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The Internet is all about attracting new customers and turning them into loyal, paying clients. When it comes to quickly grabbing attention and driving conversions, two strategies stand out: email marketing and social media marketing.  These are the go-to tools for any business owner looking to boost brand visibility, generate leads, and drive profits. But what happens when you're strapped for resources?  Should you invest in social media, or is email marketing the smarter play? If you're torn between the two, this article will guide you through the decision-making process. So, which one will bring in the big bucks—social media or email marketing?  Let’s check it out. 

Email Marketing vs Social Media Marketing - How Are They Useful in Their Own Ways? 

If you want to connect with your end customers and communicate with them one-on-one, then email marketing is the ideal choice for you. As a brand, you send them offerings through emails, and if they like what you’re selling, they will quickly hop on a call with you. It’s the fastest way to attract users and get connected with them so you can quickly convert them. That’s not the only benefit of email marketing—you can also use it for various other tasks. You can inform clients about upcoming promotions, new product launches, and share other relevant details about your business. On the other hand, social media marketing is great for increasing brand awareness. It allows you to quickly grow your audience and attract new followers. By sharing useful tips for social media campaigns, people can learn more about your business, follow your accounts, and engage with your content through comments, likes, and shares. Over time, your content becomes more visible to a larger audience, increasing your chances of getting more engagement. As more people become familiar with your brand, it eventually grows, and your audience will start taking action in other ways, such as signing up for your newsletters, visiting your website, or even making a purchase.

How Email Marketing Make Prospect Engagement Worthwhile? 

Engagement comes in many ways, especially when we talk about email marketing. To help you understand how it fits the puzzle, here are some ways email marketing can help businesses engage better.

1. Let Your Subscribers Know About the New Products 

Launching a new product and not sure if it’s going to be a success? Well, with email marketing, you can greatly increase your chances. However, to make email marketing effective, you need to have a complete subscriber list. Start by sharing all the details of your product within your emails, including its benefits and launch date. To make your emails more engaging, you can also include pictures and add a link to your landing page. These efforts will help your customers make an informed decision by allowing them to learn about the product first-hand before they decide to pre-order and get it dispatched to their place. 

2. Share Promotions & Offer More Discount Coupons 

It’s unlikely that anyone would turn down a good deal, especially from a brand they follow. If you’ve built enough credibility for your business, then sending out an email with a subscriber-only exclusive discount on your products and services is the next logical step. When you keep your subscribers in the loop and stay in touch with them through consistent newsletters and promotional emails, they’ll always be on their toes, especially when there’s an upcoming sale. Such emails work wonders during the holiday season, particularly when you include giveaways. It’s one of those perks that you can’t miss! 

3. Get Valuable Feedback & Insights on Your Brand

When you know how the audience perceives your brand or what they think about it, it becomes relatively easier for you to tweak your brand. Let’s say, that if your business is well equipped to help you understand what they like and dislike about your business, it becomes easier for you to refine your business strategy and meet your client’s expectations most effectively. Email marketing is one of those tools which helps you gather quick feedback on your customers. You can simply start by emailing subscribers survey forms and collecting information from them to learn more about what they want! 

4. Deliver Content That Educates and Engages

There’s a misconception that emails are supposed to be sales-oriented. However, this notion is not entirely true. We all want to send out informative content, that positions your brand as an authority in your market sector. For example, is there a blog or content on your website that’s not performing all too well and it’s just lying around there without any use? You can always pick that content up and change it into a shorter email content, pushing it to your respective customers.

How Social Media Help in Making Engagement Effective?

In the world of social media, the rules are different. Social media is not just about crafting posts; it’s about creating engaging content that resonates with your audience. It’s also about strategically using hashtags to amplify your reach. With every post, you’re not just sharing information—you’re placing your brand in front of countless potential customers, increasing your visibility and opportunities to connect. Social media doesn’t just build awareness; it opens the door to social prospecting—a powerful way to research, identify, and engage with your ideal prospects. This modern approach to relationship building goes beyond traditional marketing. By understanding how your audience interacts—whether they like, share, or comment on your posts—you gain invaluable insights into their preferences and behaviors. The following knowledge helps you to better connect with them on a deeper level eventually nurturing relationships that can ultimately convert daily visitors into long-term loyal customers.   So how does social media contribute to a brand's success?  Here are some techniques that you can implement to boost your likes, comments, and shares. 

1. Start with the Basics 

As humans, we have an instinctive urge to respond when asked even the simplest of questions.  As a social media manager, you can leverage this natural curiosity to spark engagement by asking your audience basic but powerful questions about your brand, service, or even the challenges they face. For instance, if you’re looking to grow your following and your brand specializes in football merchandise, you could ask questions like:

• Which team do you support?

• What type of merchandise catches your eye?

• What drives your passion for football?

These questions do more than just start a conversation—they create a connection. By tapping into your audience’s interests and preferences, you encourage them to engage with your brand, creating a community that’s more likely to convert into loyal customers. 

2. Showcase Your Brand’s Best Content

Have you recently written a blog post or shot a video that puts your brand in the limelight?  Don’t let that valuable content sit idle—share it with your audience on social media!  By adding a link to your latest blog post or creating a social post about your video, you keep your followers in the loop and bring your brand to the forefront. Go deep by discussing the important details within your captions. Give your audience insights, one they definitely don't want to miss. There’s no harm in encouraging your audience to share thoughts on content.  Always motivate your audience so they leave a comment on your social post as it will eventually boost engagement and establish a stronger connection with your followers.  Every comment, like, & share brings your brand a step closer to becoming a success.  

3. Don’t Forget Special Discounts & Freebies 

Social media is a powerful tool for sharing limited-time deals and promotions.  Think of it like this… you have a product that’s selling like fire in your brick-and-mortar store, but when it comes to online shopping, sales aren’t as good as expected. So you want to give your followers a chance to purchase it online and therefore, you put it up at a significant discount for a week.  This sense of urgency will eventually drive action and increase the likelihood of conversions.  You can add some eye-catching images of the product and can even include a direct link to a dedicated landing page. When you make the choice effortlessly for your audience to claim the deal, it not only amplifies your reach of promotion but also turns social media into a dynamic sales channel.  

Choosing Between Email and Social Media Marketing

Choosing between email and social media marketing isn’t always an easy choice to make.  This decision truly depends on what your marketing goals are.  Ask yourself, what’s your aim: 

• Is it building brand awareness? 

• Is it reaching a wider audience? 

If that’s the case then investing in social media is your best bet. Social media offers a dynamic platform where your brand can engage with potential customers in real time.  However, if your priority is building relationships with new and existing customers to drive conversions, then email marketing is the best option.  It allows for personalized communication and direct outreach.  As a result, you get a boost in sales and earn customer loyalty. As you weigh your options, leverage the pros and cons of each approach. See how it aligns with your overall marketing strategy. 

1. Audience Preference

Knowing where your audience spends their time is key to choosing the right marketing channel.  For example, if you’re targeting a younger demographic, platforms like Instagram might be more effective, allowing you to engage with them through visual and interactive content.  On the other hand, a B2B company offering professional services may find that direct emails and LinkedIn are more effective for reaching decision-makers and building professional relationships. When you’re more well aware of your audience preference, you can maximize your reach and achieve better results. Whether it’s through social media, email, or a combination of both. 

2. Marketing Strengths 

It all comes down to what types of marketing content you typically share.  When you explore different content types, you know which content type offers you what strengths.  Written content, like blogs and newsletters, thrives in email marketing, where you can deliver detailed information directly to your audience’s inbox. Meanwhile, videos and visually stunning graphics perform exceptionally well on social media, where quick, engaging content grabs attention and encourages shares. When you align your content strategy with each platform's strength, you connect better with the audience. 

3. Potential for Combining Strategies 

Many successful brands have found that the key to effective marketing lies in combining the strengths of both email & social media marketing. This combination will keep your audience engaged.  Social media platforms offer a dynamic space where your audience can actively engage with your posts, while email provides a direct line of communication, allowing for more personalized interactions. You don’t need to bombard your audience with daily emails or social media posts to see results.  Instead, aim for a balanced approach that lets your audience naturally gravitate toward your brand. By strategically integrating both channels into your marketing strategy, you can create a cohesive experience. 

What Does the Data Say About SMM vs Email Marketing? 

All talk and no data leaves the audience skeptical.   If you want to further decide whether you want to choose email marketing or social media marketing, here’s some data-backed research that will definitely convince you which is the right solution. 

1. Based on Audience Size 

Email marketing only expands as much as the size of your mailing list. The larger the list, the greater will be your chance of converting more customers. Let’s say if you have a handful of subscribers and you want to organize a list, you will have to go the extra mile & invest your efforts more into scraping data off the Internet and organizing them as a subscriber’s list.  However, with social media, you might have to do the same, but at the same time, you’re working on building a followership. It can definitely be a good starting point for your list-building activity.  Based on the monthly active users for each social media platform in 2024, Statista shows: 

• Facebook stands at 3.064 billion 
• YouTube stands at 2.504 billion 
• Instagram stands at 2.000 billion 

Just because social media platforms have billions of users, it doesn’t mean they can all see your posts. Every platform runs on different algorithms, and post visibility mostly depends on the audience size, post engagement, and audience interest in that particular post topic and everything. 

2. ROI - Email vs Social Media Marketing 

According to a study by the Data & Marketing Association, email marketing delivers an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent, making it one of the most cost-effective marketing channels. This high ROI is largely due to the ability to target a specific audience with personalized messages, leading to higher engagement rates. Email marketing benefits businesses with tight budgets.  On the contrary, social media marketing can offer substantial reach & brand visibility, particularly among the youth. However, its ROI is more variable, depending on factors like platform, audience, and ad spend. A study by HubSpot found that social media marketing has a median ROI of about 28%, with paid social ads often requiring a high investment to achieve comparable returns to email marketing. Based on these data-backed insights, email marketing generally offers a better ROI, especially for businesses with limited resources. If your goal is brand awareness and engagement, social media marketing can be a valuable strategy.  

The Bottomline 

When it comes to email marketing and social media marketing, they both have their own strengths and each can be very effective in their own ways.  Email marketing is great for sending personalized messages directly to people. This practice definitely helps in building loyalty and driving more sales.  Whereas, social media is perfect for increasing a brand’s visibility and connecting to a larger audience. If you want to get the most out of your marketing efforts, we advise you to consider both.  They are both worthwhile in their own ways. At Branex, we offer email marketing as well as social media marketing for our customers. Which option are you looking for? 

Let us know and our experts will offer you the best help! 

Believe it or not, the number of active social media users has surpassed 2.5 billion. And this number is expected to rise exponentially over the coming years. People spend a lot of time on different social media platforms such as Quora, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, and many others. This leads them to spend a great deal of their time on such platforms. Businesses, big and small alike, make use of these platforms by running effective social media marketing to engage the audience and reel them in so they can benefit from it. However, no matter how crowded the online space gets, there’s always room for mistakes. Marketers often commit them unintentionally in the hopes of making a good brand appearance. In an attempt to stand out, it’s not unusual for marketers to make such mistakes. But social media is different; it’s not like writing a blog and scheduling it so it ranks on Google. Social media can be unforgiving, and if you keep making the same mistake, you will eventually see your following dwindle by the day. It’s not just social posting; the same applies to social media campaigns.

8 Common Mistakes Should Avoid When Launching a Social Media Campaign

Here are eight common mistakes you must avoid when it comes to launching a social media campaign:

1. Set SMART Social Media Goals

Without clear goals and guidelines, social media campaigns are bound to fail. Thus, it is critical to create a proper roadmap before making the campaigns live. You can start by defining your objectives, which should be SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Therefore, set your SMART goal today and increase your chances of success! Tom Jauncey, Head Nerd at Nautilus Marketing.

2. Failing To Have A Crisis Communication Plan

One common mistake to avoid when launching a social media campaign is failing to have a crisis communication plan in place. Often, marketers are taken aback by negative comments or unexpected issues because they are not prepared. This results in delayed responses that can ruin both the success of the campaign and the overall reputation of the brand itself. Without a solid, proactive plan, minor problems may quickly become major crises that ruin brand trust and credibility. Ensure you don't make this error by crafting an all-encompassing crisis communication plan before initiating any campaigns on social media platforms. First, identify potential crisis scenarios that could affect your brand, ranging from product recalls to bad publicity. Clearly state how these should be monitored, responded to, or escalated upon occurrence and establish what steps should be taken during each phase. For commonly known problems, develop a list of pre-approved responses so that every team member can react quickly and uniformly. Thus controlling the overall narrative while minimizing damage. In addition, a dedicated crisis management team well-trained in handling delicate scenarios should be created. The members of this team must be equipped with the necessary tools for effective decision-making. By planning for possible crises, you can navigate through them smoothly without compromising your brand's image, even during difficult times. Having a well-prepared team can help ensure that what could've been a disaster can be transformed into an opportunity for people to see how strong and committed your company is to achieving excellence. Brian Lim, Founder & CEO, EmazingLights, iHeartRaves & INTO THE AM.

3. Relying Too Much on Generative AI

When launching a social media campaign, these days it can be very beneficial to avoid using generative AI to create your content. While these tools can help you create content faster and with less effort, they can often be a hindrance. One reason for this is that people have become far more attuned to what AI-generated content looks like. So if people recognize it in your social media campaign that could result in sowing a seed of distrust and disconnect between you and your audience, which you never want. Another reason is that AI-generated content often ranks lower when it comes to SEO. So, if you are hoping to boost your SEO with your campaign. It could end up having the opposite effect. Edward Tian, CEO, GPTZero

4. Not Being Authentic

One common mistake brands make when launching social media campaigns is not being authentic to their brand voice. As a founder of an agency focused on results-driven Facebook ads. I've seen many companies adopt an overly salesy tone in their social content that turns off audiences. For example, I once worked with a women's athleisure brand. Their social posts came across as overly promotional with headlines like "40% off everything this weekend only". This damaged their aspirational brand image. We helped them pivot to lifestyle content highlighting real customers and staff using the product. Engagement skyrocketed as audiences connected with the brand's authentic story. Sales also increased by over 20% as new customers were drawn to the brand's genuine social presence. The key is staying true to your brand values on social media. Don't just push sales messages. Share behind-the-scenes content, highlight your team, and build real connections. Social media should reflect what your brand stands for. When you get this right, audiences become loyal fans and customers for life. Chase Chappell, Founder, Chappell Digital, Sirge

5. Allocate Sufficient Ad Budget

A limited budget makes it difficult to leverage a full-funnel strategy. When funds are tight, reaching and engaging prospective customers at every stage of the buying journey becomes challenging. This hinders the overall efficiency of conversion-focused campaigns and means missing out on important opportunities. A low ad budget limits your ability to experiment with different strategies and test various creatives and audiences to determine what works best. Eventually, you will end up with poor outcomes at a higher cost. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to how much you should spend on social media campaigns. I always prefer starting with at least one-quarter of my target revenue as the ad budget. For example, if my target revenue from the campaign is $10,000, my ad budget would be $2,500. I then distribute this budget across different platforms depending on where my target audience is most active. Dan Ben-Nun, Founder & CEO, Adspace

6. Not Having A Well-defined Audience And Content Strategy

One mistake I often see is launching a social campaign without a well-defined audience and content strategy. You must know who you want to reach and what will resonate with them. For example, when consulting for a craft whiskey brand, we focused on influencers and lifestyle content. We positioned the brand as an aspirational product for urban socialites. The content highlighted cocktail recipes, nightlife hotspots, and influencer events. This precision targeting fueled rapid growth. Conversely, for an organic baby food company, we targeted millennial moms concerned with nutrition. We shared parenting tips, kid-friendly recipes, and product giveaways. Within months, social referrals became their top customer acquisition channel. The keys are researching your audience, aligning content, and choosing platforms that match their interests. Stay active in communities where they spend time. Measure, optimize, and pivot fast based on data. With the right social strategy, you can build highly engaged communities and drive real business impact. Cameron Gawley, Co-Founder & CGO, Arrival

7. Prioritizing Quantity Over Quality

Don’t make the mistake of prioritizing quantity over quality with your social media content. Just because you post a ton of content doesn’t mean you will automatically have more success because you’ll be reaching more people. A lot of times, posting too much can have negative results, with people becoming jaded with your content or even becoming distrustful of your motives. So, focus instead on quality posting to establish credibility, expertise, and a relationship with your audience. Jeremy Yamaguchi, CEO, Lawn Love

8. Assuming What Works With Others Will Work For You Too

One common mistake to avoid when launching a social media campaign is assuming that what works for others will work for you. Early in Premier Staff's journey, we made the costly error of mimicking the social media strategies of larger, established brands without considering our unique position and audience. We once launched a campaign inspired by a successful luxury car brand's approach, featuring sleek, minimalist posts with little context. The result? Crickets. Our audience of event planners and luxury brands was left confused and unengaged. We quickly realized that while our clients appreciated elegance. They also craved behind-the-scenes glimpses and practical insights into our services. This misstep taught us the importance of authenticity and knowing our audience. We pivoted to sharing more relatable content - like time-lapse videos of our team setting up for a Golden Globes after-party or tips on choosing the right staff for a product launch. This approach not only resonated with our audience but also showcased our expertise in a way that stock images never could. The lesson? Your social media strategy should be as unique as your business. Don't be afraid to let your brand's personality shine through, even in the luxury sector. It's not just about looking good. It's about connecting genuinely with your audience. Daniel Meursing, CEO & Founder, Premier Staff

Conclusion: Don’t Make the Same Mistake Twice! 

Whether starting out with your first social media marketing campaign or you’re a seasoned player. You’re bound to make mistakes occasionally. And it’s totally fine because you’re not an AI-powered chatbot. You’re a human and it can happen to anyone. It’s most likely that once you make a mistake, you should not repeat it under any circumstance. Success in social media can come quickly. However, if you fail to manage it or keep making the same mistakes repeatedly, you may reverse the consequences. If you don’t want your followership to dwindle and you want to sustain your online credibility all the while bringing more positive customers and creating more engagement, avoid these mistakes for good.

The holiday season and New Year is that time of the year when businesses of all types and sizes put their best efforts into creating amazing marketing campaigns to delight their target audience. In this digital era, where every brand is offering discounts and promotions, delighting your fans and followers is easier said than done. With the help of some creative social media marketing campaigns. You can fuel your branding efforts and provide your existing and potential customers with something of value.

For startups and small businesses, coming up with some killer marketing ideas to reach new markets, build brand awareness, and boost sales can be tough. You can help your startup or SMB stand out from hundreds of thousands of brands by simply following some creative new year social media marketing ideas for 2021.

If you haven’t planned something for the New Year, don’t worry, it’s not too late.

Here are some amazing New Year social media marketing ideas that will spice up your brand’s feed and boost your business.

8 Amazing New Year Social Media Marketing Ideas

Let’s check them out.

1. New Year Giveaway

Giveaways are an amazing way to skyrocket user engagement, and brand awareness, and increase your brand reach. New Year is the right time to run a giveaway and encourage your audience to take action to get a freebie. For instance, you can run contests and ask people to share their images using your products, share some funny quotes, write a testimonial, or anything that can increase user engagement.

Make sure the prize is worthwhile so more and more audiences will participate to win the free stuff. The more users engage with your post, the higher the chances of reaching new users and growing your following base.

2. Share Your New Year’s Resolutions with Your Audience

Create your New Year’s resolutions and share them with your social media fans. Ask your fans and followers to share their New Year plans and goals with you. It is an amazing way to engage your audience and help them feel more connected to you. You can share your plans on how you will be moving your startup forward and encourage your audience to send in their own resolutions to foster a sense of community by sharing their stories on your social media feed.

3. Share Festive-Themed Content

Celebrate New Year with your audience by encouraging them to share their holiday activities and images. Believe it or not, user-generated content is an effective way to promote your products and services. Though it won’t drive too much traffic to your website or bring more sales. It clearly shows that people are satisfied with your brand and quality products.

So, if you want to strengthen your relationship with your existing and potential customers. You can start retweeting and uploading images and posts in which your brand or products are mentioned.

Retweeting or reposting brand-related content from fans and replying to their questions is an effective way to show your social media audience. You really care about what your fans and followers say about your brand.  

4. Use Stories to Promote Your New Year Offer

The holiday season and New Year are the best time to offer a special discount and exclusive coupon codes. You can make the most out of your Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories to share your New Year discount deal or coupon code with your followers. While your holiday coupons may have expired, some customers are still waiting for the New Year's Day sale.

It is a great time to attract those customers by offering flash sales to clear your holiday inventory. You can give out exclusive discount coupons to your customers to increase your chances of getting more conversions and sales.

5. Launch New Products

In this competitive business world, the timing of your business launch matters a lot. If your startup wants to grow in 2021 and ahead, then launch a new product on New Year’s Eve. This is one of the best social media marketing tactics that can give you the desired results. People are already in a generous mood, and if your product meets their needs, they will definitely try your product.

6. Host a Live Campaign

There is no denying the fact that live video is one of the most engaging types of content that marketers are using to garner the attention of their fans and followers. Your brand can also make the most out of this cutting-edge social media trend by going live on Instagram or Facebook.

You can describe your product's unique features, conduct a live interview, hold a question and answer session, announce an exclusive discount on your service, or do anything interesting that your audience finds interesting for the New Year. The real-time interaction of your live video will improve your social media marketing efforts, engage your audience, and drive interest in your brand.

7. Send a Handwritten Note

Sending a hand-written customer thank you note, along with a customized holiday package is an amazing way to appreciate your customers and encourage them to return and recommend your brand on social media. When your loyal customers talk about your brand on social media and share pictures of the thank you note and the special New Year package. It will serve as social proof that you can share on your social media feed. In short, a thank you note is a proven way to earn your customers’ loyalty and get an authentic customer review that you can post on your social media and website.

8. Use Trending Topics and Hashtags

Brands can use hashtags to foster and build highly engaged and loyal communities of brand advocates and followers. You can ask your followers to post about your brand or encourage them to participate in contests by using branded hashtags or uploading images on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook with branded and trending hashtags.

A Brief Recap

Social media is undoubtedly an amazing place that allows you to promote your products or services to a wider audience. And the New Year is the right time to do so. You can use these killer New Year social media marketing ideas to excite your customers about your small business in 2021 and ahead. These social media marketing ideas, if implemented right, can increase your sales and brand awareness.

Happy New Year!

With almost half of the world’s population using social media actively, it becomes a lucrative proposition for businesses. Social media offers businesses a great platform to promote their products and services, communicate with their target audience, and build their brand. Just like everything else, social media also has two sides, positive and negative.

Social media managers and social media professionals have to deal with negative comments which can sometimes become abusive as well. They have to keep their calm and handle those comments smartly, as they are representing their brands on social networks. Any mistake on their part can land your business into hot waters and dent your brand reputation to the point where it is irreparable.

In this infographic, you will learn how to deal with criticism and negative comments on social media.

I tweet crap, spend countless hours on Facebook idly strolling, refreshing, and indolently flicking back up as if the world had somehow gone through a major apocalypse in the last few seconds, stalk people and brands on Instagram, and video-feed my life on Snapchat. All our social media platforms, so people can know how many pancakes I had for breakfast (none actually, because well I made them and they looked much better than they tasted) and the Chelsea boots that I am planning to pair with my forever 21 ruffle trim crop top this morning (again, a hand-me-down but no one needs to know that)! Wanna guess who am I? I am a social media enthusiast! There are two things that I cannot change about myself. First, I am a Millennial, which is pretty self-explanatory and speaks volumes about why I am how I am, and second, I’m a social media buff whose lifeline is a reliable internet connection. When I was growing up, I wanted to become a lawyer or maybe an engineer, but I decided to switch lanes down the road and embarked on the fork that led me to become a social media addict. It’s a rather informative vocation, considering that I know everything conspiring in the universe this very second! You want to know who the girl next door is secretly hooking up with; I am the person you come to! Curious to know when that dress, you had been dreaming of wearing to the prom but your wallet says otherwise, is gonna go on sale. Again, I am your best friend! I am fabulous, right? Better tweet about that! Social media is not just a part of our lives, it is a tapestry that connects each of us, a thread, with the world as a whole. Has dopamine got us hooked on tech? While some consider social media as a welcome reprieve from the daily grind of life, some crazy souls like me have built a career around it. If you don’t check your phone first thing in the morning, I salute you. I mean really, you are in the 46% of the population (who needs to get a life, seriously). The rest 66% of people reach out for their phones before even batting open both eyes. A staggering 26% of Americans use their phones while gouging on their waffles and bacon in the morning. The Journal of Nursing & Care conducted a study which revealed that glutting on social media is associated with anxiety, depression, and even poor sleep quality, things that will eventually rear their ugly heads down the road. Despite tons of evidence that hints at the lethal repercussions of social media overuse, I am here to present you with some confessions.  Admissions that would help brands comprehend my race better and target their marketing to ring a bell with me!

Confession #1: I Think Everything in 280 Characters

For reasons yet unbeknownst to me, I now think in 280 characters. Be it a business idea, the next startup pitch, or even jotting down my to-do list. I do everything which can fit in 280 characters. I even speak less so that people can get what I am talking about. And the best way to do so is to limit my thoughts to 280 characters.

Confession #2: I label Non-millennials as a ‘Curse’

All right all right. You grew up different, in a world depleted of social media. Just people talking to each other on the corner of your street. So perhaps you don’t know how to use social media and drive traffic to your website? You can always learn, right? There are still people out there who are using phones that need an aerial to work or people who are using desktop computers with Windows 98 as an operating system. Good for them. But, I consider these people as a curse to the society. I can’t even stand the sight of a stick-in-the-mud brand. I mean the Kermit meme has gone obsolete, literally out the window, a stuff of nostalgia. So when I see a brand posting it now, well I feel short of breath! Unfollow! We social media buffs are aware of the latest technological and digital advancements and want our favorite brands to be the pioneers of the digital revolution!

Confession #3: Not Responding to Me, is My Insult

I don’t know about you, but I will hunt you down if you don’t respond to me on social media.  And I will stalk you on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and sit there like a hawk. I will get back to you with anger and harsh behavior. If I tell you that my fried chicken was undercooked, you better respond (ideally with an apology, or even better, with a promise of a recompense) before I go berserk and go on an accusation tirade across all my communities. If I commend you on a new product launch, I accept you to get flattered, retweet, or like my comment. And if I see a pair of loafers that catch my fancy, you better tell me if they are available in my size before I start perusing through the pages of other brands. Staying silent only tells me that I am not important while valuing my suggestions and feedback will make me love you even more. And it’s not just me. 84% of consumers expect companies to respond within 24 hours after posting on social media, while 72% of Twitter complainants expect a response within an hour. In fact, millennials are 43% more likely to call out a brand on social media than other generations.

Confession #4: I Want Brands to Talk to Me Directly

If you are in the throes of controversy, a rumor, or a piece of unfavorable news, I would want nothing better than for you to come to the forefront, craft a stellar narrative, and directly respond promptly before I hear unsavory renditions from naysayers and haters. Because trust me, as much as I love good gossip, if you are my favorite brand, I would be secretly hoping for reassurance, a word of apology from you. For instance, when rumors swelled about Beyoncé’s marital problems, she posted photos of her happy family on Instagram to nip the rumors in the bud, and we all breathed a sigh of relief! Or when the Model S sedans built by Tesla Motors caught fire, Elon Musk took to social media to assure us of the safety of the cars.

Confession #5: I Will Stalk You on Every Social Media Channel

It doesn’t matter if you’re my friend or a foe, or someone I have just met. If I came across your name, the first thing I would do is stalk you on every social media channel. Not because I care about you, but because I have a nag about getting a true sense of the personality of people and brands. On social media, people are usually honest and authentic, and if you know where you can get particular data about people, you’ll be able to crack down on their personalities. I do the same with brands. If I hear the very mention of your brand somewhere, I’ll try to stalk you. And god forbid, if I can’t locate you on social media, you will be a “stranger danger” to me and I will never trust you. If I do locate your profile and find out that it hasn’t been updated for years or even months, I’ll be sure to say a little “RIP” prayer for you.

Confession #6: Without Twitter, There is No Breaking News

Even if the world is about to end, the first thing I will do is to verify it on Twitter – the hashtag #WorldIsEnding - and if there isn’t one, I will create my own. Twitter is the fastest medium to gather news about the world. For me, it is the ultimate source of information. If there is a piece of breaking news anywhere in the world, I will check Twitter to gather data on it. Seeing what my source of all news is, brands will be prudent to keep me abreast of new developments on Twitter. Be it a new product launch, an oncoming sale, or a burgeoning news, if I don’t hear about it on Twitter, or if enough people aren’t raving about it, it probably ain’t happening.

Confession #7: My Crush List on Social Media

Even though I know that people rarely put up their real pictures on social media, I often find myself falling in love with people. There is not just one, but several crushes on social media. It is like building a virtual crush on people. There is actually a list I keep on Twitter (of course it is an encrypted list) in which I manage all my crushes. If I am following your brand and it is replete with a string of eye-candy pictures of your products and solutions, I’ll ooh and AAH and keep coming back for more, because let’s face it; I live off eye-capturing graphics, even if I am not interested in an immediate purchase. Your Instagram would become my new mecca if it leaves me riveted!

Confession #8: I Keep My Phone on My Bedside

This is not just me. Everyone who owns a smartphone can vouch for this addiction. As a social media manager, I need to stay up-to-date with the most up-to-the-minute trends in the market. And whenever a new trend pops up, we need to cash in on the trend with all of our might. And you never know, maybe, someday my crush just might notice me. Till then, I am keeping the phone with me. As a brand, you must know that I am compelled to jump to my phone at every ping or beep. As such, you can keep me on my toes by posting regularly, and rest assured, I will see them all. But remember, I follow more pages than there are stars in the sky, so even if I don’t hear from you in a day or two, you tend to elude my mind altogether. Especially, if you are hosting a thriving event or something thrilling and I cannot be a part of it, I’ll want to be kept in the loop. I’ll constantly wait for your Snapchat stories or behind-the-scenes sneak peek to get a feel of actually being there. Even though I couldn’t make it to Buenos Aires, the mesmerizing symphony of the throng gave me goosebumps!

Confession #9: I Love a Good Tease

In a world of information overload, nothing leaves us hanging on the edge anymore, but oh, you can. If you have something in store for me, you can start building the right buzz around it, way before the launch, piece after piece, to cash in on the eclectic anticipation. Brands are already getting into the teaser game, and you would be wise to stretch your storytelling out in small pieces to get the maximum value out of your content. If you are thinking of innovating a new pizza flavor that is found to leave our tongues tantalized, start by building a compelling story around each unique flavor element perhaps, or posting ambiguous and blurry teaser videos, asking your audience to venture a guess. You know what we would love even better if you could offer free giveaways to the winners. It would simply make our day! For instance, Tailor Swift left us with our jaws hanging open when she wiped out her online presence in August of 2017. She relaunched with snake videos which whipped her fans into a frenzy and each new video hinted at a new album. When her single, "Look What You Made Me Do," was finally released in early September, it broke all records. This is because her fans were already so worked up, that they couldn’t wait to jump on the single the minute it came to being. And, as you can see, I am still online, just invisible. It’s a hard pill to swallow, which makes it an even harder habit to break - and an even worse emotional withdrawal. What you do on social media is entirely upon you. You can either use it or misuse it. But, in the end, it is all about the legacy that you’ll leave, your digital imprint that will matter to the generations after you.

Social media platforms have become integral to modern marketing strategies. Businesses of all sizes are leveraging these platforms to showcase their products, engage with customers, and drive sales.

What is the most underrated pleasure? A question asked on Quora that got around 3,500 answers. But the most interesting one was: ‘Sitting in the toilet’.

I mean are you serious? Yes, in fact, Poop Like Royalty is a tagline by a brand that manufactures devices which can help correct your toilet sitting posture. It is not about the product itself. It is about the way the brand is portraying the product.

Squatty Potty, dubbed "the stool for better stools," capitalizes on its doey-eyed unicorn with active bowels, expelling rainbow soft-serve ice cream while sitting on a throne. The furry, fantastical character alone is credited with a 400 percent increase in retail sales and a 600 percent leap in online sales with a single video that will forever change the way you drop the deuce.

The adorably creative ad broke all boundaries and its absurdist fever-dream theme hooked viewers until the very end, groaning to see the end of this intensely persuasive and personal infomercial. How could such an innocuous product, a small plastic step to be more specific, that will “give you the best potty of your life” according to the princely narrator, glean sales exceeding over $15 million in one year, you may be wondering? The answer lies in stellar storytelling!

Brands of today are jumping on insane ways to leave an everlasting impression on their users. Marketing tactics that are way above our heads are going viral and gaining the attention that is due them.

For instance, MagicLeap – a brand working on augmented reality, managed to capture an audience of 32,000 Twitter followers and 60,000 Facebook fans even before they launched their first product. How is that even possible? Because it’s engaging, thought-provoking, and interactive content gives users a sneak-peak into what they can expect next, keeping them on their toes at all times. Through such captivating video content, the brand is getting the world ready for what it is about to debut: AR goggles which would make it difficult to discern much between digital and virtual or real objects, making all data integrate seamlessly in our surroundings.

The good news is that some brands are already using insane tactics to portray products on social media. The great news is, that after this blog, you’ll be drilled in a few tactics through which you can flaunt your product on social media without even worrying about your competition!

1. A Teaser on Social Media

“Why is it that when one man builds a wall, the next man immediately needs to know what's on the other side?” ~George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones

The key is not to reveal what your product is going to be. When Microsoft Lumia was launched back in the year 2014, it was barely a small step in the ocean. A new product with a blank canvas.

There are several ways in which you can grab the attention of the users. You can either start a countdown. The countdown will serve two purposes. First, it will keep people engaged and serve as a reminder. Second, it will keep your audience curious about something.

The best approach is to start the countdown 4 days before the launch. You can launch the countdown on the homepage of your website and market it across all social media channels. You can even make a short video, leaving your audience excitedly guessing what you have in stock for them, rewarding those who can Venture the most accurate guess!

2. Blog About It

Are you looking to drool a river? All you have to do is to pop open the “bake happy blog” of Hershey’s to be bombarded by a mouthwatering treasure trove of recipes, promising all the goodness that chocolate has to offer. Even if you are not a baking aficionado, the simply pupil-dilating images would instill in you a passion to try your hands at a chocolate lava cake or perhaps a batch of chocolate fudge pecan pie bars. The best part: all these repertoire of recipes have a Hershey’s product or two at their core! Craving for a chocolate almond fudge? Better head to the grocery store to grab a bag of Hershey’s special dark Chocolate Chips!

You can take advantage of blogging to generate the right buzz around your product. Not just before pre-launch, but afterward as well. You can start the blog by creating awareness. Why is your product important for people? What real-world problem is it promising to solve?

If you’re able to convince people to use your product because it is catering to a need, it will be easier for you to gain attention when the time comes. People will be excited, and curious, and will invite their friends to test your product.

For instance, this highly creative startup regained, rescues the leftover nutritious grain from breweries, and recycles this mélange of fiber, protein, and a whole lot of micronutrients into super-grain flour which is incorporated into all their baked products. Since the concept is pretty novel, they leverage their blog to inculcate awareness about what they do, including taking their audience on a behind-the-scenes tour of the refinery to make them comprehend the notion.

Use the power of words to inspire people about your product. You can even create a series of blog posts that are centered on the how-to of your product or service.

An excellent example is that of TaskQue. A task management tool that can help managers better accomplish their resources by assigning automatic tasks to idle resources. If you see the TaskQue Blog, you’ll notice that all the blogs are themed around productivity, product features, and topics that are pertinent for project managers, to make their lives simpler.

3. Create a Video

When DollarShaveClub.com wanted to stand out from the typical TVC war, they created this hilarious TVC which went viral in no time. What makes this product video stand out is how well the company is acquainted with its audience and the real-world problem it is addressing; that of the exorbitant costs of store-bought razor cartridges.

The company aspired to tap into a demographic of young, professional men who often purchase big-brand razors at local stores. The well-targeted, absurdist launch video catered well to their targeted end-users, and as a result, the video gleaned more than 11 million views.

If you have the right budget, you can even leverage a fun animated video announcing the new launch and letting the people get acquainted with your product. For instance, the animated product launch video of Soluto, an anti-frustration software that helps its patrons do new things with the services and devices they use based on their interests and behaviors, shows how the brand is empowering its customers to get the most out of their technology.

https://vimeo.com/35831813

Similarly, you can share behind-the-scenes of the product, which usually intrigues consumers to establish a personal bond with the brand. Whatever it is, you have the opportunity to get creative and get your audience animated by creating a unique video that catches their eye.

4. Limit the Quantity of the Product

If you want to create the right hype about your product, the best way is to limit the quantity of the product. Or at least pretend that you have a limited quantity to create a sense of urgency around your offering. Not only does this make your product appear more valuable, but if you sell out you’ll create even more hype for your product for the next go-round. It will also compel the users into impulsive buying decisions.

5. Ask Influencers for Help

Ring up the top 100 digital marketers of the year 2018, invite them over for a cup of coffee, and give them your product. Let them use it, and ask them to review the product on their social media pages. Once you’re able to sell a few influencers on your product, you’ll be able to create momentum for your product. There are plenty of opportunities to get creative with this one, but don’t overlook the great opportunities that come from networking and putting together a community around your launch.

You can even offer incentives to influencers and help them build more networks around your customer database. You can even ask the influencers to become your brand advocates and pay them a small fortune for their troubles.

6. Unite Your Tribe with a Cover Photo

The great thing about social media is that it is addictive. You can start with baby steps, add people, and within no time, you’ll be able to influence an even greater number. For instance, you can leverage your cover photo to flaunt some of your products, especially if you are designing for retail. An online stationery shop, NoteMaker, displays its key stock items neatly on its cover photo against a white background to direct the eye where it is supposed to be directed.

Brands in the food industry can jump on a host of stellar opportunities to grab attention using enticing photos of their mouth-watering offerings. Let your audience know what’s new on the menu, which of your flavors is becoming an eye candy, and what new promotions are on the way.

Here, the melting cheese oozing out from the slice is sure to kick all your pizza cravings into action!

If you plan to launch a website, a brand, or even a brick-and-mortar store, you can change your social media cover photo on every channel and ask your customers to do the same. Of course, you can offer them some incentive to do so.

But the thing is to create a tribe and let the people follow that tribe. You can even use the countdown to create engagement among the young souls. In this way, people will be curious about what is coming their way.

To Wrap It All

Whether you take away one idea from this post or try to implement them all, you'll be able to create a little more excitement around your new business launch. And the more excitement you can generate around your business, the greater chances you have of expanding your audience, engaging with your followers, and increasing your sales.

One evening during our usual evening tea, my mom, an Instagram Fanatic, seemed rather distracted by something that had caught her eye on the phone. She swayed her phone from side to side and squinted her eyes trying hard to focus. Noticing that the tendrils of steam wafting out of her teacup were growing thinner, I called out to her. She suddenly piped up, “Do objects actually move on Instagram or is it just me? Is there something wrong with me”? I had to burst out laughing as I told her that she was not hallucinating, but rather getting mesmerized by the hypnotic power of something known as “cinemagraphs”. A cinemagraph combines a still image with a looping moving element to create a striking and eye-catching image. Cinemagraphs are not only chic, they unobtrusively draw the audience into their magic. And the best part is, when you stare at an image and it enchantingly comes to life, you will inevitably jump back in a delighted surprise. Indubitably, cinemagraphs serve to capture the eye of users with their inimitability. It has never been easier for marketers to mesmerize social media users with these striking and dynamic photos. In fact, a study by PepsiCo revealed that a cinemagraph performed 5,000% better as compared to a still photo; a whopping 50X lift in engagement from a cinemagraph. This is why the trend of leveraging cinemagraphs on Instagram is growing ever more exponentially since more and more brands are embracing the power of cinemagraphs on Instagram. For instance, when Budweiser showed off a moving leg and subtle beer suds to breathe life into its Instagram photos, people absolutely fell head over heels for their posts. Or remember when Toyota placed an SUV in the woods next to a mountain bike rider, with puffs of dust emanating from under the bike wheels to give an illusion of speed? With only a few precious seconds available to capture the attention of your audience, digital marketers are always looking for more engaging, interesting, and attention-grabbing video content. Last year, almost every major brand shared these living photographs on Instagram in a series of intriguing ways. Many established brands such as Nike, Netflix, Lays, Coca-Cola, Lufthansa, and even small businesses and non-profit organizations have taken to cinemagraphs on Instagram since last year. Especially when it comes to their organic content, promoted posts, and advertising material.

Why Should Brands Share Cinemagraphs on Instagram?

These quick, animated images with subtle movements look unusual and stand out against the static movements. Unlike regular images or videos, these magical photos are highly unique and attention-grabbing. With a great emphasis on photography and videography, more and more brands prefer to post cinemagraphs on Instagram. The ability to upload auto-loop and auto-play clearly shows that these cinematic pictures can live longer on your Instagram feed and can easily be shared in your Instagram Stories. This is why more and more brands are getting the most out of cinemagraphs and are sharing these magical photos on Instagram ever more frequently. Brands are getting high on this burgeoning medium, because:

• The bite-sized format makes them easily digestible.
• Cheaper and easier to produce than video content.
• Highly attention-grabbing without being annoying or distracting.
• Encourage a higher level of engagement since they are easily shareable.
• Keep viewers engaged by offering intricate content.
• Help brands come up with more elaborate visual storytelling techniques.

New Advertising Medium to Drive Maximum Engagement

If your brand is still not using cinemagraphs, now is the time to make the most of this hot, new, and effective advertising medium that can help you gain maximum engagement. Brands and Instagrammers have started using this mesmerizing and dynamic photo effect like wildfire. And now it is becoming one of the most effective advertising mediums. Stuart Weitzman – the famous fashion brand is using the power of cinemagraphs on Instagram, and to influence its customers more effectively. They have started capitalizing on the custom targeting options integrated within Instagram to target its audience based on their demonstrated brand affinity, visits to the website, and interests. While these ads tantalize their fans with a sneak peek of their products. They also mesmerize users with their creative execution. Also Read: Power of Influencer Marketing

Auto-playing and Auto-looping Videos

Cinemagraphs allow brands to bid adieu to static content. In today’s content-driven world where millions of photos, images, articles, and infographics are shared every day. Digital marketers are always looking for innovative and interesting ways to produce more engaging content. Cinemagraphs are action-driven video content that are way more fascinating than still images. With Instagram auto-playing video content, cinemagraphs can seamlessly play in HD. In addition, auto-looping makes the platform a perfect choice for hybrid photography. Due to a perfect balance between photo and video, cinemagraphs can take the best of both artistic forms. Have a look at these Instagram posts, and you can see how these brands have beautifully leveraged cinemagraphs in their Instagram ads. To put it in a nutshell, cinemagraphs can also be used as an alternative to videos on websites. Since they are simply amazing and consume less bandwidth, thus ensuring a faster load time.

Final Words

The trend of using cinemagraphs on Instagram exploded last year and they have taken their place in conjunction with images and videos, as a very popular mainstream visual medium. They are taking the social media and digital marketing realm by storm. In 2018, it is expected that cinemagraphs will become one of the most popular advertising mediums on social media. Calling all digital marketers, if you haven’t started using this hot trend. Now is the time to add cinemagraphs to your digital media strategy. Use them wisely and leave your audience in a trance.

2017 has been a roller coaster ride for social media. We witnessed how it took the digital marketing realm by storm with a stream of innovations to accommodate the needs of advertisers and marketers with its various platforms. The improvements and changes evident in the last few years have been so congruous that they left marketers and agencies perpetually on their toes, rushing to radically re-center their campaigns to keep up with the trends. The time has come... the final stretch of 2017 wearing thin as we eagerly count down the last few days before a new year is heralded. It’s time for marketers to regroup and brainstorm about what they can do in the year to come to have a successful business year ahead! As the social media marketing field continues to expand, digital marketing companies need to make sure that their marketing campaigns and strategies are keeping up with the Joneses. As you look ahead to 2018 and start creating a stellar social media marketing strategy for the year to come. It is important to stay abreast of all the up-and-coming trends.

4 Social Media Marketing Trends

Here are four social media marketing trends to look out for in 2018:

1. Chatbots for Prompt Customer Service

Chatbots are bots that have the ability to solve customers’ issues and respond promptly. They are no longer the robotic machines they were once considered. This year, many brands have incorporated chatbots into their marketing strategy and it is expected that in 2018. 20% of business content will be generated by robotic machines. Chatbots give marketing companies the chance to interact immediately with their customers with a more human touch. As chatbots continue to evolve, imbued with a personal touch. You can customize your brand voice and send more personalized messages directly to your customers. According to Facebook, there are around 100,000 monthly active bots on Facebook Messenger that offer a platform for online marketers to connect with audiences. While approximately 60% of millennials have used chatbots and 71% say that they would like to talk to a chatbot of major brands. So, if you haven’t started incorporating chatbots into your marketing strategy. Now it’s time to test these friendly bots for your business.

2. The Rise of Augmented Reality  

The frequent use of Augmented Reality (AR) on mobile devices offers a more engaging and amazing way for marketers to increase their reach. Now businesses can reach their target audience quickly, easily, and in more interactive ways. Apple’s iPhone X provides users with a host of new augmented reality experiences. So chances are that more and more social media networks will introduce innovative ways of implementing AR into their platforms. Snapchat has already launched its new AR feature that allows users to create their own cartoon avatars, or emojis, and project their images into the real world through the app’s camera.  Regardless of the environment, they are viewing through their app’s camera. They will be able to superimpose their avatar onto it. Brands can also project their products on social media through advanced filters. Let’s take an example of IKEA when the brand launched an app for users to preview their products in their homes before making a purchase. This is simply an amazing idea to lure in more customers by showing them how their chosen products will look in their own homes before they make a purchase decision online.

Also Read: Immersive Videos are Reshaping Brands and Transforming Digital Ad Industry

If your brand is thinking of getting its feet wet with AR, make sure that you are leveraging this burgeoning technology to add immense value for the user. Carefully consider how your digital marketing strategy perfectly fits into your business and how this latest technology will help it blossom.

3. Videos will continue to Take Over

Everyone knows that video content is gaining more traction by the day. In 2017 alone, approximately 90% of content shared by consumers on social media was in the form of video. According to recent statistics, 43% of users want to see more video content from marketers, and nearly 51.9% of digital marketers consider video as the most important content type that has the potential to create more ROI. Because of its increasing popularity, more and more brands are creating videos to communicate with their target audience. Video content will be more valuable for generating engagement and building your following. Instagram and Snapchat both give businesses the chance to create interesting and engaging video content and share it immediately with their audience. Businesses that are not using video as a major part of their social media marketing strategy yet need to consider capitalizing on this medium in 2018. As video content is one of the hottest social media marketing trends, your marketing agency should follow in its wake in 2018. But make sure your video content is high quality and engaging for better results.

4. Influencer Marketing Will Take a Stronger Place

Influencer marketing is not new; almost every brand knows how powerful it could be for their presence and in creating brand awareness. If you still haven’t given influencer marketing a whirl, it is the right time to do social media outreach, find an industry influencer for your business, and leverage the power of influencer marketing to increase your brand reach.

Also Read: The Rise of Influencer Marketing

In 2018, it is predicted that influencers will take over social media as more and more brands, no matter how small or established, comprehend the true potential of this effective marketing strategy. According to recent statistics, more than 70% of teenage YouTube subscribers trust the opinion of influencers more than regular celebrity endorsements. Nearly 71% of consumers are more likely to make a buying decision based on a recommendation from social media. It is simply not enough to establish a relationship with some industry influencers. Instead, digital marketers should focus on building strong relationships with thought leaders, setting clear goals, and choosing the right person who can help deliver the best ROI.

Key Takeaways

2018 is almost here, and it’s high time for marketers to create a solid marketing strategy to maximize marketing results. It is important to stay abreast of all the latest social media marketing trends for 2018 to achieve your marketing goals and stay ahead of the curve. Take advantage of social media, build your brand, connect with your audience, create and distribute engaging, cutting-edge content, and it will definitely strengthen your marketing efforts in the year to come.

The adage “if you build it, they will come”, might have worked in the 80s blockbuster “Field of Dreams” but it certainly has no place in retail or e-commerce. In order to capture the attention of customers, marketers today resort to splurging a fortune on advertising and marketing; all in an effort to build a stellar reputation for their brands! Your brand reputation matters a lot and you can’t underestimate its value in the midst of a raging brand war. It can make a huge impact on whether consumers trust your brand enough to buy your products or tell their friends about you -in a nutshell, your overall business growth. In this cut-throat business world, nearly every brand is striving hard to come up with stellar marketing strategies to get their voice heard and win the race. To attract more and more people and win their trust, you need to show them why your brand is unique and the sole reason behind your brand’s existence. Modern consumers are tech-savvy and know when they are being pitched by a brand. It is becoming very challenging to win their trust and promote your products in front of them. You need to come up with a creative marketing strategy to lure in customers and make them feel the urge to buy your products. Many brands are utilizing their creative juices and developing startling social media marketing campaigns to create a trustworthy and positive impact on their brand’s reputation. From one-off campaigns to holiday planning to store launches, marketers are forever eager to flaunt their brands creatively. If you looking digital marketing agency for some innovative ideas to tap into an unexplored customer base and create a result-driven social media marketing strategy, here are some of the most stirring social media campaigns of 2017 for your inspiration.

1. Adidas Originals - #ORIGINAL is Campaign

Adidas understands that its target market is not spending much time watching traditional TVCs. They are also drilled in the knowledge that millennials respond promptly to digital and social advertisements. Recently, Adidas came up with an amazing Instagram campaign, #ORIGINAL is, and linked influential figures from the worlds of sports, skates, art, and music, such as Designer, Stormzy, and Snoop Dogg to promote their Originals collection. Even though Adidas boasts different product lines for each sport. The video established its original brand as an epitome of hip-hop culture. The campaign capitalizes on influencer marketing to appeal to a massive user base. Collaborating with big names synonymous with the Hip-hop culture helps boost the credibility of the brand in the fashion realm. And the video it has created for its #ORIGINAL campaign is very engaging and intriguing.

2. Airbnb - #WeAcceptCampaign

Brian Joe Nate - the founder of Airbnb regretfully cites, “No matter who you are, where you're from, who you love, or who you worship, you deserve to belong. We know this is an idealistic notion that faces huge obstacles because of something that also seems simple, but isn't - that not everyone is accepted.”

3. Amazon - #1 Campaign

Amazon – the e-commerce giant, came up with an amazing idea; they ran a successful marketing campaign on Instagram just to express gratitude towards their customers and brand advocates for rating them the top corporation in business reputation. This is something that famous brands don’t usually do, but Amazon’s #1 campaign made its fans and followers feel great while strengthening their connection to the brand. Amazon posted a simple image on Instagram showing their top-notch reputation ranking with an engaging caption telling their fans about an amazing discount they offered in celebration of their bounding success. By providing promo codes or linking to a promotional landing page, your brand can also increase sales via Instagram marketing.

4. Gucci- #TFW Gucci Campaign

Memes have literally eclipsed the limitations of the internet ephemera. Memes have emerged as a cultural currency that marketers are rushing to cash in on. Gucci #TFW Gucci(That Feeling When Gucci) is a brilliant example of successfully jumping on a trend to capture the attention of a particular target market. With this ingenious campaign, Gucci wanted to raise awareness among the younger demographic who can afford Gucci products, just to create hype around the brand. The Instagram marketing campaign was inspired by the internet-born catchphrase “that feeling when” and accompanied by hilarious images, showcasing their latest collection of luxury watches, aimed at wooing their millennial demographics. By imitating memes, created by a host of theorists, writers, meme-makers, photographers, and artists, Gucci tapped into a famous online trend that resonated with its target market, and people simply lost it. The memes receive a whopping 2 million likes and thousands of comments, thus creating a buzz around the brand.

5. Ted Baker –#meetthebakers Campaign

A famous fashion brand, Ted Baker, came up with a unique and multi-channel approach (VR, Instagram Stories, and Interactive Store Windows) to promote its spring/summer collection. They created a shoppable 360-degree video that mashed up the classic 70’s American sitcoms with Snap-chat-like hilarious graphics. The Keeping Up with the Bakers campaign centered on the stylish Bakers Family. The 360-degree video is directed in pastel colors with fun graphics to appeal to Snapchat users. The items/outfits sported by the characters in the shoppable film could easily be purchased by viewers. The 360-degree VR-oriented shoppable film, allowed viewers to immerse completely into the Bakers’ world. The fashion retailer has played on Instagram Stories to capture the interest of younger audiences and glean more engagement and social shares. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSSfIlQnZb8

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, these successful marketing campaigns of 2017 have instilled in you some great ideas about social media marketing campaigns your brand can potentially run to get maximum ROI and engagement. Knowing your audience well and keeping up with all the latest trends and events can provide you with a huge opportunity to create a relevant, shareable, and high-ROI marketing campaign. If you appeal to consumers in the right way with your innovative marketing campaigns. It will successfully evoke positive emotions in your audience, pluck at their heartstrings, and encourage them to engage, share, and take the desired action.

However, 10 years down the road, Twitter has become a mainstream social media site. The same goes for Facebook; who could have imagined that a platform used for connecting with long-lost family members and friends would have such a vast impact on businesses? In fact, Social media has now become a vital part of any brand’s digital marketing strategy and is ingrained so deeply in our lives, that it is almost a travesty to consider a world without. Remember how you felt a jolt of excitement when you were first introduced to Twitter? Did you jump up with joy or brooded over what possible benefits this hipster platform could have for your business? I know I had my doubts. Despite the staggering statistics that you are bombarded with every second, the vast implications of Facebook haven’t dawned on some businesses, who still fail to employ this effective marketing tool to its full potential. Many digital marketers find it challenging to escalate website traffic, boost social media engagement, and create real conversions to increase their brand awareness. Today, the number of likes, shares, and follows determines the credibility of a brand. To create a loyal fan base and boost your sales, brands need to understand the requirements and preferences of their target audience. Prove to your audience that you are not an emotionless bot or a money-spurning machine. Try to engage, inspire, and surprise your customers with shareable and memorable content. Whether you are a digital agency, a mobile app development agency, or a young entrepreneur, if you want to compete with well-established brands and gather more and more customers on your social media platforms, you need to implement these winning social media strategies in 2018.  

Humanize Your Brand

We live in a digital age where businesses can easily find an app or a software program for handling each aspect of their social media marketing. From scheduling posts to direct messaging – you can improve your social media marketing efforts tremendously. While these are the most important aspects of your marketing company, you also need to make sure that your social media activities are not solely relying on automated tools. To cultivate a loyal and long-lasting relationship with your audience, you need to bring out the human side of your brand. Being real with people on social media is the key. Sure, your social media tools are helping you stay organized, automated bots cannot be relied on to answer the most sensitive queries and misgiving of your followers. These tools don’t have the ability to respond to a client’s query in real time. This can convey a negative message to your audience. People want real engagement with your brand. It is highly recommended to avoid using these robots and automated tools as they fail to embody the personality of your brand, especially when it comes to responding to a customer in real time. I’m not saying that you should steer clear of these automated resources. Smart digital marketers know when to use these automated resources and when they should add a more real, human touch. 

Provide Great Content

Being a digital marketer, you need to understand what your audience wants to read and tailor your content accordingly. You can use helpful, motivational, entertaining, and interesting images and memes to get your audience engaged with your brand consistently. In addition, videos, infographics, GIFs, quizzes, and fun tidbits let you intrigue your customers and lure them in every day for a dose of inspiration. You can attract an ever-increasing host of people by creating real and compelling content on your social media accounts. Post informative, valuable, and engaging content on your social media accounts, so that users regularly check your social media accounts to see what you have to say. Also Read: 5 Tips to Keep Social Media Safe When in doubt, follow the rule of 80/20. This translates into the fact that 80% of your content must be informative, entertaining, motivational, trending, and inspiring. This 80% of content shouldn’t contain any branded stuff or promotional posts. It all depends on what your target audience enjoys the most. If you find it difficult to unearth the preferences of your audience, you can check Facebook Audience Insights. Type in some topics of your interest and it will provide you with other brand pages, who are creating real content along those lines. Take all the tips and ideas you can from them and create similar content to post on your social media account. 

Don’t be Shy to Follow Others

Many brands aspire to accumulate a horde of followers, but they consider it beneath them to follow other people or brands. In the social media realm, this strategy doesn’t work. To create a massive social media following and increase engagement, you should follow other successful brands and people, especially within your niche. You should know how to follow others. As a rule, follow only those people and brands which are relevant to your industry, products, or services. Don’t overlook the significance of social engagement as it is going to help your brand in the long run. People are prone to remember brands that provide solutions to their problems more positively and helpfully. When you start following the industry leaders and relevant people and continue to provide them with feasible solutions, pertinent guidance, and relevant answers, your brand will soon start leading these people. I repeat; Don’t hesitate to follow other people. 

Measure Your Success

Several ways can help you measure your social media success. You can glean insights into your social media accounts from analytics and build your business on that foundation. Smart marketers always measure their success based on the social media engagement their brand is getting every single day on social media. It is important to figure out how many users are interacting with you regularly. Identify your key players who frequently comment on your posts or those who always seem willing to share your posts. Anytime, anyone likes, shares, comments, or retweets your post, your social media team should immediately take notice, and reply to those fans and followers to let them know that they are special to you. One amazing way of measuring the success of your social media campaigns is to set up a particular goal. For instance, your goal is to create 100 signups on Facebook with at least 15 shares, 25 likes, and 5 comments. These are some personal engagement goals you can create for your campaigns. It is important to understand and create goals by which you can track your engagement success on the social media platform of your choice. Every social media platform is different. The audience may be the same, but their behaviors on different social media platforms are different. It is advised to tailor content by keeping the algorithm and ergonomics of various social networks in mind.  

Foster Strong Relationships

Cultivating lasting relationships with your audience is one of the most effective social media marketing tips. While it seems pretty hard to build a relationship, especially on a virtual ground, with consistent marketing efforts, you can do it as well as successful organizations. Developing relationships creates brand loyalty and an avenue for fans and followers with whom you have just built a relationship. You invest your efforts and time, and eventually build a relationship, and establish that coveted trust. This separates a consumer who doesn’t know your brand intimately from the person you just created a bond with. Building positive relationships with your audience is a powerful marketing strategy and one that your brand should be taking advantage of every day. 

Food for Thought

These are the best social media strategies every brand should strive to follow consistently. You have a brand to build and a whopping number of followers who want to learn about your brand. When you invest quality time, effort, and knowledge into your audience, you will reap great results with these effective social media marketing strategies.