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CREATING EFFECTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS
Introduction
This guide will explain the usage of social media as a marketing strategy.
Content Overview
Part 1: DEFINE YOUR GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Part 2: CHOOSE YOUR NETWORK
i. General Tips
ii. Advantages
iii. Disadvantages
Part 3: BE PROMINENT
Part 4: CREATE YOUR CONTENT
i. Define Your Brand Identity
ii. Quality: Text
iii. Quality: Image
iv. Quality: Timing
v. Quality: Frequency
vi. Interact with your Audience
vii. Be Relevant
viii. Create Hype
ix. Coordinate your Channels
x. Basic Content Ideas
Part 5: EVALUATE
i. Track your Success
ii. Prioritize your Platforms
iii. Timing and Frequency
iv. Improve your Content
GETTING STARTED
Social media is a powerful marketing tool that provides the opportunity to show your brand personality and build a
lasting relationship between your brand and your customers. Social media is a great sales generator that allows you
to create value, engage your audience and expand your reach through sharing text, images and videos. If done right,
social media marketing can contribute significantly to your success.
Ways social media marketing can improve your business:
Increase brand recognition
Improve brand loyalty
Increase sales/conversion rates
Increase traffic to your website
Provide opportunity to improve customer service
Reduce marketing costs
Before we get started, here are some basic pointers:
When in doubt, keep it simple
Be transparent and honest
Don’t be afraid to go out of the box
Have patience! Social media marketing success doesn’t come overnight. It’s likely you need to commit in the
long run to achieve results
PART 1: DEFINE YOUR GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Before starting on building your social media presence, it is crucial to set an end goal. Set clear and specific
objectives for your social media marketing efforts and decide on your long term goal for your company.
Objectives:
Increase brand recognition in social media channels
Develop a positive online following
Increase interaction with your audience
Establish your brand image
Goals:
Increase visits to your website
Drive new visitors to site
Increase sales/conversion rate
Increase brand awareness
Boost brand image
PART 2: CHOOSE YOUR NETWORK
i. General Tips:
If you’re new to social media marketing, a good starting point is to select one or two relevant channels to invest in.
The most popular social networks for the fashion and retail industry that will be discussed here include Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. Other platforms you may like to consider are Tumblr, Vine and Google+
It is important for you to choose the platform(s) that will provide your company with the biggest return for your
investment. Each social media channel has distinct qualities and there are many factors to take into consideration.
When choosing your social media platforms, consider the following:
1. Time
Plan how much time you have to devote to a network. To product quality content at a regular place, plan on
spending at least an hour per day per network at the start.
2. Resources
How much do you plan to spend on social media marketing? Who is your social media marketing team? While it may
be less costly than traditional marketing, visual social networks require images which may be financially draining.
3. Your Audience
Who is your target audience? Where do they socialize online? Which social media channels are your competitor
brands active in?
ii. Advantages iii. Disadvantages
Wide, diverse audience
Helps build long-term relationships
with your customers
Great for sharing text, photos,
videos and links
Requires large resources to provide
wide range of content
May not have maximum reach to
compete with bigger brands
Appeals to mobile users
High engagement rate
Enables storytelling through
enhanced imagery
Limited to iOS and Android mobile
user
Need for resources to produce
quality images
Links in posts are non-actionable: No
direct links to website
Appeals to the younger generation
Frequent and direct communication
Ideal for sharing breaking news,
updates and answering questions
Limited to 140 characters
Requires immediate responses
PART 3: BE PROMINENT
Display your social media links clearly on your website to enable easy access and optimize traffic.
Similarly, on your social media channels, provide a clear link to your shop page on THE ICONIC to direct your
followers to make a purchase.
You can provide a link to your own website. However, it is beneficial to provide any of THE ICONIC links as
well, as THE ICONIC has a unique selling point: free shipping, COD and being a one-stop fashion destination
for multiple brands.
Another way to garner a following is to follow your competitors and popular channels similar to your brand.
Chances are, your target audience follows these channels. You can direct these followers to your channels by
engaging with them through liking their posts, commenting or following them.
Large female audience (80% are female)
Images can be linked to specific landing pages
Users can ‘repin’ content which expands reach
May not appeal to male audience
Need for resources to produce
quality images
Lower number of users and
engagement rate
Large potential for visual and
narrative content
Great opportunity to showcase
brand personality
High competition and requires large resources
Need for filmmaking, writing and communication skills
High risk of criticism/backlash damaging brand image
PART 4: CREATE YOUR CONTENT
i. Define your Brand Identity
Your brand identity is a group of elements that shapes a distinct brand image. These elements consist of a mix of
unique brand personality traits and brand values. A unique brand personality makes your brand more relatable while
your brand values will help shape the foundation for success.
To find your brand personality:
Imagine your brand as a person and list out words that describe his/her personality, values and lifestyle.
E.g. Outgoing, glamorous, animal lover etc.
Pick a celebrity, car or an animal that best represents your brand and list down the reasons why.
E.g. Swarovski: Swan. Often associated with royalty, swans convey a sense of sophistication, elegance and
class.
Determine your brand values:
Your work ethics and work culture
Your goals in terms of giving to the customers and contributing to society
All content should be aligned and standardized according to your brand identity.
Personality & Relationship to your customers
Speech : Language & Tone of Voice
Lifestyle : Food & Leisure
Visuals : Styling & Design
ii. Quality: Text
Firstly, be authentic, don’t be 100% sales marketing!
People don't willingly follow accounts that are blatantly marketing and promoting their products/services all
the time
Focus less on conversions and more on creating valuable content that people genuinely want to follow!
When creating content, think of how it benefits your audience.
E.g. Sale posts allow follower be the first to know about a sale, outfit posts give style inspiration,
inspirational quotes provide motivation, food posts give recommendations on where to eat, competitions
entertain and let users win prizes, etc.
Occasionally post content that does not directly relate to your products
e.g. for fashion, post content on travel, pets, etc.
General Tips:
Double check for spelling or grammatical errors! (Even tiny mistakes can make a bad impression)
Provide product links when featuring a product
Invest time in creating regularly searched keywords that your followers can find easily: title, description, tags
and hashtags
Instigate a call-to-action: Encourage followers to subscribe, favourite/like, comment, visit your website, etc.
For Facebook, Instagram and Twitter:
Invest time in creating a simple and catchy hashtag that contains your brand name
Use no more than 3 hashtags per post to create a bigger impact
Mention celebrities or fashion bloggers, they may share it with their followers
For visual posts, keep the word count to a minimum
For Pinterest:
Include links and price tags: Get more likes and inspire a purchase
Use Pinterest group boards: Reach more viewers and get more repins, followers and traffic. Free tool
PinGroupie allows you to find popular group boards.
For YouTube:
Once a video is uploaded, post links in other social media outposts to attract more traffic
iii. Quality: Image
Make sure your images are of high quality and resolution. Learn how to take captivating pictures. Use filters, angles,
lighting and other photography tricks to enhance your photos. Try using Photoshop, Diptic, or Photoshake to edit
your pictures.
The following are some basic general photography tips to stand out:
1. Angles
Angles can contribute to the mood and perspective
of an image. Take photos from unusual angles, e.g.
shooting from ground, above eye view, bird’s eye
view, tilted, with the foreground blurred out etc.
Explore different angles when shooting the same
scene to find how to best portray the image subject.
2. Depth
Create depth in your images using lines,
repetition and space
Create a visual line through roads, pathways,
tunnels etc
Highlight contrast between foreground and
background by using blur tools or shadows
3. Lighting
Take pictures in lighting that reveals the details and
texture of your product clearly. Try experimenting
with creating shadows that can be further enhanced
with filters. Images taken during the golden hour
(after sunrise and before sunset) has soft, natural
lighting.
4. Composition
A great beginner’s guide to picture
composition is the rule of thirds, where
the main subject is aligned with the
lines or the intersection of the lines on
a grid that separates the photo by 9
equal parts. The intersections of the
lines are where the eye is
drawn to instinctively. This creates a
balanced and unified image.
5. Background/Location
Getting the right location is important to convey a
narrative or a story. Match the mood and style of
your products to the environment. For example, a
rural environment like a field or beach
complements spring/summer fashion, while edgy,
sporty or darker fashion works well in an urban
setting like a graffiti wall or concrete architecture.
6. Filter
Small changes in contrast, temperature and
saturation can make subtle but significant
changes to your images. However, be careful not
to over edit photographs! Filters are for
enhancement rather than transformation. For
greater customization, some great filter apps to
try out are VSCOcam, Snapseed, Afterlight and
Camera+.
iv. Quality: Timing
The chart below summarizes the best timings to post on social media according to research by sumall.com. In
general, content posted late in the day gets more likes and shares.
v. Quality: Frequency
Create a balance: Posting infrequently causes followers to lose attention, while posting too often may be invasive.
Consistency is key: Decided on an approximate schedule for frequency of posts and stick to it.
Below is an approximate guide on the average frequency of posts made by various fashion companies.
vi. Interact with your audience
Boost brand loyalty by building a relationship with your customers, let them know their opinion matters!
Be social: Demonstrate good conversation skills and use an authentic ‘human’ voice.
Be reliable: Reply comments, answer questions immediately. Address complaints quickly and publicly, and
thank customers who tag your brand or product in their posts.
Reciprocate: Share user-generated content
Repost customers’ posts where they are showcasing your products to encourage other followers to make a
purchase
Observe how your consumers style your products and highlight them in your social media outposts
3 – 10 per
week
2 – 3 per
week
1 – 10 per
day
5 – 10 per
day
1 – 2 per
week
Create entertaining content to boost participation and engagement:
A game contest or competition
An open ended question for feedback or discussion e.g. fill-in-the-blank, ‘caption this’, truth of fiction
vii. Be Relevant
Look out for upcoming events and be on top of the latest news
Take part in festivities and special occasions or events like Black Friday, Christmas and Halloween
Show that your brand is social and active in the community while promoting your products/brands
Show your brand’s values
Look out for causes that your brand supports e.g. preventing AIDS, environmental conservation
Give your consumers a wider benefit of participating in your campaign e.g. followers who joined
#thePinkFight get to feel like they have contributes to spreading breast cancer awareness
For example:
Prabal Gurung’s ‘Guess the model’ campaign.
Followers guess who the model is and three winners
win a piece from Gurung’s fall collection
viii. Create Hype
If you have a large following, create buzz for an upcoming launch or new collection
Post collection previews and teasers to create suspense and generate excitement
Interact with your audience by asking them to suggest content, voting, or giving feedback
ix. Coordinate your channels
Your social media channels should work together to help achieve your goals
Streamline your social media outlets e.g. integrate promotions across all channels or use common themes or
hashtags
Link your platforms to each other to direct viewers from popular platforms to others e.g. if you have an
exclusive sale campaign on Instagram, announce the news on Facebook and Twitter
Be original: avoid posting the exact same content across all your channels. If it’s a significant piece of news,
word it differently and use different images e.g. campaign for launch of Dorothy Perkins has a common
theme and style but different text and images
x. Basic Content Ideas
Announce promotions and sales
To increase traffic to your social media channels, provide exclusive discounts to followers and feature the promotion
on other channels. E.g. Follow THE ICONIC on Instagram and get 20% off all shoes! Exclusively for THE ICONIC
Instagram followers!
Feature a star product
Have an exciting or favourite product? Feature it as the focal point of a post along with a meaningful caption, quote
or styling ideas.
Showcase trends
Are your products in line with a certain trend? Feature your products in a trend post with a catchy slogan or hashtag.
Create a stylized flatlay
Not using a model? Create a flatlay!
Maintain harmony between colors
Proportion: Balance larger and smaller items
Use complementary props or decorative elements
Provide styling options and inspiration
Style your products to create full looks that your viewers can purchase or gain inspiration from. E.g. ‘Get the look’:
feature your products to create a celebrity-inspired look.
Host a competition or contest
Host competitions like styling contests or games and feature the winner’s post on your account.
Share your online and offline advertising campaigns
Reach a wider audience by using social media to share your online and offline advertising campaigns.
Humanize your brand
Post content that has no direct relation to your product but conveys the feeling behind your brand. Consumers care
about a company’s people, culture and values. Share photos of your staff, office and extracurricular activities.
Lifestyle images make your brand more relatable: food, pets, books, hobbies, travel and inspirational quotes
PART 5: EVALUATE
i. Track your success
It is important to track the level of success to find out your audience’s preferences. This is particularly important if
your company has limited resources as it helps future content is constantly improving, reaching and resonating with
your target audience. Identify the platforms that give you the highest conversion rates and engagement rates.
Basic:
Take note of the level of engagement: share rate, comments, hashtags, retweets, pins, followers/subscribers
For Facebook, use Page Insights which provides tracking on your progress on likes, reach, visits, posts and
people
Advanced:
Track interaction with your content for: Pinterest, Twitter, and all channels
Track conversion rates with Google Analytics
ii. Prioritize your platforms
Now that you have collected and analysed your feedback, choose the platforms most effective for your company. If
you are a small business, it’s more valuable to focus your resources and efforts on one or two. You’ll have higher
conversions at a lower cost.
Categorize primary and secondary platforms and allocate your resources accordingly
Visual networks tend to be the most powerful social media platforms
iii. Timing and frequency
The more you post, the more you’ll discover the timing and frequency that is right for you.
Trial and error: Test sharing rates and click-through-rates of content and different times of the day and days
of the week
Social media optimization tools: Hootsuite or Adobe Social
Consistency is key: Set an approximate schedule for frequency of posts that you can commit to in the long
term and stick to it.
iv. Improve your content
Marketing is a learning process, so set your standards and avoid repeating mistakes. To find out what your audience
likes, take note and compare the qualities of successful and unsuccessful posts. Sieve out the key trends among both
categories to figure out what to do and not to do.
Less successful More successful
Lacks focal point
Details are not shown
clearly
Unclear styling direction
Balance between larger
and smaller objects
Details are shown
clearly
Harmonious colors
Dull background color
Cluttered background
Blurry and over
saturated
Complementary
background color and
texture
Flattering bird eye’s
view
Innovative styling:
props, positioning and
color
Harsh flash lighting
Poor composition
Good, clear lighting
Good composition
REMEMBER....
When in doubt, keep it simple
Be transparent and honest
Don’t be afraid to go out of the box
Have patience. Social media marketing success doesn’t come overnight. It’s likely you need to commit in the
long run to achieve results
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