Low on budgeting bucks but big on business motivation?
If you’re looking for modern content marketing strategies to boost your business via some of the most active social media platforms, then this is the article for you. We’re aiming to help you learn a thing or two about the way big brands do it – read on to look into some great marketing techniques!
Marketing budget on the skinny side?
The great news is, you don’t need Coke’s marketing budget to find an effective method of improving your presence, optimising the connections you make with your audience and the expanding out to potential clients beyond that bond.
Knowing the playing field.
When we know that your story is about the people who find and use what you sell, rather than the product itself, finding a way to bridge the gap is either super easy or a challenge at least. Cultivating community participation is the most valuable thing you can learn to do for your brand.
So, how do some of the big brands make that play so successful, and how can small businesses harness those techniques for themselves? Here are five huge brands that market their brand a little more creatively than you’d expect. We’re mainly looking at blogging, Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook as the biggest game contenders.
1. Coke
Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk via Compfight cc
24/7 marketing that followers love to share.
Keeping content marketing at the heart of its advertising heft, Coke leant on the idea that any modern marketing ploy has to believe in 24/7 connectivity, and a presence that never sleeps. Coke believes in creating ideas that are so contagious they cannot be controlled. Think about conversation provoking brand stories that we act on and react to 365 days per year.
Borrowing from the Coke book:
You don’t have to give up sleep to keep your followers and potential clients interested. Think about how you can prolong an extended interest or a story to engage people for extended periods of time. For example, set themes your followers can report back to you about, engage in stories about an ongoing and current issue, host a seekers campaign that gets people looking for content to bring back to you and it doesn’t have to be their name on a can, either.
Links:
- https://www.facebook.com/cocacola
- https://www.coca-cola.com.au/
- https://www.youtube.com/user/cocacolaAust
2. Kraft
Success in the kitchen.
Kraft adapted the adage that the way to the heart is through the stomach. Posting a spread of unbearably good-looking food with recipes that seem accomplishable for even the wonkiest chef-hat, it opportunistically makes the most of its clientèle by showing them how easy it is to be great with such a well known product range.
What can you bring to the table?
Don’t assume your followers know how great your product is, show them with videos, images and how-to tips, and invite them to show you too! Growing an experienced based community is a fantastic way to get your followers to fully engage with you.
Links:
- http://www.kraftrecipes.com/home.aspx
- https://www.facebook.com/KraftFoods?ref=br_tf
- http://kraftrecipes.tumblr.com/
- http://www.pinterest.com/kraftrecipes/
3. Denny’s Diners
Photo Credit: JeepersMedia via Compfight cc
Linking with Current Affairs.
To exemplify a pace setter when it comes to engaging with the online audience, Denny’s Diners can’t be missed out with their commitment to culturally relevant, concise and sharp posts. Even given that Denny’s is fundamentally a business for hospitality, every social media post is relatable on the level of a current affair.
Getting in on it.
Finding a socially and culturally relevant link isn’t hard when you’re already posting from a vibrant social media platform. Keeping those formed networks interested is about being sharp, progressive and honest about what you care about. Want to start a conversation, get re-tweeted or evoke some patriotism for what you do? Check out Denny’s links for inspiration!
Links:
4. Virgin Mobile
Cool News.
The freshly launched Virgin Mobile Feed fits nicely into the lives of a plethora of existing and potential clients. As a social news station that showcases a range of entertaining (think music, memes, reviews, applications and sites) bits and pieces for consumers to enjoy, the social platforms that host that information are the usual suspects, i.e. Facebook, Twitter Buzzfeed, and Instagram. The home page looks like a band review site, only the ‘shop’ tab drops down to the Virgin product list.
While they’re waiting…
Not an opportunity to be missed, one of the best ways you can reach your clients is to find them in transition, where they’re likely to appreciate some light entertainment. You can develop a bond with your target market simply by being there for them while they wait. It doesn’t always have to directly fit with what you sell, if it’s effective that’s a reason enough to click on the ‘follow’ link.
Links:
5. L’Oreal
Rolling with the Stones.
Strategic platforming worked well for L’Oreal, who teamed up with Rolling Stones Magazine. Using the magazine’s reputation, L’Oreal developed their content marketing based on emerging new talents and their unique appeal, style particularly being the big contender that tied the two together. One clever tactic used included the callout to unearthed talent with the lure of being the first ever, unsigned artist to feature on the cover of Rolling Stone.
Picking your perfect partner.
In essence it’s about powering up and joining forces with equally ambitious partners. Partnering up with an affiliate is a great way to reach a broader market, and it can be done quite easily in simpler variations. Why not look for a potential partner you could run a competition with?
Links:
- https://www.facebook.com/LOrealParisAU
- http://www.lorealparis.com.au/_en/_au/home/index.aspx?gclid=CLH91deAs8ACFQcAvAod0ycANw
- https://twitter.com/LOrealParisAU
- https://www.youtube.com/user/LOrealParisAU
When it comes to matching the levels of innovation and savvy marketing and planning we’re seeing in the current business landscape, it’s important to harness those opportunities and find out why and how they’ll work for or against you.
What have your experiences of social media marketing showed you? Feel free to share your experiences below: horror stories, successes and endeavours with lingering question marks hanging over them are encouraged!
