In my previous blog post which can be found here , the topic of Social Media Marketing and specifically how to run a successful Social Media Competition was discussed. This blog post will look at the importance of creating content which users will be willing to share, some effective techniques to use and problems which you might encounter.

Content Marketing

Key to a businesses success in this digital day and age is the ability to use content marketing to their advantage. So what is exactly is content marketing and how is this relevant to running a social media competition for your business? There are a wide range of definitions for content marketing but in essence it is the business process involved in creating and distributing content which is valuable and fascinating enough to help attract and acquire new customers, whilst also driving engagement from existing users. (Pulizzi, 2014)

8 Different types of content a business can produce

1. Blogs
2. Long form content
3. Case Studies
4. White Papers
5. E-Books
6. Infographics and images
7. Downloadable templates
8. Videos

Click here to read further about these types of content.

(Gotter, 2017)

Despite these different forms of content which a business can choose to produce, image and video content would be the most suitable for sharing when holding a social media competition for many reasons including the ease and convenience for the user to digest before deciding to share or not. (DeMers, 2017)

Although not part of a social media competition itself, below is an example of video content marketing done well, Three’s Dance Pony Dance campaign was a huge success and demonstrates how content which is engaging and entertaining can help increase brand awareness and potentially add market value. The video as of April 2018 had nearly 13million views on YouTube alone.

Video content produced by Three Mobile (2013) 

Now this blog post has looked at a few different types of content a business can produce and what content marketing is, it is time to link it to Social Media competitions.  It is important to remember that content marketing is a tactic employed by businesses and that social media is a channel in which to distribute content. (Braun, 2017) 

As an example, say for instance your business is looking to run a Social Media Competition where users looking to enter the competition need to share a specific image or video produced by your business on a Social Media platform such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter in order to enter. We will now look at some top tips and effective techniques to remember.

Via GIPHY

 Top Tips and effective Techniques for creating sharable content 

1. Ensure your audience is clear and defined- Before creating the content, ensure it is something that your target audience would want to see and share. For instance, if your business is a charity concerning a humanitarian issue, it would not be wise to create content which is meant to be humorous.
2. Understand the motivation and emotions behind users wanting to share your content- Studies have shown psychological triggers as to why people will share content online; including social approval, the ability to communicate with others, to reinforce their own beliefs and ideas and also for entertainment purposes.
3. Ensure content can be accessed and viewed easily on mobile devices- Ensure users wanting to view your content and share it, are able to do so through their mobile devices whether at home, out socialising or on their way to work.
4. Video content is key- If possible, produce video content. Studies show that by 2020, nearly 80% of consumer internet traffic will be from online videos.
5. Produce content which is valuable, relevant and consistent- The content being produced by your business should always offer something to your audience, whether it be something they can learn or something they find entertaining. Additionally the content should try and be consistent with the image you want your brand to give off, and how you want your business to be perceived.
6. Find out what is trending and tie in pop culture-  It is important to see what is in the news, what is trending on social media platforms and what is happening in your industry and in society in general. Tie these events in where possible and be relevant.
7.  Be unique and create a buzz- A tip from Brad Hess, the senior digital marketing manager at Ceros, a company who specialise in creating interactive content.
8. Include Social Sharing buttons and tell your audience how to share- sounds silly but it is important to remind your audience to share and let them know how. If posting content on your businesses website directly, include Social Sharing buttons. (Seen below)

An example of Social Sharing buttons on a website

(Sabbagh, 2018)

Some problems you might encounter

1. Creating content users do not want to share- It is important to try and produce content which is going to be appreciated by your target audience, if not the content which took time to produce, may be seen as irrelevant and not worth sharing by your target audience.
2. Content created being Hijacked- This is more common then you might think, with content such as hashtag campaigns being hijacked on social media platforms. An example of this can be found here , where Mcdonald’s started the #Mcdstories campaign, which users of Twitter hijacked.
3. Content being created, being misleading or false-  This can be linked to Social Media competitions such as when EE ran a competition for free Glastonbury tickets, which did not materialise for the winner who was offered MasterCard vouchers instead. Despite Twitter backlash, EE failed to respond and competitor O2 capitalised. To read further about this particular case click this link.

References

Ahmad, I. (2017). 50 Social Media Video Marketing Stats for 2017 [Infographic]. [online] Social Media Today. Available at: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/50-social-media-video-marketing-stats-2017-infographic [Accessed 7 Apr. 2018].

Bartee, R. (2017). 12 Tips for Creating Shareable Social Media Content – Online Marketing Institute. [online] Online Marketing Institute. Available at: https://www.onlinemarketinginstitute.org/blog/2017/10/12-tips-creating-shareable-social-media-content/ [Accessed 7 Apr. 2018].

Braun, E. (2017). Content Marketing Vs. Social Media Marketing: What’s The Difference?. [online] Marketing Solved. Available at: https://www.marketingsolved.com/content-marketing-vs-social-media-marketing-whats-the-difference/ [Accessed 7 Apr. 2018].

DeMers, J. (2017). Forbes Welcome. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2017/03/22/the-psychology-of-shareable-content/#682b874444e9 [Accessed 7 Apr. 2018].

Frick, T. (2010). Return on engagement. Amsterdam [etc.]: Elsevier.

GIPHY. (n.d.). Black Think About It GIF by Identity – Find & Share on GIPHY. [online] Available at: https://giphy.com/gifs/culture–think-hmm-d3mlE7uhX8KFgEmY [Accessed 8 Apr. 2018].

Gotter, A. (2017). The 8 Main Different Types of Content and How to Use Them. [Blog] AdEspresso by Hootsuite. Available at: https://adespresso.com/blog/main-different-types-content-use/ [Accessed 7 Apr. 2018].

Hill, K. (2012). Forbes Welcome. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/01/24/mcdstories-when-a-hashtag-becomes-a-bashtag/#3f32397fed25 [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].

Interactive Content Creation Software. (2018). Ceros – Interactive Content Creation Software. [online] Available at: https://www.ceros.com/ [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].

Jasin, A. (2017). 10 Awesome Ways to Make Incredibly Shareable Content. [Blog] Buzz Suom. Available at: http://buzzsumo.com/blog/10-awesome-ways-make-incredibly-shareable-content/ [Accessed 8 Apr. 2018].

Kolowich, L. (2018). How to Create Shareable Content: 46 Tips From the Experts [Infographic]. [Blog] HubSpot. Available at: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/expert-tips-shareable-content [Accessed 8 Apr. 2018].

Macleod, I. (2013). EE faces the music on Twitter following Glastonbury ticket competition fail: and O2 steps up. [online] The Drum. Available at: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/06/13/ee-faces-music-twitter-following-glastonbury-ticket-competition-fail-and-o2-steps [Accessed 7 Apr. 2018].

Oberoi, A. (2014). The 7 Secrets to Shareable Content. [online] Entrepreneur. Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232083 [Accessed 5 Apr. 2018].

Pulizzi, J. (2014). Epic content marketing. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Realview. (n.d.). How To Create Content Worth Sharing To Promote Your Business Online – Realview. [online] Available at: http://www.realviewdigital.com/create-content-worth-sharing-promote-business-online/ [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].

Riegger, C. (2016). How to Create Social Media Contests That Convert. [Blog] Social Media Examiner. Available at: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-create-social-media-contests-that-convert/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2018].

Sabbagh, D. (2018). Rise of digital politics: why UK parties spend big on Facebook. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/23/facebook-digital-politics-tories-labour-online-advertising-marketing [Accessed 8 Apr. 2018].

Scott, D. (2011). The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, & Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly (New Rules of Marketing and PR :how to Use. John Wiley & Sons.

Smith, S. (2017). Why is content marketing importnt for your business. [Blog] Campaignium. Available at: http://www.campaignium.com/blog/why-is-content-marketing-important-for-your-business/ [Accessed 8 Apr. 2018].

Three Mobile (2013). Three – The Pony #DancePonyDance.  Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=Ekr05T9Iaio [Accessed 7 Apr. 2018].

VisMe, (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.visme.co/?utm_source=visme.com [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].

Social Media Marketing is playing a more and more prevalent role in the way businesses advertise their products and services, with Social Media platforms now playing an essential role in businesses interacting with both potential and existing consumers and can even be viewed as a company’s primary communication tool. (Kotler and Keller, 2012)

One form of Social Media Marketing, is Social Media competitions, this blog will look at why firms use Social Media Marketing in general, and then more specifically focus on the benefits and risks associated with holding Social Media competitions. Below is an infographic which shows what the most used Social Media Platforms are in the UK, as of 2017.

2017 Top 5 Social Media Platforms in the UK

What are some of the Benefits of using Social Media Marketing?

• Cost effectiveness- The ability to use social media platforms for free to reach both potential and existing customers, in contrast to the high costs associated with traditional marketing methods such as leafleting or newspaper advertisements.
• Improved brand loyalty- Customers view social media as a tool in which to interact with businesses almost instantly and directly. Used correctly social media can build a strong rapport between the customer and an organisation which can increase loyalty to a brand.
• Increased inbound traffic- Social media can help drive inbound traffic to a company’s website through the roof, regular posts with links to the businesses website can really help a business gain a competitive advantage.

Why Brands operate on Social Media?

In research collected by Georgios Tsimonis and Sergios Dimitriadis (2014), there are four main reasons as to why brands operate on Social Media platforms, these were:

1. Holding competitons
2. Communicating with customers and followers
3. Announcing new products and services
4. Sharing advice and information on products and services

The second point concerning communication with customers can be linked to the term Social Communities, which is the building of relationships between a brand and a consumer, a key reason as to why brands and businesses will operate on Social Media and interact with followers. (Tuton and Solomon, 2015)

Now we have covered some of the benefits of Social Media Marketing in general and why brands use Social Media Platforms, we will now look explore some top tips and risks associated with businesses running Social Media competitions.

via GIPHY

Top tips to running a Social Media Competition

1. Ensure your competition appeals to potential customers- This can be done by offering incentives relative to your industry. For example, a gym chain offering free Personal Training sessions or 6 month’s free membership as a prize.
2. Run a competition which encourages social sharing- This can help to increase your brand’s awareness, as followers entering may be sharing your posts to other users on that platform who are not aware of your business. In addition to this, running a Social Media competition may help to increase engagement from your followers and other users on that platform.
3. Ensure clear rules for the competition are established- It is key that rules for the competition are not ambiguous, so that followers of your brand and other users who may be interested in participating in your competition are not confused and no issues arise, for example ensuring that competition rules are clearly state that only Over 18’s are eligible.
4. Run your competition on your most popular platform- It makes sense to run the competition on the platforms where your brand has the most followers, in order to reach as many users as possible.
5. Collect valuable, personal data- It would be useful if your competition can acquire e-mail addresses of users, in order to send further marketing material after the competition has expired. Be aware as of May 2018, your company will need permission from the individual, i.e. “Opt-in” to send marketing material, as GDPR regulations will come into effect. For more information on GDPR, click here.

For further advice on how to run a successful Social Media competition, have a look at this video by Alice Reeves of Jellyfish Marketing. 

Risks Associated with Social Media Competitions

1. Rules and Regulations- Businesses have to be aware of certain rules and regulations put in place by the Social Media platforms themselves, and also laws on competitions which may differ based on the geographic location of the competition, for example laws on online gambling in different states in the United States.
2. Users initially following a page for a competition, not becoming active members of Social Community- Users may follow a brand’s social media pages in order to enter the competition, but if that follower does not engage with the page on a regular basis, the user may be lost in the algorithm and not see the businesses future posts.
3. Users unfollowing a page after entering a competition- Certain users may follow a page, enter the competition and immediately unfollow the page, meaning the business can not interact with them after the competition.
4. A competition being hijacked by spam or false entries- An example of this happening was when Walkers crisps #WalkersWave Social Media Competition offering tickets to the Champions League Final in 2017, was hijacked and followers sent in selfie’s of serial killer Fred West and disgraced former BBC TV and radio host Jimmy Saville, to name a few. Click here to see how.

Finally, Dove’s “Real Beauty Should be Shared” Competition on Facebook, is a good example of a Social Media Competition done well. Users were asked to send in pictures with their friend or relative and fill in the blanks stating why they were beautiful, with the winners of the competition being used on Dove’s products, seen below.

Dove ‘Real beauty Should Be Shared Competition’

REFERENCES

Bluefountainmedia.com. (2018). 10 Advantages of Social Media Marketing for Your Business. [online] Available at: https://www.bluefountainmedia.com/blog/advantages-of-social-media-marketing/ [Accessed 17 Feb. 2018].

business.com. (2017). Social Media Contests and the Law – Business.com. [online] Available at: https://www.business.com/articles/legal-considerations-for-social-media-contests-and-sweepstakes/ [Accessed 22 Feb. 2018].

DeMers, J. (2014). The Top Ten Benefits of Social Media Marketing. Forbes. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/08/11/the-top-10-benefits-of-social-media-marketing/2/#389688a2743f [Accessed 16 Feb. 2018].

Demianyk, G. (2017). Walkers Crisps Selfie Stunt Backfires In Spectacular Fashion. [online] HuffPost UK. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/walkers-crisps-pr-mexican-wave-rolf-harris-fred-west-harold-shipman_uk_5926f755e4b062f96a3491f0 [Accessed 22 Feb. 2018].

GIPHY. (2018). Best Gif Thumbs Up GIF – Find & Share on GIPHY. [online] Available at: https://giphy.com/gifs/thumbs-up-111ebonMs90YLu/embed [Accessed 22 Feb. 2018].

Hootsuite Social Media Management. (n.d.). 5 Awesome Social Media Contests. [online] Available at: https://blog.hootsuite.com/5-awesome-social-media-contests-plus-create/ [Accessed 22 Feb. 2018].

Jenny Hale – The Military Social Media Guru. (n.d.). The Pros and Cons of Running Contests to Grow Your Business | Jenny Hale – The Military Social Media Guru. [online] Available at: https://www.jennyhale.com/2017/07/24/the-pros-and-cons-of-running-contests-to-grow-your-business/ [Accessed 21 Feb. 2018].

Kotler, P. and Keller, K. (2012). A framework for marketing management. 5th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Rantic (2018). Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media Marketing for Your Business – Rantic. [online] Available at: https://www.rantic.com/articles/advantages-disadvantages-social-media-marketing-business/ [Accessed 19 Feb. 2018].

Reeves, A. (2015). Running successful social media competitions. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLI5q6RPj14&t=156s [Accessed 22 Feb. 2018].

Sachs, E. (2017). 21 Tips on Running a Great Social Media Contest. [online] Social Media Today. Available at: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/21-tips-running-great-social-media-contest [Accessed 22 Feb. 2018].

Sandilands, T. (2018). Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media Marketing. [online] Smallbusiness.chron.com. Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-social-media-marketing-21890.html [Accessed 20 Feb. 2018].

Scherer, J. (2017). 4 Tips for Successful Social Media Contests. [online] Socialmediaexaminer.com. Available at: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/4-tips-for-successful-social-media-contests/ [Accessed 21 Feb. 2018].

Social Media. (2018). List of Popular Social Networks | Social Media Ltd. [online] Available at: https://social-media.co.uk/list-popular-social-networking-websites [Accessed 18 Feb. 2018].

Tsimonis, G. and Dimitriadis, S. (2014). Brand strategies in social media. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, [online] 32(3), pp.328-344. Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/MIP-04-2013-0056 [Accessed 16 Feb. 2018].

Tuton, T. and Solomon, M. (2015). Social media marketing. London: Sage, p.24.

White, S. (2017). How will GDPR affect Email Marketing?. [online] Digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk. Available at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/gdpr/how-will-gdpr-affect-email-marketing/4746 [Accessed 22 Feb. 2018].

Social Media Engagement

Engagement on social media can be defined as how many likes, shares, comments or clicks that a specific post receives from its audience on a social media platform.(Bigcommerce, n.d.)

Chiles (2015) states that engagement on social media can be viewed as how consumers or potential consumers are involved with, for instance the brand or the product or service being offered.

In 2016, for the first time in American history, more money was spent on digital marketing and social media campaigns, than TV advertising, highlighting the shift in the advertising landscape. (Cole, DeNardin and Clow, 2017) Nearly all businesses have an online presence and social media pages to communicate with existing or potential new customers but how can an organisation tell if their social media is being used well?

One way to measure how well an organisation is using social media is through looking at the engagement of posts on different platforms. Although this can give you or or your organisation an idea of how well a post is (or not!) being received, despite this it is important to remember that social media engagement does not necessarily lead to sales.

Logos of three main Social Media platforms. (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook)

Three of the main social media platforms are Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, with all three platforms having ways in which to measure engagement on posts.

Metrics for engagement on Social media platforms

Now we have talked about what social media engagement is and some of the metrics which can be used to help measure engagement, here are some of the key ways to help increase engagement on posts, which will in turn assist in growing your brand.

Key points for driving your social media engagement: (Brown, 2012; Forbes, 2014)

• Demonstrate value– Social media has the ability to connect with new and existing customers like never before. Show your brand’s social media worth, by posting demonstrations of how to use products or interacting with customers in real time over, platforms such as Twitter, this should help to demonstrate why following your brand on social media, IS A MUST.

• Show what’s new– Followers on social media will be intrigued to see new ideas or technologies in your industry. For example in the fitness industry, if a new type of training routine is being used by one of the Personal Trainer’s in your gym, or a new piece of gym equipment has been acquired and is being used, then it is imperative to SHOW IT.

• Be visual-This is what social media is all about! Platforms such as Instagram were made for this specific reason. Capitalise and utilise. (Example Instagram post below @kustomkitgymequipment)

When you next undertake your #chest #workout don't forget to bench press at different angles. By undertaking flat, incline and decline press sets ensures you'll develop overall #strength and size. Our decline bench press will help you to build mass and increase strength on your lower chest area. #gymequipment #bodybuilding #madeintheuk #madeforthestrong #chestday #wherestrengthmeetsengineering #fitfam

A post shared by Kustom Kit Gym Equipment (@kustomkitgymequipment) on Jan 7, 2018 at 5:19am PST

• Competitions and giveaways on your platforms– Competitions are a great way to drive engagement on your posts through the roof because who doesn’t love a freebie? An example of a competition could be ‘Share this post to receive a month’s free supply of goods’ or ‘Comment on this post with the #FreebieFriday for a chance to win!’

• Post regularly– It is important to post regularly in order to ensure that new and existing customers can see that your social media accounts are active and worth a follow! If people are viewing your social media pages, and see there is not much activity on them, they may feel more inclined not to follow. Posting on a regular basis can help keep your brand visible, however it is important not to post too regularly as spamming timelines may lead to people unfollowing your accounts.

• Monitor engagements through analytical tools– It is important to analyse engagements using social media analytical tools, which can give you information such as Retweets or comments including your brand name for example. There are many different analytical tools which can be used, and Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all have in built analytics. However, if you require more data regarding your posts, tools such as “Hootsuite” and “Social mention” also offer data.

• Listen to your audience– This is one of, if not the most important point. This can be done by using analytical tools as previously mentioned, but also by simply reading through comments on posts or replies to tweets, for example. The beauty of Social media is the fact that is is a two way street, and potential and existing customers can interact with the company posting, and if there is negative feedback or backlash to a post, a brand will be able to interact or take down the post if needs be.

After reading this blog, you should have a clearer idea of how to increase engagement on your social media posts, in order to help build your brand and be more in touch with your audience!

References

Brown, E. (2012). Working the Crowd. 2nd ed. Swindon: British Informatics Society, pp.138-145.

Cole, H., DeNardin, T. and Clow, K. (2017). Small Service Businesses: Advertising Attitudes and The Use of Digital and Social Media Marketing. Services Marketing Quarterly, 38(4), pp.203-212.

Chiles, D (2015). Social Media Best Practices: Engagement Netiquette. London: David Paul Chiles Publishing. p20-22.

https://www.bigcommerce.co.uk/ecommerce-answers/what-is-social-media-engagement/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2014/09/22/7-free-ways-for-boosting-your-social-media-engagement/#19d2c43e713f

https://goo.gl/1Mocjk

(Twitter logo)

https://goo.gl/SH4UYo

(Instagram logo)

https://goo.gl/Fj5Q8r

(Facebook Logo

https://goo.gl/Jwmui1

(Instagram post)

https://hootsuite.com/

http://socialmention.com/

GOT or NOT?

In this case study DDB is one of the most influential advertising groups in New Zealand, working with companies such as McDonald’s, Cadbury’s and BMW to name a few. Sky, who holds exclusive rights to Game of Thrones in New Zealand was trying to promote its new paid channel SoHo to current sky subscribers and also to entice new customers.

Game of thrones Season 4 was fast approaching, and with GOT fans all over the world anticipating the season premiere-DDB decided to go beyond the realms of traditional marketing to try and convert the NOT’s to GOT’s, with the aim of boosting subscriptions to the new channel SoHo.

DDB decided to erect a 7 metre statue of one of the most hated characters in GOT, the evil King Joffrey, in the middle of Auckland’s busiest open spaces, enticing passers by to interact using the hashtag #bringdowntheking, with millions of interactions on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, the effigy of Joffrey was brought down to the delight of GOT fanatics worldwide.

The campaign reached 43 million people in 168 countries worldwide, with 875,000 individual interactions relating to the campaign.

If you’d like to read anymore about King Joffrey’s downfall in Auckland, visit:

http://www.businessinsider.com/king-joffrey-game-of-thrones-statue-2014-4?IR=T

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=SJmWkrdU&id=51F555E5EA71EEC352FC7327421A130753B10B19&thid=OIP.SJmWkrdUBkntXG-JsHSrHADYEg&q=king+joffrey+auckland&simid=608018674848236931&selectedIndex=8&ajaxhist=0

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