With so many social media sites coming and going, it can be hard for a marketer to keep up. Below is an analysis of three companies and how they leverage what I will call cross-social communication.
WWE
The WWE is huge on social media. They actively promote their
social media sites during their weekly programs to keep people engaged while
their shows are off-air. They keep a strong consistent brand across all of
their profiles and update content often. Currently, they are promoting Breast
Cancer Awareness Month and their social profiles all have similar imagery. The standout of their social media is
definitely Instagram. They give users exclusive backstage images that you can’t
find on any of their other social media sites. The WWE also doesn’t really
cross-promote their social media platforms. Instead, a majority of their
content sends users back to their website.
While they have a strong overall presence, they do have some
weak spots. The ugly duckling of their offering is Google+. They post often,
about four times a day; however, there is no content variety. WWE only posts
links on Google+, that’s it. They haven’t even updated their cover photo to
match the rest of their social profiles for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Additionally, the WWE doesn’t use hashtags properly. Usually when they use
hashtags, they only use them on branded words like #WWE or #RAW. While this
works for their branded searches, it’s not doing much to expose WWE content to
new users. They use hashtags on Facebook and Twitter, but are leaving Google+
out of the mix.
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| WWE Facebook |
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| WWE Twitter |
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| WWE Google+ |
Home Depot
Home Depot has a large social media footprint. Most of their
content is centered around home improvement and products they sell.
Additionally, they are currently a sponsor of ESPN’s College GameDay and some
of their recent content promotes the weekly event. Their content is current and
has a lot of photos and videos in the messaging. While much of their content is
similar across their sites, each one has some different content. Instagram
especially shines at being different and YouTube is full of great homeowner
tips and how-tos.
Home Depot uses a lot of hashtags. Let me rephrase that.
Home Depot uses a ton of hashtags.
One Instagram post I found had 11 hashtags. The number of hashtags probably
helps their visibility in search, but it can be overwhelming and distracting to
a user. They should consider cutting back on the amount they use.
Another area Home Depot is lacking is their cross-channel
promoting. They do a good job intertwining Google+ and YouTube. However, instead
of posting their YouTube videos to Facebook, they upload the videos to
Facebook’s video platform. Personally, I think this is a missed opportunity.
Having YouTube videos in a Facebook post opens up the opportunity for
users to engage with more of their content. If a consumer can find content
easier, there is a better chance they will consume it.
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| Home Depot Instagram Post (11 Hashtags) |
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| Home Depot Google+ Post (9 Hashtags) |
Starbucks
Starbucks does a fantastic job of creating a consistent
brand experience across their different social media profiles. Instead of
sharing the same images across all sites, Starbucks posts images from the same
scene but from different angles or different scenarios. It’s a creative way to keep
the images consistent, yet different. All of their profiles are up-to-date and
they use hashtags consistently across their platforms. Starbucks also
encourages their fans to visit their other social profiles. For example, they
use one of their Facebook tabs to prominently promote their Pinterest page.
Additionally, they are also linking to their Pinterest content from their
Google+ and Twitter profiles. (It almost appears like they’re in the middle of
a Pinterest campaign.) Instagram content is on Twitter and Facebook as well.
They’ve created a nice social media ecosystem for themselves.
I’ve always had great respect for the Starbucks brand. They
know how to immerse their customers in an experience and think outside the box
while staying true to their brand identity. If you need a good example of an
integrated marketing campaign, look no further than Starbucks. They know how to
impress.
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| Starbucks on Google+ |
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| Starbucks on Facebook |
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| Starbucks on Instagram |
What brands standout to you on social media?
Fantastic example with Starbucks and how they adjust content slightly for each channel!
ReplyDeleteI agree! It's a simple but very effective strategy.
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