Reputation Management
Recent baby formula shortage in the US emphasises that businesses need to respond quickly and decisively, academic research finds.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Why ‘less’ can be ‘more’ when it comes to social media marketing
By our News Team | 2021
Oversaturating social media with brand content across many channels may cause your audiences to skip content or ‘unfollow’ you.
There’s no doubt that social media is an essential component of almost all business-to-consumer marketing and communications strategies across Africa. The question, though, is: How many social media channels are enough to achieve your objectives?
A recent study by international social media management platform Hootsuite found that oversaturating social media with brand content – especially repeated content – across many channels causes audiences to skip content or unfollow.
This is not good news for marketing professionals, who go to great effort and cost to acquire social media followers in the first place.
“It all begins with understanding your audience and the spaces they occupy”, said Desirée Gullan, Executive Creative Director of African-based communications agency, G&G Digital.
“Then you can craft value-adding content that speaks to your audiences in the channels they love. Doing so allows you to have a trusted voice on social media, as opposed to bombarding your target audience with generic content everywhere.”
What to consider when selecting channels
According to Gullan, the following are the five key aspects to consider when selecting social media channels:
1. Who uses this channel and what are they using it for?
Is it an important channel for your target personas?
What conversations are going on here?
What content type works best?
2. Will this channel help you achieve your objectives?
Why does it make sense for your business or brand to use this channel?
What goals will you pursue through your activities here?
3. Does the channel align with your content mission?
Will your content be viewed as unique and valuable, or will the community find it intrusive or irrelevant?
Have your competitors established a strong presence?
Could you lead the conversation on this channel for your brand’s positioning?
4. What results do you want to achieve?
What should you be asking followers to do after engaging with your content – share, comment, visit, subscribe or shop?
Is the community likely to take an action?
Do you have the right metrics, monitoring and KPIs to measure success?
What kinds of content work best on this platform?
Is your content strategy relevant to this audience?
“Talk to your audience, not at them,” Gullan emphasises. “People trust brands that give back; whether you’re providing valuable information, entertaining, sharing news, or simply providing a safe place where they can be with other people going through similar experiences.”
AMC Member News
Brands have a great opportunity to achieve excellent ROI on the platform. However, there are several important points to be aware of.
Marketing Gimmicks
Playful and gimmicky, it wants consumers to feel as if they’re in a slightly dodgy bar with inexpensive drinks and a down-to-earth vibe.
Guerrilla Marketing
Danish broadcasting company finds a hard-hitting way to remind Copenhagen city residents how global warming could change their lives.
Retail Strategy
The focus of the new stores will be on delivering greater ‘everyday value’ to the growing middle-market shopper segment.
Online Advertising
Even if you’re familiar with Google Ads campaigns, you may be missing a few tricks of the trade, says industry expert.
Social Media
But the latest study by Pew finds that YouTube rules the roost, with a massive 95% of American teens using the platform.
Brand Value
No surprises as Coke and Pepsi fill top spots in latest survey of non-alcoholic drinks brands. Their values rise by 7% and 12% respectively.
Personal Branding
Want to be CMO? Prudent building of your personal brand on social media – especially Twitter – could get you there, researchers find.
Brand Experience
When marketing sports products, brand experience may not increase satisfaction, but it can alleviate or eliminate uncertainty.
Public Relations
Aim is to further develop the consultancy’s digital expertise in the areas of social, experiences and content.