.png)
Just starting to plan your social media strategy?
Maybe your old one needs some fresh ideas?
When you’re creating your own social media strategy, it’s a good idea to take a look at what the pros are doing.
What is it that makes them stand out? How do they capture the attention of millions? How can you do the same for your brand?
At MixBloom, we know a thing or two about what makes a brand’s social media strategy cut through the noise.
Here are 5 of our favorites:
1. Sharpie
How they do it
Sharpie focuses more on what their customers are doing with the product, rather than the product itself.
From tweeting about someone using a Sharpie whilst climbing Denali, to complimenting a customer’s doodles, Sharpie’s social media pages are very much user-generated.
Below you can see how Sharpie’s social media strategy has become much more a display of artwork than simply a place to advertise.
Why it works
While not an obvious marketing space, Sharpie’s social media strategy certainly does a good job of getting their brand noticed.
With every customer-focused post that subtly mentions their products, they’re turning the perception of a simple pen into an artist’s tool.
As a result, Sharpie is seen as the go-to pen brand for the creative industry.
Users don’t go to Sharpie’s Facebook or twitter to look at what different colors they offer. They go to be inspired.
How you can do it too
Think about how your customers use your products or services.
How can you work that into your social media strategy?
Invite them to let you know how they’re using your products by tagging, mentioning, or even start a hashtag.
When they respond, show interest, encourage others to do the same, and compliment them by re-posting and responding to conversations.
2. Xbox
How they do it
Being a company with a huge customer base, Xbox has to deal with a lot of complex customer queries on a daily basis.
To give customers quick access to answers, Xbox has a dedicated customer service Twitter account. It offers support from 6 am to 12 am Monday to Sunday.
Why it works
Have you ever called a customer service line only to be put on hold or be passed from department to department?
Or perhaps you’ve been too busy to call, so you’ve delayed getting in touch.
Xbox understands this, and their Xbox Support account offers an easy and fast way to get in touch. This both prevents customer frustration and shows that they care and understand their customers.
From a business point of view, it’s also a much cheaper way of doing customer service, as – according to Brandwatch – social customer service costs around $1 per interaction, which is six times cheaper than phone support costs.
How you can do it too
Simply set up a second social media account for your brand, but add ‘Support’ to the handle.
Use the bio area to state what times the account will be open for queries.
Don’t forget to add a link from your website, email signature and primary social media accounts.
If you do still receive customer queries to your main account, answer them as you usually would but add a link to your support account for future reference.
3. innocent drinks
How they do it
innocent drinks may be one of the most well-known smoothie companies, but they rarely mention smoothies in their social media posts.
And when they do, it’s in a played-down fashion – almost as an afterthought.
Instead, they post funny pictures, humorous stories and add their own take on everything from current events to the weather – all in a lighthearted, witty, silly way.
Why it works
Bottom line: people generally don’t like being sold to on social media.
There are enough adverts on tv, radio, and magazines – so consumers can be put off when adverts start weaving into their social feeds too.
People log into social media to chat with friends, look at funny posts, and get inspired.
That’s what innocent drinks does with their social media strategy.
They write as if they’re engaging with friends rather than customers, which results in their following becoming just as much a fan base as a customer base.
How you can do it too
Think about what your customers would chat about with their friends, and work that into your own social posts.
Why not make them laugh? Or make them ponder over a question?
By not filling social feeds with adverts and instead speaking about things your audience cares about – even if it has absolutely nothing to do with your product – you allow customers to see you not as a company, but almost as a friend.
So, when you do have some important news- the release of a new clothes line for example- chances are they’ll actually stop and read what you’ve got to say.
4. Tasty on Buzzfeed
How they do it
Tasty, a part of Buzzfeed, focuses on quick and easy recipe ideas.
Each recipe is shown as a short video that simply features the ingredients being put together and almost magically resulting in a (very) tasty-looking dish.
Why it works
Tasty know their audience.
Buzzfeed’s main website is packed with a ton of blog posts that are quick to read and easy to absorb.
They took the same approach with Tasty. For their audience, it makes perfect sense for recipe videos to be quick to watch and easy to implement. Video is a perfect format for this.
This is a winning content combination not only for their target market, but for the short attention span of social media.
In addition, the tasty recipes are seen as achievable. This creates an engaged following and plenty of shares.
All in all, a fool-proof social media strategy.
How you can do it too
What does your target market want to know? What would they be likely to share with their friends, families and colleagues?
Once you have a theme in mind, turn these ideas into 30 second videos.
Start introducing the videos to your content marketing calendar and see how your audience respond.
Keep the videos short, to the point, and – above all else – visually appealing to encourage those clicks.
5. Birchbox
How they do it
Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription box.
They encourage their customers to use the #birchbox hashtag to share pictures of their boxes once they land on their doorsteps.
Why it works
This works in so many ways for Birchbox and its customers.
User-generated content is one of the most effective ways to add value to your brand; it’s quite literally social-proof.
When people in your target market hear good things about your brand from their peers, it gives them a much bigger feeling of trust than you could create yourself.
Just think about it: when you go on holiday or book a restaurant, how much do reviews influence your decision?
Another benefit is that it keeps all customer content in one place. So, when it comes to creating new content, you’ve got plenty of curated sources ready for inclusion.
How you can do it too
First, choose your hashtag.
Try and choose one that’s short enough to remember, easy to spell, and sums up your brand.
Then, advertise the hell out of it: put it on your website, email signatures, social media bios, and especially on any ‘Thank you for your purchase’ or review-request emails you send out to customers.
After you get people using it, you want to keep up the momentum.
The idea is to get thousands of people using that hashtag every day. So make it worth it for them!
Do a giveaway every month for the best image shared, give a shoutout to a customer on your feed or re-post their photo.
The possibilities are endless; be creative!
Social media strategy takeaway – what you can do today
No matter how well established your company is, social success is achievable for everyone.
With some outside-the-box thinking, you can turn your social media accounts into valuable marketing platforms for your brand.
So take inspiration from these 5 social pros, try each of the tactics out for yourself, and let us know how you get on!
