SOCIAL MEDIA

BEST VS BAD PRACTICES: SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Here in this blog I will investigate how social media marketing is being currently implemented by businesses and what works and what doesn’t. Primarily, techtarget defines social media marketing to be a channel that uses social networking websites as a marketing tool. Makes sense, right? If a business knows that their target audience are prolific social media users, then focusing their marketing messages on such platforms is going to expose their brand better. So how do we know what works and what doesn’t?

Let’s start out with a great use of social media marketing. sproutsocial detail how the company PEEL (mobile phone case brand) are able to stand out from a competitive crowd by developing engaging social media content that is aesthetically pleasing. Take the image of their Instagram account below for example, PEEL is able to establish a sophisticated and slick brand image through their cohesive and visually appealing collection of photos.

Now let’s look at an example of bad social media marketing. awario highlight the real importance of promoting a positive company image through social media campaigns because if not done correctly, backlash from other social media users can hurt the brand. For example, William Hill Aus promoted their #NameAHorseRace campaign back in 2015 to an online chorus of animal rights activists who condemned the controversial nature of the marketing strategy. See images below retrieved from awario

So, you get the picture? Social media marketing has to do a lot with promoting positive brand connotations in the minds of consumers by focusing marketing efforts on a target audience of online users.

influencer MARKETING – A DYING ART?

Is there a bigger buzz marketing tactic these days than the use of influencers? More and more we are seeing individuals and entities with large social media followings integrate product promotion throughout their content to the extent that the market has become saturated. So, is influencer marketing over used or are their more subtle ways of using influencers to leverage your brand’s advertising?

Let’s start off by looking at some data. The image below from a Neil Patel blog suggests that influencer marketing is one of the most productive methods of acquiring new customers.

The next info-graphic I want to show you guys relates to the most effective marketing tactic used in 2018, again referred to by Neil Patel.

The above data seems to me that influencer marketing is definitely not dead and buried. The next question is, how do brands capitalise on such an emerging and effective trend in digital marketing? The truth is, influencers have become smarter negotiators and companies are injecting more money into influencer marketing spend than ever before. Therefore, in my opinion brands must adopt a sustainable approach to how they implement influencers. What I mean by that is companies should look at creating long term partnerships with influencers whereby a wage is paid instead of per campaign payment. This way, the power shifts more in the brands favour as they can better structure the content produced by the influencer to be moulded around the brand’s image.

Let me know what you guys think, perhaps you believe influencer marketing is in fact a dying art? Whatever the case, I think marketers need to recognise in their strategic development that long term relationships with their influencers are more beneficial than short term.

References:

• https://neilpatel.com/blog/is-influencer-marketing-dead/
• https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-2019-benchmark-report/
• https://www.cpcstrategy.com/blog/2018/06/how-much-do-influencers-charge-paying-influencers-2018-guide/