According to a new study, 72% of all internet users are now active on social media, making it one of the most powerful tools in digital marketing. With power shifting in the consumers’ favour, marketers are forced to change how they spread their brand message.
In order to define ROI from social campaigns, shares and followers are now seen as primary indicators of success, but what exactly drives these? By analysing leading studies and successful campaigns, we find out exactly how brands are increasing their own social shares and inviting new followers.
Add a Call to Action
If you don’t ask you don’t get and according to a recent study, simply asking people to retweet will increase your chances by 160%. However when approaching a call to action Lindsay Leon-Atkins, Research Director at Dynamic Logic believes that “marketers should try leveraging interactive features that engage the viewer, allowing them to feel as though they have benefited from the experience”.
Coincidentally the New York Times found 94% of Facebook users consider how useful a link will be to another user before they post it. Therefore, simply asking for a share isn’t adequate. First and foremost, you must provide value.
Relate to Your Followers’ Identities
Social media’s premise is that ‘we are what we share’. By providing content that sits with your target market’s personal values, you increase the chance of that target audience sharing your brand on their wall. A user’s identity can also be broken down into two types of content:
- Interests
Looking into your target market’s shared interests is a great place to start when planning your social media campaign. By putting research at the base of your content plan, you can ensure the content you create is going to be of interest to your audience. What do your target audience talk about? What common interests are listed on their Twitter bios?
- Influencers
According to a Mckinsey Study, word-of-mouth marketing generates 50% more sales than paid advertising and that figure increases when influential recommendations come to play. By working with influencers who appeal to your target audience, you can spread awareness and build loyalty. Exemplifying the tactic is global clothing brand Superdry. By focusing solely on word-of-mouth, the brand managed to attract publicity from David Beckham and Nicole Scherzinger, who were both seen wearing the brand.
Express Emotion
When it comes to influencing consumer behaviour, marketers have always relied on emotions. This was further evidenced in a recent study from Buffer App which asked more than 800 participants to report their feelings on 23 viral images. The most powerful positive feelings were joy, interest, anticipation and trust. However it was found that viral images that stir a mix of emotional reactions – both positive and negative – are more likely to be shared.
Paddy Power Tweet:
Get behind Roy’s Boys! #BrazilNuts pic.twitter.com/iGwT86Jyrb
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) June 7, 2014
Take Paddy Power’s 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign. Whilst some football fans appreciated the controversial humour, environmental enthusiasts thought it was reckless. Although it was a hoax, the image, for a time, caused a stir which effectively spread the brand name.
Visualise Your Message
According to a 2014 eMarketer report, images account for 87% of social shares on Facebook. Simply put, visual content grabs attention where words may be ignored. Therefore integrating visual content into your social strategy wherever possible is an effective way to increase your share rate. One example of how visual content can tackle a trending subject is the follow graphic by Visually. Visually Facebook Post
The rise in visual content may be down to how we process information, as visuals are processed on average 60,000 times quicker than written word. This also explains Instagram’s dominance over Twitter, with 300 million active users.
Improving engagement isn’t something that happens overnight, but by taking some time to research your audience and create a correlating campaign strategy, you can be confident that you’re heading in the right direction. Most importantly, always focus on delivering the valuable content that your intended readers want to see.
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About the Author:
Joseph Hill: Content & Online PR Executive
Specialising in digital marketing, Joseph has an avid interest in social media, word of mouth and content marketing.
