This is the third in a 5-part series of weekly articles that will tell you everything you need to know about how to run a successful social media campaign.

If you missed out on part two last week, then follow this link to find out how to run a successful campaign on Facebook.

If you missed part one, then have a look at it here for a more broad overview of what to consider when starting out on social media.

Part Three: Case Studies

This week’s guide will examine a few of the most successful social media campaigns that have been carried out in recent times.

There are many different techniques that a brand can employ to boost their image on social media. Some companies use rich media content such as high quality photos or videos, others excel at communicating with their followers and others give their fans a platform on their social media pages to increase audience participation.  The most successful online campaigns incorporate more than one of these methods.

In this week’s instalment we will be looking at a number of brands that have stood out from the crowd and have brought true creativity to their online marketing schemes.  Even though every business has a different image to portray, there are lessons that can be learnt from these success stories no matter how different your industry area may be.

Social Media Success Stories:

Here are some of the most successful campaigns that have been seen on social media. Each one has its own strengths, try and learn from all of them if you want to emulate their achievements.

Burberry

Burberry are a UK luxury fashion brand that sell clothes, accessories and cosmetics.  Its tartan design is now a recognisable symbol worldwide and has given rise to an innumerate amount of black market replicas.  The company was founded in 1856 and is now 160 years old but, despite its age, it has been quick to adapt to the new digital era that marketing and branding has progressed into.

Burberry’s Facebook page offers an absolute master class in how to use photos and videos to give your followers an immersive experience.  Their page is laid out beautifully will high quality photos and classily shot videos.  As soon as you arrive on the page you feel compelled to keep scrolling through to the next piece of content.  The use of autoplay videos is done expertly and instantly engages users – even those who are not necessarily interested in fashion. They have also given clear thought to how the layout of Facebook’s display will affect the appearance of each of their posts.  Each photo album is striking with a well chosen featured image resulting in sleek and elegant site.

This stylish design has clearly paid off with the company now having received 16 million likes on Facebook.  Each new post that is made on the page receives thousands of likes and hundreds of shares.  This means that even people who don’t follow Burberry are being exposed to this brand – increasing their exposure and the likelihood of growing their fan base. The importance of having aesthetically pleasing posts cannot be understated, your followers are more likely to share a post that looks good than they are to share one that does not.  When somebody shares a post on Facebook it will be displayed on their personal timeline, this means that brands need to create posts that people do not mind being associated with. Companies that understand this are far more likely to succeed online than those that do not.

Squarespace

Squarespace is a web content management system that is based in New York.  The company is only 11 years old but has quickly grown to be one of the leading figures in this industry since 2004.  It now has over 500 employees and a user base of well over a million.  Its service allows its users to create and manage websites and blogs on their easy to use interface and the company is every growing and expanding.  Squarespace currently has 91,000 likes on Facebook and due to the nature of its business it is safe to assume that many of these are already customers.

Squarespace are a brilliant example of a company that has used social media to aid its growth and increase its exposure.  Although they are a fairly new company, they have gathered a well-sized following online.  One of the biggest factors for their success online is the company’s interactions with their users.  They continuously update their page and are allows very prompt in responding to their audience’s questions, complaints and enquiries.  Not only does this mean that the users who post these questions are made to feel like they are valued clients but it also means that other users or potential customers can see that the company actually cares about their consumers.

One of the main things that businesses get wrong, when it comes to talking to their customers on social media, is that they only respond to positive comments.  This means that negative statements made by followers are often ignored or even deleted.  However this is really not the best way to go about dealing with negative attention – your Facebook fans are not stupid or blind, they can see you doing this and it doesn’t show the company in a good light. Squarespace approach these type of comments differently.  By tackling these complaints head on with solutions, not just empty apologies, they show the online world that they are a company that delivers on their promises. By adopting this strategy, as opposed to one of censorship, a business can win themselves more credibility which will translate directly into more consumer confidence.

Julep

Julep Beauty Inc. is a cosmetic company that is based in Seattle.  It was set up back in 2007 by a former executive at Starbucks, Jane Park.  The business operates purely online and now sells over 200 shades of nail polish – each one given a women’s name.  The company has recently begun selling skin care products and makeup.  They now have a truly impressive 695,000 likes on Facebook – a truly staggering figure for a company that has been around for such a short time in such a competitive industry.

One of the main reasons that the company’s online fan base has exploded so rapidly is that they are experts at getting their customers involved in posts.  The level of audience participation is key to this business and helps create a sense of community and involvement amongst their users.  Everything that is posted on this brand’s site is aimed at getting the fan’s to interact and engage with both Julep and each other.  They employ clever techniques such as competitions or questions to get their followers talking and sharing ideas. By doing this Julep are increasing the amount that people identify with their business and building up an extremely high level of brand loyalty amongst their followers.

There are many businesses that try and generate the sense of community that Julep have succeeded in doing but don’t have the same level of success.  One of the biggest reasons that fans fail at their attempts to do this is that they don’t understand their audience.  Companies that talk to their customers in a way that doesn’t resonate with them are more likely to alienate their followers than engage with them.  Social media is the perfect opportunity to make a business feel more human and Julep have capitalised on this to great effect.  Audience participation requires more than just asking them a few mundane questions every now and again, it is about making your followers feel like you aren’t just a faceless business that ultimately is just after their money.

Coming Up Next Tuesday…

The next article in this series will cover some of the most helpful tools designed to cater to your social media needs.  From automated posts to advanced insights, next week’s guide will give you all the building blocks you need to run a professional and slick online marketing campaign.

What are your thoughts on what we’ve discussed today? Have you discovered any other techniques that have helped with your social media campaign?  If you have any questions or comments please let us know below.