Social Strategy in the Marketing Mix

Social strategy has become a key component in the marketing mix – but questions still remain as to what platforms should brands be on? What’s the perfect platform mix? Should brands play on all platforms? Does each platform serve a different purpose? Do brands need different communication strategies tailored for each?

Social media is changing every day and the platforms users use continue to grow and therefore I strongly advocate for a nimble social strategy that is rooted in brand objectives and help achieve campaign KPIs. Looking at social strategy as a part of a larger puzzle opens the doors for the inclusion of multiple platforms allowing brands to target their audiences with unique, platform personalized communication tactics.

There are lots of considerations when determining platforms within a strategy – Budget? Buy model? Audience reach on the platform? Creative assets available? Creative assets to create? There are countless elements that could influence ultimately the decision on which platforms to include and which to not. However, if possible. I think brands should be active on any/all relevant social platforms that deliver against their KPIs.

The most important component for determining which platforms to use is understanding the function and use of each.

Facebook

Facebook is the largest social media platform where users consume content, conversate and share their lives. Facebook provides brands a platform to create a visual representation of who they are and to interact with their audience. The pages become a content hub and the insights into the fans of a page are priceless benefits of using Facebook.

Facebook pages also impact SEO so from a web analytic standpoint, utilizing the Facebook platform adds additional benefits.

SEO Tips for Facebook

• ·       The ‘page name’ should be in the brand, business
• ·       The ‘info’ and ‘about’ tabs should be heavy populated
• ·      Link to relevant pages within the brand’s site/landing pages as much as possible
• ·      Add relevant descriptions to photos and events to increase search ability
• ·      All other online initiatives should drive to Facebook – the ‘F’ logo should always be visible to encourage and increase traffic to the page

For reach and frequency it is important to note that Facebook has acquired Instagram which is built in leverage to another extremely successful social platform.

From personal experience Facebook is a great platform to utilize for both awareness and eCommerce campaigns and marketing efforts. As the social platform with the most active users if a brand were to focus on one single platform – I would recommend Facebook.

Pinterest

As Pinterest continues to advance, so do their offerings and I think one of the most recent additions to the platform has a huge potential to boost this platform as an eCommerce driver – buyable pins. “Buyable Pines let people buy your products without ever leaving Pinterest (Buyable Pins, n.d.).” Buyable pins are easily recognizable as they are marked with a blue price. These pins can be found in search results, in related pins and within a business’s profile.

This is a brand new offering and not available to all advertisers yet however, once released, any brand with a presence on the platform working towards eCommerce strategies should implement.

Instagram

“Instagram, with more than 40 billion images shared and 400 million monthly active users, generates an average of 80 million photos per day. The mobile-based photo- and video-sharing social network powers the sharing of images and creation of community among users around the world. At only six years old, the platform has shown significant growth in its overall user base and in almost every demographic group (Johnston, 2016).”

Every platform has the opportunity to be successful, with the right strategy. Johnston, from Sprout Social put together a power strategy guide for Instagram.

·         Determine your objectives

o    What can we achieve on Instagram that we can’t elsewhere?

o    Who is our target audience and who from that audience is active on Instagram?

o    How does Instagram integrate with other networks in the social strategy?

Possible Instagram specific objectives:

§  Increase brand awareness

§  Increase customer engagement and loyalty

§  Showcase products and services

§  Connect with influencers

·         Develop a Content Strategy

o    Build Content Themes

o    Determine types of content and ratio

o    Set a content calendar (but be flexible)

o    Curating User Generated Content

o    Establish Clear Guidelines for Style, Publishing and Workflow

o    Foster Engagement and Set Guidelines for Community Management

§  Optimize Bio Link

§  Manage comments, mentions and direct messages

§  Follow accounts

§  Monitor hashtags and location tags

§  Search and Explore

·         Analyze Results

As previously mentioned since Facebook has purchased Instagram and the two social platforms integrate seamlessly in terms of buying and execution, the power of these tools is only just being realized.

Snapchat

Snapchat is a more recent addition to the advertising landscape in the world of social media, but it is rapidly growing and seeing success early.

Carlo Pacis recognizes separate marketing strategies and their objectives to grow business on Snapchat.

Strategy 1: Snapchat Exclusive Promotions

• ·      Objective: Increase e-commerce sales
• ·      These exclusive promotions rely on the business already having a snapchat following but the more follows the more effective occasional discounts and coupon codes will be.

Strategy 2: Day-to-Day Snaps

• ·         Objective: Increase business & product knowledge
• ·         These daily snaps create top of mind awareness and increase the value offered via social.

Strategy 3: Geofilters

• ·         Objective: Publicize events related to your business

Strategy 4: Influencer Marketing

• ·         Objective: Increase business/product legitimacy + reach
• ·         This can be achieved through sponsored posts, Snapchat takeovers, etc.

Strategy 5: Contests

• ·         Objective: Grow Snapchat following for future marketing
• ·         Contest on any channel are a great way to incentivize people within your   target to follow and engage on social media. 

Each platform can serve a unique purpose in any marketing plan. When building plans with multiple social channels it is imperative that it is understood how they can work together to increase reach, frequency, engagement and amplify the message while driving to the KPI. Social is such a powerful tool and with the capabilities and connectivity rapidly evolving, it will continue to be a foundation in digital strategy.