When social media first started to get big, I remember struggling to convince business owners that investing in Facebook and Twitter was worth their time. All they could see amidst the shares and likes was a frivolous waste of time (same thing with blogging, and we all know how that turned out).
These days, social media marketing is a much easier sell.
- 91% of retail brands use two or more social media channels
- There are 2.3 billion active social media users
- 74% of marketers plan to grow their social media advertising usage in the next 12 months
Of course, knowing you should do something and actually doing it are two different things. That’s why I’ve pulled this list of three companies that drove major business results with social media. Learn them, love them, and follow their lead.
GoPro
According to GoPro’s SVP of marketing, Paul Crandell, “We’re not just a camera anymore. We’re an enjoyment platform for people around the world to watch.” That’s a bit New Age for me, but the results the camera company has been able to generate are nothing to laugh at.
Ardath Albee, writing for Content Marketing Institute, reports that GoPro boasts:
- 6,000+ GoPro-tagged videos uploaded to YouTube daily
- 3.2 million YouTube subscribers
- 388 YouTube videos from sponsored athletes that have driven more than 50 million views
- 10.7 million Instagram followers
The secret to GoPro’s massive engagement? User generated content (UGC), in the form of videos uploaded by product users to the company’s social channels. The company’s campaigns have been so successful, according to a Fast Company report, that GoPro was able to increase its 2013 net revenue by $28 million, while increasing marketing costs by just $41,000.
How to Do It Yourself
GoPro has a natural advantage - its product is essentially a content-generating machine. But no matter what you’re selling, you can leverage GoPro’s UGC strength with the following tips:
- Get users excited. The more excited they are about your product, the more they’ll want to share it with others.
- Make it easy to share. If you add unnecessary hoops to jump through, social followers won’t participate. Often, all you need is a hashtag that sticks.
- Build a story around your brand. GoPro’s followers are daring and adventurous; sharing content with the company, therefore, enables individual users to identify themselves as part of the brand. What story are you telling your followers, and will it get them to buy in?
Herschel Supply Co
GoPro, you probably recognize. But do you know the name Herschel Supply Co, which successfully achieved a 20% lift in customer service satisfaction and a 60% increase in positive brand sentiment using social media?
If you don’t, it’s time to get to know the bag and travel accessory manufacturer, based in Vancouver, Canada.
Herschel Supply Co uses social media not just to increase engagement and drive potential sales, but to respond to customer questions and issues using the hashtags #Herschel and #Herschel Supply. Allison Butula, social media manager at Herschel Supply, shares the way her team’s use of Hootsuite keeps customers happy:
“With the help of Hootsuite, social media allows us to serve our customers more effectively and on a personal level. Creating that bond while problem-solving results in happy customers who return in the future.”
How to Do It Yourself
The beautiful part of using social media as a customer support tool is that you don’t need to put tons of effort into coming up with witty new social posts (though doing this is important too). You just answer customer questions as they’re presented to you.
To get started, choose your support hashtags, publicize them on your support channels, and start answering questions. Remember, 72% of people who complain on Twitter expect a response within an hour.
Pescetarian Kitchen
In July 2016, Matthew Barby launched a new food blog, Pescetarian Kitchen. Knowing he’d be heading into a competitive space, he made social media a priority early on, and has since been able to attract:
- 4,700+ Facebook followers
- 850 Twitter followers
- 515 Pinterest followers
- 550 email subscribers (double opt-in)
- 15,000+ unique visitors from social media alone
According to Barby’s full strategy post (which is well worth a read in its entirety), some of the keys to his early success have included:
- Choosing the appropriate social platforms, which make it easy to connect with the right audience from the start.
- Customizing content to display well on social sites, such as crafting images perfectly-sized to Facebook’s guidelines.
- Benchmarking his social engagement against his five top competitors, as well as monitoring the post structures that were driving the best results for them.
How to Do It Yourself
I love that Barby’s story shows how anyone, in any niche, can build a successful social following online. It’s not too late. Follow his lead with these key takeaways:
- Be where your customers are, but don’t spread yourself too thin.
- Differentiate your content from your competitors’ so that you stand out, especially in crowded fields.
- Be consistent. Followers need to see you regularly to form a relationship with your brand.
- Use competitions to increase your social following.
- Be patient. Barby shares, “The reality is that most social media campaigns won’t really deliver any real results until you’ve got a fair few months into them. Even then, depending on what niche you’re in, it can take much longer. The most important thing to remember is to keep focused.”
Clearly, these aren’t the only three companies to have ever built their brands on social media. If you’ve got another example to add to this list, share it with me in the comments below: