It’s no secret that making the most of social media is integral to the marketing, branding and customer services goals of any business. For small businesses, this can be especially true. In many cases, though, worthwhile social media management is easier said than done. Sometimes, taking a look at the way larger brands utilize their social media accounts can often be insightful. Take a look at the following examples.
Oreo – Brand identity/tone
Oreo’s social media accounts have very particular and cleverly constructed personalities. By posting a combination of puns, one-liners, random facts, pictures, vines, etc., as well as information related to their product, Oreo has developed a laid back, witty, and affable online personality for their brand. Having a casual and bubbly tone of voice makes the brand more approachable and relatable to customers.
Delta Air Lines – Customer services
Delta Air Lines is well known for the use of its “face-saving” Twitter account. The airline company invites customers to tweet any issues they may be experiencing, and then responds with lightning fast speed. Even if the customer’s issues aren’t obviously resolvable, the attention and connection with customers helps to mitigate any negative feelings towards the airline.
Starbucks – Lead generation
Companies are always running direct-response social media campaigns to try and boost business, but one example that worked particularly well was Starbucks’ @tweetacoffee campaign. The idea was simple: By tweeting at that handle, users could buy a coffee for their friends. The campaign was impressively effective, lead to almost $200,000 in purchases. Whether it was an increase in brand awareness, or purely the novelty of tweeting a coffee to a friend – it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that it worked.
Motorola – Product awareness
Motorola is a prime example of using social media for product awareness. The company has multiple social media accounts which all visually showcase their products. Through video, image, and other visual elements, Motorola also keep their customers up to date on with their most recent products and the latest features.
Kellogg’s – Product generation
While Motorola may demonstrate the model of product awareness, Kellogg’s provide a good example of how social media lends itself to idea generation. After musician Tim Burgess jokingly tweeted about creating a cereal called “Totes Amazeballs,” Kellogg’s went ahead and made it.
Yes, Kellogg’s did only make one box of the cereal for Burgess himself, but the exposure and promotion they received from doing so was more than worth it. Plus, it’s a great example of how social media and interacting with customers can generate ideas for new products.
The examples above examples demonstrate how social media can be cleverly utilized. From establishing brand identity, to improving customer services and brand awareness, to generating leads and new product ideas: Which does your business use?
Hannah Corbett is a writer for Make it Cheaper and a business enthusiast. For more social media tips, business tools and resources, and money-saving advice, visit www.makeitcheaper.com.