The Science Behind a Compelling Social Media Campaign
“Setting up a social media campaign is a piece of cake,” said no marketing professional ever. When it comes to social media-based campaigns, it involves a lot more than just posting content and waiting for the likes and comments to rack up. It involves meticulous planning, endless analysis, and a true understanding of what makes your audience tick.
When you design a campaign to specifically work within the realm of social media, you’re dealing with a lot of unknown factors. You may be thinking:
I know we have a great concept and good content ideas, but will anyone care about what we’re saying?
Did I miss a huge opportunity to connect with more people and spread the campaign further?
If our campaign does take off—and dare we say, go viral—can I handle the huge influx of social media work?
The answer to all these questions can be, “yes!” if you follow these tips:
Everyone Loves a Good Story
Our brains are wired for the elements of a story. We’re automatically drawn to the problem, climax and solution flow of stories, and it’s even more powerful if there’s an emotional connection. That’s why rich content posts, such as photos and videos, always bring in more engagement than posts that consist of plain information and facts. The aim is to tell the most complete story in the most compelling way possible (using imagery, sound and other stimuli) in the short amount of time you have to captivate someone’s attention on a newsfeed.
And when it comes to going viral, which is every digital marketer’s dream, you have to tap in to that story-telling element in addition to making it share-worthy. Share-worthy content does two things: it makes the sharer feel like they’re spreading knowledge, humor or a strong message, and it brings an element of surprise.
Your overall aim should be behavioral change and addressing what the audience really needs. Make your brand an integral part of your campaign story, and make sure that your campaign is consistent.
In this video of Dr. Steidl’s presentation at Accelerator Communications, a social media campaign for weight loss was used as the perfect example. Assuming that your audience already knows what their goal is (weight loss), don’t just tell them what they need to do to lose weight. They already know what needs to be done. What you really should be doing is offering them support on the barriers that are keeping them from losing weight, such as binge eating from stress or other bad eating habits. In other words, address the roadblocks and help them to make the change instead of saying that a change needs to be made. Social media plays a particularly important role here because it gives you full access to offer words of encouragement and engage with your audience.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Social media moves fast. If you need proof just let your computer sit idle for a few minutes with Twitter open. I guarantee that you’ll come back to at least 200 new Tweets.
With conversations moving that quickly, it’s crucial to be thinking ahead and working efficiently. When you’re spending time responding to audience feedback, keep an eye out for the best content that pertains to your brand or campaign. Remember, even when you’re running a campaign, you still need to share content that carries the same message but isn’t your own.
Some of the best, and most classic, strategies for working smarter include using resources and tools available to you, and committing to planning. After all, those who fail to plan, plan to fail.
Tools such as Hootsuite, Viraltag and Facebook scheduler allow for pre-posting of social media content. This frees up some time that you can use to find new content, respond to other people’s comments and keep the conversation going. These tools also assist in keeping everything organized rather than having to scroll through one large, jumbled feed. For example, Hootsuite allows for easy switching between all your social platforms so you’re not wasting time logging in and out of all of your accounts.
A content calendar will also be essential during any social media campaign. One post daily may not sound like a lot, but it adds up if you’re the one managing all of the social feeds. You’ll also likely be balancing tasks such as writing blog content and other marketing tactics, so you’ll feel like you’re flying by the seat of your pants without a plan. Sitting down during the last week of the month to plan for the month ahead will make a huge difference in your productivity. You’ll get more high quality work done, with less time wasted and fewer headaches.
Make This a Part of Your Business Plan
With social media being one of the biggest drivers for referrals, testimonies and overall perception of brand reputation, it would be a big mistake to leave it out of your overall business plan.
Frame it this way, social media is not a tactic used to reach your alternative business and campaign objectives. Social media will have its own business objectives, strategies and tactics in order to achieve campaign success in the digital realm.
This switch in thinking may also switch up your staffing needs, so don’t hesitate if you need to call in the big guns. Hire someone with social media know-how who can keep up with the developments, creativity and engagement your campaign requires, otherwise your campaign will fizzle out before it ever gets on a roll.
Half the battle with a social media campaign is keeping up. If you know you have an amazing foundation for a campaign that will launch your sales or business objectives to new heights, make sure you take the steps necessary to keep your campaign going.
Continually be a storyteller and entice people with what they’re naturally drawn to, use your resources to cut through the noise and see the stuff that matters. Don’t add social media as a bullet item under the tactics section of your campaigns plan, make it the main strategy.
Once enough steam picks up, you’ll notice these tips will keep your campaign chugging along all the way to the bank.
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