background Layer 1 background Layer 1
background Layer 1 background Layer 1
Archive

Category: Social Media

4 Ways to Shift Your Marketing Strategy During COVID-19

Posted on by Katie Koeppel

Let’s face it. Until a vaccine is approved, COVID-19 will continue to hover over all of us, impacting our lives and the global economy. For marketers, it may seem jarring to push forward with brand messaging, however putting a freeze on marketing now is akin to slamming your breaks on the freeway – it will lead to disastrous results. 

Instead, accelerate carefully but confidently to move your brand forward. Here are four strategic marketing shifts to watch for as you continue to navigate through this crisis.

DOUBLE DOWN ON TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY – Brian Bennett, STIR President

During times of crisis, you can increase brand equity by taking extra steps to identify with customers’ concerns and needs – assuaging their fears and going above and beyond their expectations. Now’s the time to emphasize product guarantees and offer refunds if products are delayed due to COVID-19 shipping issues. Businesses need to be transparent about how they are implementing new sanitization procedures to ensure customer safety, and respond within minutes not days to customer concerns. Be sure to avoid platitudes and only make promises that you intend to keep.

SERVE, DON’T SELL ON SOCIAL

With many continuing to work remotely, there’s a captive audience for brands to leverage on social channels. Instagram Live usage alone has doubled during the coronavirus. 

Social is a powerful and cost-efficient strategy for smaller brands looking to breakthrough. But more than ever, businesses should listen to social conversations and drive value-oriented vs sales-driven content. Build engagement through contests and quizzes. For example, we worked with a Wisconsin dairy client to implement a simple social media contest to win free cheese and in one month increased sales by 167%!

More online users are taking solace in planning for future activities, like trips to which restaurants they want to visit, so focus on positive, forward-looking messages. To help during this time, social platforms have designed COVID-19 specific resources to help business owners. 

ADAPT YOUR MEDIA OUTREACH STRATEGY – Christel Henke, V.P. Earned Media

There’s been a seismic shift in the media landscape since COVID-19 and it has significantly affected what stories reporters are interested in and how they are presented (hello Zoom and Skype interviews.) That means even more critical thinking before hitting send on pitches to producers and assignment editors, judging by some of the bad PR pitches out there.  Any pitches that smack of self-serving, will get tossed immediately but a story like how Wisconsin insurer Rural Mutual is helping dairy farmers make it through this crisis – that’s the kind of human interest that reporters are looking for.

For the most part, reporters are still inundated with COVID-19 news right now and they aren’t anxiously awaiting an email about your new widget – unless there’s some connection to the current crisis. If not, best advice is to wait it out a bit and monitor the news until the shift back to normal begins. 

THE DIGITAL FUTURE IS NOW

Work from home. Telemedicine. Zoom(bombing). Virtual conferences. Fashion sweatpants. Sourdough. Quarantine has thrust us into a future we will never fully return from. The Social security administrations is seeing productivity gain processing claims at home. Stock traders can now trade stocks from home. Is that right or wrong? Time will tell, but likely this is the new normal. And for many businesses, getting digital right will be a deciding factor on whether they come through this crisis stronger or have to close up shop.

For some, cancelled conferences and events, may result in extra budget and companies that haven’t prioritized social, SEO or influencer-led campaigns, are now finding it’s time to dip their toes in the digital waters. And those nice to have digital initiatives you had in the hopper for 2022? Do them right now. Digital couponing, advertising, ordering and delivery if you are B2C. Air dropped custom swag and spiffs for your employees, clients and prospects instead of in person meetings. StackAdapt, for example recently sent herb garden kits to its top clients – the perfect balance of thoughtful and relevant, and one that will remain top of mind for marketers who need programmatic ads.

As you rev up your marketing engine during this time, make sure all the gears of your digital marketing machine are ready to go.

We invite you to take our free assessment to gauge where your company stands on the digital marketing spectrum, or you can download our 10-step guide on how to Build a Marketing Machine.

Changing Your Marketing Playbook in Times of Crisis

Posted on by Katie Koeppel

There’s no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused serious disruption on a global scale, with many brands and companies left wondering how they can stay relevant and profitable in this time of crisis. As this shift occurs, we’re seeing a definitive rise in the use of social media to fill marketing gaps.

Recognize reality and showcase how you’re helping

Generally speaking, brands on social media are taking one of three approaches:

  1. The dead stop approach where they simply disappear. 
  2. The oblivious approach where their messaging seems tailored to a world where COVID 19 never happened.
  3. The reality approach where they step up and lean into the fact that things are simply different now.

Guess which one is actually resonating with people? Reality, of course. This approach helps humanize your brand, and even if you’re in an industry that has been forced to stop operations entirely, your customers will remember you when this crisis passes.

  • Clearly state on your social channels how this pandemic is effecting your business and the steps you’re taking to keep you workers and customers safe. Pin this post to the top of your page and provide a feedback loop so people can ask questions. 
  • If your company is donating to charities, offering discounts or giveaways to essential employees, or shifting gears to fill crucial voids, create posts about it. People want to know that you genuinely care, and they will applaud your efforts.
  • Engage with your employees on social media, publicly. Create posts that highlight the good works your employees are doing and recognize the sacrifices they’re making. Again, this helps communicate your brand’s humanity and lets your workers know that you really can’t do this without them.

Fill the event marketing void

Unfortunately, this crisis has led to the cancellation or rescheduling of many industry-related conferences, tradeshows and other marketing events. Many companies depend on these events to woo new customers, build relationships with existing ones and lead valuable thought-leadership discussions. Luckily, social media provides brands with the opportunity to replicate many of those elements in the virtual space and do it extremely cost-effectively. 

  • Share content with prospective customers and host webinars on hot topics in your industry. Customers everywhere are looking for ways to adjust to this new normal, so consider creating new content that speaks to how you can help them do that—or simply share free resources as an act of goodwill. 
  • Host networking sessions with your existing customers that you had planned to connect with at an industry event by using Facebook, LinkedIn Live or a meeting platform like Zoom. Promote these events ahead of time and leverage social advertising to reach people connected with the conference already.
  • Consider using a third-party tool like MyQuiz (trivia) or Karafun (Karaoke) to host virtual entertainment events for customers and/or prospects. In addition to being a fun networking tool, these events help give people an escape when they desperately need it and help endear people to your brand.

If you’re wondering how to target prospects and customers who you typically would have engaged with via event marketing, here are a few social media advertising tips:

  1. LinkedIn – Use Company and Group targeting to reach people connected with the company that hosts the conference/event. If you’re trying to reach specific partner or prospect companies, Company and Role targeting can help as well. In addition to paid efforts, post thought leadership content to group pages to let people know how your company is adapting.
  2. Twitter – Use Keyword targeting to reach people who have used the event’s hashtag in the past, and use Account targeting to reach people who are connected with the host company’s Twitter account. 
  3. Facebook – Build Saved Audiences of people connected to the host company or to the event itself (if it was featured on Facebook).

As the COVID-19 crisis and social distancing protocols continue to propel the trend towards digital marketing, brands will turn to social media to spread information quickly and engage with customers on a more personal level. However, this alone is not the silver bullet. Social media should be a gear in a larger digital machine. To stay agile and relevant in these trying times, companies must have the infrastructure and plan in place to reach people through multiple digital touchpoints. 

We invite you to take our free assessment to gauge where your company stands in this respect, or you can download our 10-step guide on how to Build a Marketing Machine.

True to its Name – Influencer Marketing Will Influence Your Level of Success

Posted on by Emma Spring

Influencer marketing is quickly growing in prominence and… influence. Astounding results and return on investment are being generated by incorporating influencers into integrated marketing campaigns.

If you’re looking to boost your returns, you’ll need to find the right  influencers to represent your brand.  Here are a few tips that will help:

Immerse yourself in the marketplace

Not all influencers are created equally. Each will bring different levels of participation and enthusiasm to your brand. And there is no magic list of the good ones. It’s much like being the general manager of a baseball team.  You need to scout all the players personally, see how they perform and whether they’re a fit for your team.

Start with demographics

Each influencer has an audience. Only consider those influencers whose audience demographics match those of your targeted customer base. Influencers’ audience demographics can be readily found on social media marketing platforms, such as BuzzSumo and Meltwater.

Micro or macro?

Don’t assume that influencers with the largest audience are the best. Let your marketing strategy determine the right audience size:

  • If you seek awareness and association for your brand, a more famous Macro influencer (500K+ followers) is likely a good fit, assuming you have the $100,000+ budget to pay for it.
  • If you want to generate commerce and require engagement (clicks and conversions), Micro influencers often generate higher levels of attributable commerce, and therefore, higher ROI.

Keep this handy chart nearby to know which “type” of influencer would fit best as you develop marketing plans.

Credit: The Business of Fashion

Seek authenticity

You need to do due diligence to determine whether an influencer’s audience was authentically, organically acquired. Sadly, many influencers have purchased accounts with already established followings and changed the username. This allows a person who is actually a “micro” or “nano” influencer to appear as a “macro” influencer. This is called Instagram Fraud. The Business of Fashion reported “Instagram Fraud” is a billion dollar problem in the advertising industry.

Here are our tips for weeding out the fakers:

  • Watch for exponential jumps or dips in engagement from one post to another.
  • Double-check that the average likes on an influencer’s posts aligns with the following count.
    • If someone has 40,000 followers but each post only receives 200 likes, it can indicate they may have bought “likes” or “followers.” More importantly, it shows the influencer’s content is not engaging enough for your brand to be investing in.
  • Review the list of followers and go into a handful of profiles to check for bots.  

Invest wisely

Appropriate influencer marketing budgets range greatly depending on the size of a business and overall marketing spend. But research shows two-thirds of marketers are planning to increase their influencer budgets. 

The best approach for those just beginning to allocate budget towards influencer marketing is to start small, and test the waters with different types of influencers and continue to add resources as you see results.

For example, the chart below shows how one of our client’s Instagram following grew significantly as more was invested in its annual influencer marketing program. You’ll see at the beginning of the year (February), the company had zero followers gained after only investing in influencers for one month. But after six months of investing in a consistent program, the company gained nearly 4,000 new followers. 

Source: STIR

Influencer marketing works because consumers trust the judgement of the author to be authentic and informed. Follow the steps we’ve outlined above to find influencers who are in a position to recommend your brand to audiences based on their credentials, and who will actively and enthusiastically support your cause. You’ll be on your way to a new level marketing successes.

Interested in influencer marketing? Let’s start a conversation—email Christel Henke to connect with our earned media team at christelh@stirstuff.com. 

And, be sure to check out STIR’S INFLUENCER MARKETING CASE STUDY.

It’s a deep dive into our annual influencer program for National Business Furniture that had a whopping 1,333% ROI in one year. Using the strategies outlined above, we partnered with authentic, highly-engaged micro and nano teacher influencers as well as a few interior designers and entrepreneurs. Here are four of the 100+ amazing promotional posts they created on behalf of National Business Furniture:

Viral Social Topics Can Lead to Out-Of-This-World Engagement

Posted on by administir

Today’s consumers appreciate when a brand is in tune with media chatter. It gives your company or brand a personality that sets it apart. Recognizing trending topics that arise on social media and efficiently aligning your brand with those trending events can work in your favor to increase engagement.

Recently, online chatter experienced blast-off when a prank Facebook event invited anyone interested to “Storm Area 51” and free the alleged aliens rumored to be stored there. More than 1.5 million people marked themselves as attending and countless news stories, social media imagery and memes followed.

Arby’s marketing team quickly ramped up with a simple video on Twitter that broke through a cluttered social atmosphere. The video received nearly four times more engagement than other videos on Arby’s Twitter page, which typically average about 30 comments or less. By mapping out an #Area51 road trip using Arby’s signature sauce, the video addressed the topic in a fun, interactive way while staying true to the brand.

These ideas require creativity—it’s the audacity of the idea that makes it so fun. In order to be successful, though, brands must act as safely as they do quickly. Storming Area 51 may seem hilarious to someone who is just scrolling through Twitter, but to the Air Force it’s a serious situation, and their response on social matches this tone.

Speed also is key to leveraging a viral topic. With social media feeds being bombarded by millions of posts each day, finding a way to act fast will help your brand stand out.

Having clear brand standards enables both speed and creativity. The social marketing team must be able to act instinctively and independently. The general tone of the social conversation must align with the brand, and the team must understand where the line is drawn by management.

Whether or not there is alien life at Area 51, one thing is confirmed: actively keeping up with viral trends can mean out-of-this-world engagement for your brand.

Learn how STIR leveraged a new, trending Netflix show and New Year’s resolutions in National Business Furniture’s Clear the Office Clutter campaign.

Be the Talk of the Trade Show with Earned Media

Posted on by Christel Henke

For B2B companies, exhibiting at a trade show is a very cost-effective way of reaching customers and prospects. However, it takes a lot of planning and judicious investment to ensure success and avoid getting lost among the sea of exhibitors and attendees. With the cost of paid sponsorship at trade shows continuing to skyrocket, consider using earned media to stand out from the crowd.

We recently got back from IFT18 in Chicago, where we had the privilege to position seasoning and spice company Asenzya for trade show success using earned media strategies. A mix of proactive social media and media relations efforts allowed the company to take its trade show presence to a new level. Compared to the previous year, Asenzya doubled its onsite media interviews and ranked among the top five in social media engagement.

Here are a few key takeaways to help you get stellar results at your next trade show:

Prepare what you can in advance.

Trade shows make for long days and busy schedules. It’s important to do a sufficient amount of prep-work so that you’re not overwhelmed at the show. About 1-2 months prior to the event, pitch media attendees and local media to secure pre-show and onsite media opportunities. Develop talking points and press kits in advance to quickly get media necessary information. On the social side, create a series of templates for each network to provide consistent branding on all social channels during the show. You can schedule these posts in advance to ensure your brand is still active on social, even if it gets busy at your booth. Review the show’s social accounts to implement the right hashtag(s) for increased engagement.

Photo of social media template samples

Stand out from the crowd.

Identify and promote what sets you apart from the thousands of other attendees. This may be a new product, thought leadership topic, or something you’re doing in addition to the typical exhibitor duties. For example, Asenzya hosted a bus tour of the best pizza restaurants in Chicago for its customers. Several reporters were intrigued by this, so Asenzya invited them as well. It was a unique way to continue to build relationships with these media contacts. Another idea is to stand out on social media. But when social channels are overcrowded with everyone using the same hashtag, this can be difficult. For Asenzya, we created a geo-targeted Snapchat filter to be used by attendees throughout the IFT show. It got great engagement, and Asenzya was one of the only companies to use a filter like this. Investing in a social media ad campaign that targets individuals attending the show is another great way to break through the social clutter.

Photo of geo-map and Snapchat filter design

Put on your social butterfly cap.

You only have a few days at a trade show to reach your target audience, so milk every minute for all it’s worth. Shoot photos and videos to promote what’s going on at your booth on social media. Walk the show and share the cool things you see on social. Reply to and retweet those engaging with the show’s hashtag and your brand. Mingle with the crowd and be on the lookout for media contacts to invite to your booth. Be sure to keep conversations going after the show too. Follow those you meet on social, share any additional information via email, and be sure to connect with them at next year’s event!

Photo of smiling Asenzya staff and onsite media interview

For more tips on how to implement earned media into your trade show strategy, please contact Christel Henke, VP Earned Media, here.

Integrated Paid Social Campaigns Transform Marketing Plans

Posted on by administir

A lot of companies are spending money running social ad campaigns and many are making a huge mistake.

Social advertising has evolved rapidly over the past decade. From simple image ads to dynamic interactive campaigns with transformative customer experiences, social advertising continues to change every day. Throughout this evolution, many organizations have experienced an increase in sales or lead generation, but often aren’t leveraging the information they’re gathering outside of their platform.

Facebook ad performance may determine the next Facebook ad campaign, but it’s not necessarily influencing what is done on Twitter or on digital display. Campaigns are being optimized, hopefully, but only to the criteria defined in that single campaign or ad.

Watch our Webinar with real world examples

Find the Needles in Haystacks of Data

Social ad campaigns can often produce so much information that it can be hard to determine which factors are actually driving audience behavior. For example, Facebook Insights provides hundreds of different data points to analyze.

Was it an image? A headline? A single word in a line of copy? Depending on the situation, the answer may or may not be yes.

To help determine which factors are actually influencing behavior, we recommend first conducting multi-variable tests for every campaign. This process involves creating every single combination of image, copy, call-to-action and headline to help unlock the right combination for your target audience. You can also test your audiences against one another.

In this simple three day test, we determined that one image influenced clicks at more than double the rate of the other three in our test group.

Second, we recommend reviewing numerous factors in order to optimize each campaign within each channel. Optimization on this granular level improves the individual campaign and can be shared and tested across other networks.

By working through these exercises and determining which factors are actually driving clicks and conversions for each channel, you no longer have to guess at success. You now have the information that can be leveraged across different networks.

Build Your Bridges

Social ad campaigns that live in isolation from one another are producing results that represent a part of a whole. Each one a man on an island is fending for himself the best way he knows how. Now imagine connecting those islands with a series of bridges.

Digitally this means leveraging the strengths of each network to benefit the collective, creating an ecosystem of information that elevates all players involved. That information should then be tested and verified on different networks to see the true value.

For example, if a LinkedIn sponsored content campaign determines using red hues versus green increases clicks and conversions, do a split test to determine whether that’s true on Facebook as well. If your Facebook campaign then tells you that females are twice as likely to respond to a campaign, test that information on other networks and see if there’s a corresponding reaction.

This campaign test determined that women outperformed men by a four-to-one ratio. Additionally, women over 55 were far more likely to respond to our ads than other age groups. We are then able to use this intelligence to influence how we target on other social platforms and hone our message to reach that target demographic.

Some optimizations will outperform others, and that’s ok. Sharing information is an ever-evolving process that improves the overall individual campaign performance and gives you a head start on future campaigns.

Cohesive Data is Key

Social ad campaigns allow you to hone in on those most likely to invest in your product and engage with your brand. Targeting expands beyond other digital platforms, allowing you to reach people based on specific keywords, hashtags, emojis and more.

When integrated across multiple channels these targeting opportunities allow you to build a more complete customer profile that provides your sales team with actionable data intelligence and qualified leads.

Here’s an example:

Your company is trying to land a big account and you’re already targeting leaders of that company with digital ad campaigns and email. Some of those leaders have visited your website as a result of the campaigns, but you’re no closer to making that sale.

So, you build a social ad campaign to extend that conversation to expand your reach and visibility to your target. Data collection moves beyond demographic and geographic data into specific interests, conversations and behaviors that can only be identified on specific social channels.

As your campaign progresses, you build a more expansive set of data that can be used to improve targeting across all platforms. You then leverage that information to optimize your other campaigns and your emails improve because you know their pain points. Your digital ads are adjusted to reflect their company jargon. You close the integration loop and six months later, you close the deal.

Without data integration, information from your social campaigns simply sit there collecting digital dust. With it, all aspects of your campaign improve together and you have a cohesive experience across all channels.

Why You Need a Strong Brand Voice on Social Media

Posted on by Brian Bennett

Social media is a space where brands truly come to life. It’s also a space many of us use primarily in our personal lives. We share engagements and new babies on Facebook, filter our family photos on Instagram and dig for the perfect reaction GIFs on Tumblr.

When we interact with brands on social media, we expect a personal touch and an engaging voice as we scroll through our news feeds.

For brands, the intimate nature of social media creates an opportunity to connect with audiences on a more personal level, but it also presents the risk of alienating followers if a brand doesn’t know how to communicate with both fans and critics in a casual setting.

Before a social media manager starts sharing content and digging into metrics, it’s crucial to define and hone the brand’s voice ensuring a strong brand voice on social media.

Why does my brand need a voice on social media?

Social media is filled with a lot of noise, especially from brands. Your Facebook fans and Twitter followers can spot an insincere, self-promotional post from a mile away.

A unique voice will help your brand stand out from the rest of the noise. Your brand needs a personality to differentiate it from other brands that are purely self-promotional and one-sided in their communications.

How can I start to define my brand’s voice?

If your brand is already well established, you may already know its voice. Whether that voice is somber or irreverent, be consistent and carry it over into the posts you share on social media.

If you haven’t pinpointed your brand voice yet, think about what your brand stands for and how your target audience wants to be spoken to. Whether you’re a B2B company aiming to sound authoritative and professional or a toy company with a more youthful tone, one rule of social media always remains the same: Social media is a conversation.

Brands need to start and respond to conversations rather than send out one-sided communications. You’ll need to seamlessly incorporate your brand voice on the fly when responding to comments and questions from your fans and followers.

I know my brand’s voice – now how do I weave it into my social media posts?

Get into character. It can help to make a cheat sheet for yourself with reminders about what your brand’s voice sounds like and the characteristics of the audience you’re trying to reach.

Put yourself into the shoes of your fans and followers – think about the content you would stop to read on social media versus the content you scroll past without thinking twice.

This may seem obvious, but stay professional and true to your brand’s identity, even if your voice allows for some humor. A novice social media manager might jump on a Twitter hashtag that isn’t appropriate for the brand, or share a meme that won’t resonate with the brand’s followers. Avoid those traps. Don’t start using emojis and abbrevs, unless your brand would talk that way IRL. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

An agency’s social media team can help you develop a social media voice and strategy that goes beyond tactics and develops a strong brand voice on social media.

Wondering how your brand can sharpen its voice and take its social media efforts to the next level? STIR can help!

Four Ways to Leverage LinkedIn to Increase Brand Awareness

Posted on by Brian Bennett

All good marketers know their business must have a presence on social media. Whether your brand is new to social media marketing or you’ve been marketing your business through social media since day one, you understand the effort and time it takes to set up and maintain a social media platform.

A platform that tends to get overlooked is LinkedIn. This social platform rides a fine line of personal and professional, and posting appropriate content can be confusing and time-consuming. I had the opportunity to hear Yumi Wilson (@YumiWilson), director of corporate communications at LinkedIn, speak at the PR + Social Media Summit about how to use LinkedIn to drive brand awareness.  Here are some of her top insights:

1. Post quality content

With more than 100 million users on LinkedIn in the United States alone, you never know who will come across your content. You want to be able to represent your company in the best light, post information that potential customers will find appealing, as well as position your brand as a thought leader within your industry. Yumi laid out some impressive stats to keep in mind when posting a LinkedIn status update:

  • Including a link in your status update will garner two times more likes
  • Including a picture in your update results in 98 percent more engagement
  • Embedding a video in an update leads to seventy-five percent higher share rate

Higher like rate, engagement rate and share rates mean your update and brand name will reach more people in more networks.

We know we need to be including different types of content within our company status updates, but what posts are LinkedIn users looking for? Yumi suggests these kinds of posts to garner the most engagement:

  • Company branding: inside looks and interviews with current employees and leadership
  • Employment branding and career opportunities
  • Tips and best practices for your industry
  • Fun facts and quotes

2. Your employees are your biggest fans

It’s important to encourage current employees to interact with your brand’s LinkedIn content. In fact, your employees are 70 percent more likely to engage with your posts than non-employees are. Can you imagine the networks you could reach if only half of your company engaged with a LinkedIn update? That’s a lot of new customer prospects. Also, encourage your employees to post personal status updates and engage with other coworkers on LinkedIn. LinkedIn makes it simple to see how many people you’re reaching within your network and realm of connections to see how many people are viewing your posts. Yumi shared that an easy way to organically raise brand visibility is to have your brand and your brand’s employees share a story at the same time. This brings visibility to the post by alerting people in common networks that this is a story being discussed.

3. Engage in LinkedIn groups

It’s easy to be a part of a group on LinkedIn and only read the posts other people contribute, never commenting or posting new discussions. However, those who actively engage and regularly contribute to groups typically see four times more profile views. Group contribution is an easy way to organically increase profile views for your personal profile and for your brand page.

4. Understand the difference between personal and professional

LinkedIn can be a tricky platform to manage because it’s a ‘professional social network.’ Yumi broke down the difference between the social platforms based on the types of content expected on each network:

People use personal networks to:

  • ‘Spend time’
  • Find info on friends
  • Find info on personal interests
  • Read entertainment updates

People use professional networks, specifically LinkedIn to:

  • ‘Invest time’
  • Search for career and job info
  • Find updates and stay connected with brands
  • Monitor current business affairs

Yumi explained that LinkedIn is the perfect platform to push out content on your brand because that’s what users expect on this platform. While exploring LinkedIn, users are in a ‘professional’ mindset and are ready and willing to consume brand information, updates and other business content; however, content posted can still be fun content. Remember, just because LinkedIn is a professional platform, doesn’t mean it isn’t a social network. It’s a H2H (human to human) platform, your brand (both personal and professional) should be posting content that resonates with your audiences.