Social Media Marketing for Today – The Social Circle

The social media landscape is diverse.  Social community platforms and sites are added to the online space every month. Brands are now faced with a larger audience, using various social media applications.   Marketers are realizing a more competitive environment.  According to a 2014 study by PewResearch, 74% of the world’s population utilizes social media.  To follow are principles brands should follow to stay up-to-date with the latest social media marketing strategies and developments in order to keep a leg up on their competition. 

Social Media Diversity – Demonstrated by Dove

Awarded the First Position of The Social Circle

Developing brand or company presence on a variety of social media channels allows the brand to personally connect with prospects.   Social media presence builds long term brand loyalty.

A recent study from GlobalWebIndex indicated that about 92% of Internet users under the age of 64 had an account on at least one social network. Additionally, Internet users aren’t limiting themselves to one platform.  The average adult has accounts on 5.07 social networks.

Dove realized the value of engaging the consumer within social media, earlier than many brands.  In 2006, Rostin Ventures noted case studies of the brand as they developed grass roots campaigns in social media, to reach early Gen Y markets.   Evolution has been viewed over 17,000,000 times.  The YouTube videos were showcased and discussion groups rose among the most talented marketers online.

A model’s evolution from reality, to makeup, touchups in print to billboard are demonstrated in timelapse.  The images bring the viewer to understand: “No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted.”     

The Social Circle would like to recognize Dove and showcase the company for brand excellence in social media marketing.  

The campaign:           Imagine Beauty as a Source of Confidence

Dove has a vision of a world where beauty is a source of confidence, and not anxiety... to help the next generation of women develop a positive relationship with the way they look - helping them raise their self-esteem and realize their full potential.

Research shown on Dove.com demonstrates the need to build self-esteem.  According to Dove,

“Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful.   They note that number is up from 2% in 2011.”   

The Dove campaign may be affecting these numbers.    The company website quotes, “Each time you buy Dove, you help us and our charitable partners provide inspiring self-esteem programming for girls.
 
We have reached more than 11 million girls so far, and with your help, we can reach our target of 15 million by 2015. “   

The company extends an invitation to the consumer:

Join the conversation to support positive self-esteem.

Dove demonstrates all principles of social media marketing, carrying traditional campaigns over to the online space with ease.  This company gains acceptance of the social media user, in a seamless transition from television, to print, to online, mobile and social media. 

Imaged-Based Marketing

Use of imaged-based social networking platforms, including Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat, is expected to become increasingly popular in 2015. Social media sites like Facebook allow users to filter their News Feed, which can limit the amount of exposure that a business receives on this site. Instagram doesn’t use an algorithm that determines what people see, and the future for this site in terms of social media marketing is bright. According to Forrester Research, Instagram posts generate over 100 times more engagement per follower than Twitter and more than 50 times more engagement than Facebook.

Dove utilizes social media platforms to communicate directly with the target market and extend their cause to support positive self-esteem.  On Instagram, Dove encourages its followers, “Be yourself.  It’s the best thing you can be.”    

They remind over 21,000 followers: 

“Today, tell a friend all the things you love about her personality.”   

As Dove welcomes over 2400 followers to their Pinterest page, the company delivers the message again: “Dove is committed to helping women realize their beauty potential by creating products that deliver real care. “   

Twitter images resonate with users.  Image shares are demonstrated by Dove as they send out daily reminders to their 141,000 followers:  You + a positive attitude = everything you need for a #HappyMonday!  The delivers a consistent brand message:  “Dove is committed to helping women realize their beauty potential by creating products that deliver real care….”

Dove drives the point home through Google+ profile, encouraging the consumer to “Embrace your real beauty and spread your wings” Clever animation of a dove soap bar wrapper is used in a paper dove that flies in and off the profile image section, to slide the headline text in.

Use of Video in Social Media

Dove leads many brands in YouTube followers.  The brand engages users to watch and respond.  As “Evolution” was released on YouTube October 2006, now watched by almost 18M viewers, Dove has evolved to reach younger generations, making an impact and encouraging women of all ages.

In a recent campaign, Dove asked women what they thought about their bodies:  The description reads:

Published on Sep 30, 2014

The way a girl feels about her beauty starts with how you feel about yours. With the Dove: Legacy film we are encouraging everyone to create their own positive beauty legacy, so the girls in their lives grow up feeling confident about the way they look and reach their full potential in life. This is the mission of the Dove Self-Esteem Project, which has so far helped more than 14 million young people with body confidence education. Join us, because together we can help even more.

To learn more, visit http://selfesteem.dove.us/

Until recent years, video marketing on social media revolved around YouTube. Now, video with subtle branding is beginning to pop up on other social media platforms.  Even short clips are making an impact.

Facebook has seen a large increase in its daily video views, and the audio-visual storytelling that some brands are able to create reaches the target market with compelling messages. 

Through Facebook, Dove reaches over 23,900,000 fans with a unique message:  #Love Your Curls

Company research shows only 4 out of 10 curly haired girls think their hair is beautiful.  

Dove reminds them (You are) “Perfect This Way” Take time to watch the video.  Like their pages.  This is a good cause.

Dove Love Your Curls Video on Facebook

Mobile Marketing

Mobile social media platforms are one of the most effective channels for getting product information out to the public. Push notifications, SMS, and in-app recommendations can easily make their way to potential customers on a one-to-one basis. Major social networking players are constantly improving their presence via mobile devices, and these apps and websites are among the most-used mobile features.

In a search on Dove, you can find just about everything you are looking for on mobile.  Coupon apps provide easy discounts and encourage sharing for those who are looking for a discount. 

The social outreach campaign provides easy applications to view content and social media properties, encouraging fans, followers, and contacts to share the love with their friends.  

Social Media Shares Rank in Search

Social media platforms are actively ranking in search results, as search engines are serving searchers with content their friends share in social media.  If your contacts on Google+ or Facebook like a page, you have a higher likelihood of that page showing up in a search result for you on Google, Bing and Yahoo.

Dove Real Beauty Sketches has  65,149,577 views on YouTube.

This tells the story and resonates with most women.   Of course my contacts like it.  The video was one of the first search results I saw in a mobile or desktop search for Dove.

Published on Apr 14, 2013

Join the conversation at: #WeAreBeautiful
Watch the whole experience at: http://dove.com/realbeautysketches

Women are their own worst beauty critics. Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. At Dove, we are committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. So, we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see. 

And don't forget: YOU are more beautiful than you think!

Watch the videos.  View the social profiles.  
We are proud to showcase this work and the cause.   

We encourage you to share this article with your friends.   Of course – fellow marketers, please share with your colleagues.   Feel free to comment on this article and note any case studies you would like us to review for The Social Circle at SearchAMPSocial.blogspot.com.  We look forward to your comments.

7 Content Marketing Strategies to Share

Is content marketing part of your brand marketing plan?  Use these proven strategies to build brand awareness, social media engagement, customer loyalty, website traffic, leads and sales. 

Content marketers use their writing and advertising skills to create high-quality blog posts and articles that will increase traffic to websites of the small business to the enterprise.  Creating content that is intriguing, eye-catching, and presented in a shareable way is essential in promoting your brand, and there are a variety of ways to improve upon your content marketing strategy for the coming year.

State Interesting Facts.

Quotes and fun facts are a great way to keep readers interested in your content.   Facts add value to your content and build credibility.  This information is the easiest for others to share, and it may keep readers intrigued enough to check out other things that you have to offer. Data-driven articles are also highly successful for SEO purposes. 

The fact is – people search for information and everyone enjoys being able to provide answers.  Give them the answers and they will share your content with their friends.  The more people you have reading and sharing your content, the higher your content will rank in search results.

Build in Visuals.

Content that is visually stimulating builds audiences. Today’s reader begins with visual ques.  Video, photos, and infographics are key components to include to increase engagement.

A post that is well formatted and includes an image is more likely to be shared, read, and liked than posts that do not feature an image. Incorporating multiple visuals throughout a post increases the readers’ time on page, engagement, and brand recall.

Video Engagement – Example

Go to your YouTube Channel.  Click on Analytics below your video.  Look at your audience retention – relative retention engagement stats on your videos.   

What images are your viewers responding to?  Where does your viewership move beyond the average, into engaged? 

Use those images to add to other online and mobile content

Photography Engagement

It was easier to understand the video engagement example through use of photography.  The depth of photography allows the consumer to identify with content.  Test image responses in social media to repeat use within article content.

We discovered one of these images was more likely to be shared within social media.   Guess which one it is.  Comment on this article with your response.  We’ll show you where you can find the answers to this question as well as which images you can use to engage your audiences.

  

Infographic – Example

Infographics have become a staple in content development.  Illustrations of a process can be defined through infographics.  Consumers are responding and sharing these files with their friends and contacts in social media.

The result of the most popular photos listed in tweets is shown on Twitter.com.  A graphic image was listed as the “Top Tweet, including a Photo,” which illustrates the value of infographics.  Notice how the image illustrates increased activity of brands engaging social audiences.

 

Format List Articles.

The title of this article included 7 content marketing strategies.  You are still reading.

List articles are one of the most popular types of content available, as they feed the human desire for organization and education.  Make sure you fulfill your promise to the reader.  A structure should be followed, when writing a list article in order to fulfill your readers’ expectations and achieve your desired result.

Large headlines, an introduction, and a conclusion are essential.  Some readers may just scan your article and move on.  Others will read every word.  Lists feed both readers with the information they are looking for. 

Lists are also easily shared, so make sure that you are adding social plug-ins to your page to enable your readers to share articles within social media, tweet and retweet article content, share images and video content.

Post Long Articles.

Some companies tend to stick to short posts when creating online content, believing that no one will be reading their articles anyway.   Believe that, and it will be true! 

The right people will read your articles, even lengthy posts. In fact, research from SerpIQ 2014 found that the average word length from the top 10 results on a Google search exceeded 2,000 words. A similar research initiative by Moz found that their posts with the most words were also the most frequently shared.

The short of it:  Give your readers information and keep them interested.

Write for Readability.

Although we tend to tend to use industry related words in conversation, we need to remember how to write for the market we are trying to reach.  While it’s important to write posts that convey your knowledge about a particular subject matter, being overly wordy or too technical in your descriptions can be problematic. Many social media professionals recommend writing at a middle school reading level, but most importantly, you should always write for your audience.

In summary: Produce content that your readers can understand and enjoy.

Construct Good Arguments.

Engage in debate.  A good argument can create a great piece of content.   While an angry rant isn’t likely to get your business or brand any positive attention, a blog post with intent, structure, and a clear point of view can be a powerful piece of content.

Bottom line: Get to the point.  

Choose a position, stick to it, & use the article to prove your point.  Engage in Debate.  Remember that there are two sides to every story, so be sure that you not only are accurately representing the position that you are arguing for, but also the opposite position.

Engage in Conversations.

If your business operates in a well-defined niche, it is highly likely that you’ll know the names of your biggest competitors and fellow bloggers. You may get their emails, read their articles, and interact with them regularly. One of the benefits of content marketing is that you’ll be able to respond to their content, allowing you to provide a structured assertion of your viewpoint in the event that a competitor writes an article that you feel compelled to respond to. Be careful to be courteous, and you can create an arena of interaction with your intelligent readers.

If you want to attract smart readers that will be willing to share your pieces with others, you’ll need to create smart content.  Follow up your content with the action you want your readers to take.  You will enjoy greater shareability and increased website traffic.

We look forward to engaging in social conversation with you.  SearchAMP Marketing reviews social media marketing campaigns of the small business to the enterprise company at SearchAMPSocial.Blogspot.com.  Please contact us to review and promote your strategy to our network in social media.  We look forward to showcasing campaigns which meet the noted principles in this article:  State facts, build visuals within content that are engaging enough to share in social media.  Send us examples! 

  

In the nature of social engagement – please share your comments!  We welcome promotional comments as long as they bring value to the discussion.  Please – comment and share in social media. Share this idea. P.S. Get #1 on Google with PR4-PR8 Contextual Links - GUARANTEED rankings & PageRank increase on Google. Check out the details.

SearchAMP Social Marketing

Online business marketing has become social.  From the small business to the enterprise, companies are learning to leverage social media as a avenue to build brands, online and mobile traffic, and long term customer loyalty.  Prospects and customers are communicating about products and services online and today's CMO understands the value of social media.

Inc. Magazine just released an article on customer engagement, where Mark Cuban defines the value of social media as a medium which not only drives value of customer engagement, but defines individual and brand identities through the relationships built and maintained in social media. 

“Every person you retweet, repin, repost, renote and regram on social media defines who you are, and there are applications now that are collecting every bit of that and creating profiles about you. That is going to be used not just by online companies." 
-- Mark Cuban

@Julieannross tweeted the post and the quote is found on Facebook @RostinVentures
A fellow Dallas, Texas resident would agree that your offline and online reputation is defined by who you associate with.

In the good nature of that argument, we will dedicate this new blog to those in the marketing space who lead the pack in social media marketing.  SocialAMP Marketing will feature strategic plans to engage the consumer through social markets.