they are directed right to the Wayfair site to complete their order.  

Of course, this type of feature is great for a retail business like Wayfair. But Instagram is not the only social channel Wayfair executes well. They are sure to create compelling, engaging content on other channels as well.

For Facebook, for instance, Wayfair has expanded their use of video content to better understand their customer. They even use an in-house team to produce and edit this video content. Wayfair’s Facebook followers enjoyed the content and were highly engaged, which “weighed more heavily in Facebook’s algorithm” (Wayfair Social Media – The Shorty Awards, 2017). These videos assisted in achieving a 409% YOY increase in reach. With more reach comes the opportunity for even more engagement!

That same year, Wayfair also increased Instagram audience by 114% YOY and negative sentiment on Twitter decrease by 20% (2017). This is a great example of a social media strategy involving multiple social channel activity.

Casper

Staying relevant and up front in a consumer’s mindset is challenging enough for any product. When it comes to mattresses as the selling product, that issue becomes even more difficult. However, mattress brand Casper has been able to do just that through an effective social media strategy.

Casper tries to insert humor into their social media content, which can sometimes be a tricky thing to accomplish. You can see a glimpse into why from the chart below…

(Jackson, 2018).

   …however Casper seems to be pulling it off. Instead of focusing content on product attributes alone, Casper tends to comment on the importance of sleep and other benefits that a good sleep provides, in addition to continuously posting humorous content and responding to and retweeting their fans. 

(Casper, 2018).

(Michael Allen’s Ghost, 2018).

Casper also understands that while they are active on multiple social channels, that doesn’t mean that all members of their audience are active on each of these channels, so Casper posts frequently and also posts the same content on multiple channels.

See a pattern here? Wayfair and Casper have different strategies and use social media in various ways, but engagement is at the core of these strategies. 

References

Casper. [Casper]. (2018, October 25). The uninterrupted sleep you’ve been dreaming about is here. Introducing the new Casper Wave: casper.com/wave. [Twitter post]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/casper

Hovde, K. (2017, February 22). Multiple Social Media Accounts is a Must. Retrieved October 27, 2018, from https://www.business.com/articles/why-every-business-should-be-using-multiple-social-media-accounts/

Jackson, D. (2018, June 07). 8 Standout Social Media Marketing Examples From 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2018, from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-marketing-examples/

Michael Allen’s Ghost. [Mike_bo_bike]. (2018, October 23). Not gonna lie, a slumber party at the @Casper store would be sweet. [Twitter post]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/casper

Novak, C. (2010, July 27). Why conversation, not content, is king. SocialMediaToday.com. Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com/wordspring/152636/why-conversation-not-content-king

Patel, N. (2018, July 17). Which Social Media Accounts Really Matter and Why. Retrieved October 27, 2018, from https://neilpatel.com/blog/which-social-accounts-matter/

Wayfair Social Media - The Shorty Awards. (2017). Retrieved October 27, 2018, from https://shortyawards.com/10th/wayfair-social-media