by Brittany McSorley
As the violent and unnecessary saying goes, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Similarly, but without the horrifying imagery, there’s more than one way to approach social media marketing. Choosing the right method depends on your product, the audience you’re targeting, and which platform you’re using, among other things. But no matter what you’re aiming for, there are valuable lessons to learn from the brands that are nailing social strategy.
Lush Cosmetics
Lush sells bath and beauty products that are luxurious and eye-catching. Their stores are bursting with colorful displays, and some items look like delicious desserts, which could in theory confuse someone and get her banned from the Glendale Galleria location for eating soap. I’m just saying it’s a risk.
Lush’s social media presence not only showcases its pretty products, but also encourages engagement by focusing on user-generated content. Many of Lush’s Instagram posts let followers know to tag the account for a chance to be featured on the page, which keeps the online conversation buzzing while customers market the products themselves. If you offer a service or product that’s especially visually appealing, splitting the difference between customer content and your own can boost engagement.
Wendy’s
The Wendy’s Twitter account is the stuff of internet legend. (That’s not a sentence I ever thought I’d write when I was elbow-deep in lattes and Jane Austen at college, but here we are.) The key to the company’s social media success is its use of sharp, relevant humor. It’s fast food; nobody’s taking it that seriously anyway, so Wendy’s has embraced a sarcastic vibe that often includes dissing its competitors. Followers love it.
Once your brand and voice has been established, it doesn’t hurt to inject some relevant humor into your social conversation. If you think your target customers would appreciate some lighthearted or funny content, go for it. Please ignore this part of the article if you run a funeral home or something.
Square Sayings
Square Sayings sells clothing and accessories bearing funny phrases spelled out in lettered beads—the kind you used at camp to make BFF bracelets with that traitor Stacy. Because the products have a very specific look, the Square Sayings Instagram does too. The consistency of this feed is so soothing, I could scroll through it for hours and end up missing my flight to sabotage Stacy’s wedding.
If your service is suited to using a powerful visual technique, it can really solidify your brand identity for your followers. And even if you have a more dynamic product line to showcase, sticking to a specific color palette or favorite filter can do wonders to create a unified and recognizable mood.
Airbnb
Airbnb is the shining star of “the gig economy,” or “insanely stressful late-stage capitalism.” The company allows homeowners around the world to rent out unique spaces to travelers of all kinds: students, retirees, and women in their twenties who got caught setting fire to Stacy’s veil and had to flee to Asia.
Instagram is the ideal platform for travel content, and Airbnb has an incredibly dynamic feed featuring spaces from around the world. The company’s “Live like a local” tagline dovetails perfectly with its content, showcasing exciting locations and offering a cheaper alternative to the hotel life. If your company has an extensive reach, make sure you’re using social media to show it off.
Lego
Lego’s social media strategy goes beyond marketing to kids, which is smart, because children have no money. They have only complaints. They’re never offering solutions, you know what I mean? Like, bring something to the table, Madeline. Participate.
Lego’s Instagram feed has its fair share of product announcements and standard marketing posts, but the company also stays on the radar by incorporating relevant pop culture in its content, as well as sharing fascinating Lego creations from both insiders and followers. Even if your business caters to a specific demographic, appealing to a wider audience on social is key for engagement and growth.
FollowMeTo
Okay, this isn’t really a company, but like Fox News and dentists, I make my own rules. The #FollowMeTo hashtag is now a huge movement, but it was started by couple Murad and Natalia Osmann, who shared gorgeous photos of the same cool pose all around the world. In every brilliantly edited shot, Natalia’s back is to the camera as she leads Murad by the hand toward a stunning destination. The project gathered a huge following, sponsorships abounded, and the couple now runs a separate Instagram account dedicated to copycat photos and behind-the-scenes content documenting their travels.
This is an example of social media being used so effectively, it created a business. If something is working for you on social, don’t be afraid to replicate it as much as you can (without disrupting what made it compelling in the first place).
Apartment Therapy
Apartment Therapy is a lifestyle and design company that is acing inspirational marketing. Their social media accounts deliver cozy content that establishes their design expertise and generates countless ideas for your own home. The message is essentially, “Hey, you know your kitchen could look like this, right?” wrapped safely in a fashionable throw. Remember to do more than sell to your followers. You want to inspire them, too.
Staples
I don’t work in a traditional office setting, but the last time I did, I learned a lot, like how it feels when your soul is dying. The primary design colors were grey, also grey, and misery. Accent pieces included a microwave powered by depression and a filing system designed by drunk toddlers. The Wi-Fi password was misogyny.
What I’m saying is, selling office supplies isn’t the most exciting thing in the world. But even if you’re in a business that isn’t necessarily thrilling, you can still shape your marketing strategy into something compelling and visually appealing. Staples does this by sharing unique content that transforms its products. Scroll through the company’s Instagram feed for shots of traditional supplies being used in cool and unexpected ways. The account also focuses on engagement, such as by asking followers to describe their workdays in a series of emojis. With the right approach, you can make anything interesting.
This is Brittany signing off from Nepal until things die down.
