SOCIAL MEDIA
HOW TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY
BY HECKFORD
Life was very different back in 1978 when we founded Heckford Advertising. Ties were wide, suits
were sharp, and people actually stopped to take a lunch hour. Before the Internet, we used to gather
to share our interests and passions.
Nowadays we share almost every aspect of our life with the world through our use of social media.
Love it or hate it, there is no avoiding it!
So how do you ensure that you are using the right platforms to target the right people and at the right
time? Our Digital Team at Heckford HQ is very passionate about helping businesses to succeed
through the use of social media, so much so that we decided to write a guide that businesses of all
sizes can use. Feel free to share and distribute this guide online or offline, but be sure to send props
our way!
BRANDS THAT ARE
WINNING AT SOCIAL
MEDIA
Let's take a closer look at 5 top brands who are doing things right on social media.
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STAPLES
The office supply giant Staples is winning by educating and
informing its audience and offering regular gift card giveaways
and product promotions. Staples also enjoy poking fun at office
culture and life in a cubicle. The brand realises that its followers
are into more than just paper clips and office furniture. So,
Staples engages that audience by asking questions like, “what
does your office setup look like” alongside offering quirky
videos on office party etiquette. fullertonbotanic.com
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PAMPERS
Pampers knows its target audience really well and embraces that
nurturing parent vibe. Pampers’ #BetterForBaby campaign tugged on
heartstrings by showing struggling families trying to make their
babies’ lives better.
This is a classic case of emotional advertising, similar to the way John
Lewis creates its hugely anticipated Christmas adverts.
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UNIQLO
Uniqlo wanted to raise awareness for their new T-shirt range and knew they
needed to do something big to overcome the noise of online fashion in social
media. Pinterest was the obvious platform of choice.
With about 100 users simultaneously pinning, Uniqlo essentially hijacked the
streams of every pinner that was logged on at the time. Users that were
scrolling aimlessly got an awakening experience by seeing Uniqlo’s T-shirt
turning, flipping and changing colours as they scrolled. Hijacking Pinterest
gained them about 55 million impressions, used no paid media and
generated more than 6,000 mentions on Twitter.
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HERSCHEL
Herschel Supply Co used social media to improve customer service.
Founded in 2009 in Vancouver, Canada, Herschel Supply Co manufactures
the finest quality backpacks, bags, travel goods and accessories.
As an innovative, design-driven retail business dedicated to producing
modern classics, Herschel Supply Co attracts a fashion inspired, tech savvy
following around the globe. Using social media Herschel was able to
achieve a 20% lift in customer service satisfaction rate and a 60% increase
in overall positive brand sentiment.
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DAVIDsTEA
DAVIDsTEA was founded eight years ago in Montreal, Quebec. As a
young an innovative business, their customers have high
expectations for their social media content. Like tea, social media
connects people around the world over common interests and shared
conversations. Whilst this commonality is convenient, it doesn’t
necessarily give brands like DAVIDsTEA a leg-up over others when
looking to create a loveable brand on social media. While their
content varies from channel to channel, their main content features
recipes, contests, fan and staff-generated content, promotional posts
and recurring posts – all with a fun modern twist.
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HOW TO IMPLEMENT A
SOCIAL MEDIA
STRATEGY
Step 1. Learn about your audience
Step 2. Choose your platforms
Step 3. Create a monthly plan
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1. LEARN ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE
One of the most important aspects of creating a strategy is to, first of all, understand your audience, where they are likely to be
spending their time and the kind of content they like viewing. If you can get this part right, you're already on your way to creating a
powerful strategy.
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Facebook averages 1.9 billion unique monthly users, with the biggest
proportion of users being Millennial and Generation X females, aged 18-49,
who spend an average of 7 hours a week browsing their timeline.
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YouTube averages 1 billion unique monthly
visitors. Monopolised by male users,
YouTube reaches more 18-34 and 35-49 year
olds than any TV network in the U.S.
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Instagram, the fastest growing platform, boasts 700
million monthly users. Whilst the platform is popular
amongst all ages, a whopping 90% of Instagram users
are under 35. And as a bonus, 53% of Instagram users
follow brands.
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Whilst 53% of Twitter accounts don’t post updates
themselves, visitors (both users and non-users) of the site
use Twitter to discover the most up to date information and
news, with over 2.1 billion Twitter search engine queries
performed every day.
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Pinterest has the best longevity. The half-life of a pin is 151,200
minutes VS 24 minutes for a tweet or 90 minutes for a Facebook
post. Interestingly, Pinterest has the most evenly distributed age
demographic ranging from 18-64-year-olds. People referred by
Pinterest are 10% more likely to make a purchase on e-commerce
than users of other networks.
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LinkedIn (467m users) is a professional and B2B network
that has a slightly higher user demographic of males versus
females. 45% of people using LinkedIn earn £70k or more
per year compared with only 21% of those who earn less
than £25k per year. Users of LinkedIn are less likely to use
other social networks.
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2. CHOOSING YOUR PLATFORMS
There are literally hundreds of platforms available, some bigger than others. If you're just starting out on social media it
would be wise to concentrate on a couple whilst you get to grips and then look to expand as your audience builds. Here are
the most used platforms and why you should, or shouldn’t, use them.
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Facebook has proved that its popularity amongst
users is here to stay. Facebook can be thought of as
32 million UK users
1.11 billion monthly users
665 million daily users
645 million business page views per week
the “social” home for your business on the Internet.
It’s a place people can go to leave a message, browse
through business products and photos, or chat with
you online.
With so many targeted potential customers, creating
a business page is a must, but remember that it
needs to be updated regularly with not only
promotional information, but engaging and
interesting content as well.
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19 million UK users
Over 1 billion unique visitors every month
Over 100 hours of video uploaded every minute When it comes to boosting your SEO (Search
Engine Optimisation) ranking, videos are over 50
times more likely to appear on the first page of
search results as part of the blended results that
Google now shows. Making the YouTube market
very competitive.
This is the perfect social media channel to choose
if you have value videos that invite engagement,
sharing and that users will enjoy. If your business
can visually show how its services, products and
employees are different from your competition,
this social media channel is a winner.
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15 million UK users
Estimated 215 million active users
Twitter is full of opinions, and you can listen!
Twitter is great for networking, whether your
B2B or B2C. Character count may be limited, but
when used correctly or creatively, you can reap
the rewards. Twitter has proved its worth in
recent years as a platform for breaking news.
Use the legendary hashtag feature to keep up
with, and be part of, the latest trends.
Twitter is also a great way to connect with your
customers. If you have an unsatisfied customer
you will hear them on Twitter, and this is your
chance to excel at customer service. If you have
succeeded in gaining some popularity with your
twitter account you will know how viral twitter
can be. HKFD.CO.UK
14 million UK users Instagram is a photo-sharing program, but what
makes it different is that it’s a free app that can be
downloaded onto most smartphones and tablets.
Instagram enables users to apply a variety of filters to
pictures with a simple press of a button. Though you
can manage your Instagram account via your PC, you
can’t upload images to Instagram without a third
party tool from your PC, so be sure to invest in a
reliable one if not using a smartphone.
Instagram is great for products, pictures of staff and
developments within your business. Using this social
media channel can add massive amounts of
personality to your business. HKFD.CO.UK
12.6 million UK users
359 million active users a month
Google+ – far from the ghost town it is popularly
believed to be. Many see Google+ as a
combination of Twitter and Facebook, but its new
features make it a marketing paradise.
Hangouts and +1s if used properly, can result in
fantastic page popularity. Like Twitter and
Facebook, this page needs to be regularly
updated; you need to be interactive, not only with
your own users but other business pages as well.
Remember: Google+ is Google, which means
great search engine results for your business! HKFD.CO.UK
10.3 million UK users
Women account for 80% of users
Average user age 25-45
Your business can reap the benefits of introducing
your products to an estimated 70 million users on
Pinterest, with fabulous backlinks to your website.
Due to the highly visual nature of the site, quality
images have a greater chance of becoming “viral” –
that is, shared and re-shared – to thousands of
people. An image pinned by a highly followed
Pinterest member has the potential to reach millions
of viewers.
If your business is a shop or an e-commerce site –
then Pinterest for business makes sense, but what if
your business doesn’t make or sell pretty things?
“How-to checklists” or step-by-step guides can
garner attention, too. Once someone pins the image,
the web address associated with that pin can serve to
draw in new customers!
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B2B platform for networking professionally
10 million UK users
LinkedIn is the largest social media network for
business people and professionals, but most small
business owners still don’t have it on their marketing
radar. Business owners are now realising the value of
this site and the opportunities to build relationships
and sales leads.
Approach this social media channel more seriously and
assume that the users will want serious, professional
and informative content. One of the most powerful
features of LinkedIn is “LinkedIn Groups” which
provide a place for professionals in the same industry
or with similar interests to start and participate in a
discussion within a Group. You can share content, find
answers, post and view jobs, make business contacts,
and establish yourself as industry experts.
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STEP 1 - OBJECTIVES
The first step to any social media marketing strategy is to establish the objectives and set the goals that you hope to achieve. Having
objectives allows you to gauge success and return on investment. These goals should be loosely aligned to your broader marketing
strategy, so that your social media efforts drive forward your business objectives as a whole.
Go beyond ‘vanity’ metrics such as likes and retweets, look at how many leads you generated, web referrals and/or sales.
A simple way to start your social media strategy is by writing down three objectives and detailing how you will measure its success.
Example goals could include: increasing brand awareness, driving more traffic to your website, website visitor loyalty or increasing total
conversions from social media.
You could also choose simplified goals whilst you get into the swing of things, such as increasing fans and followers, reducing response
time to customer enquiries or establishing yourselves as experts surrounding a particular topic or service.
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STEP 2 - AUDIT
Conduct a social media audit prior to creating your social media marketing plan. You need to assess your current social media use and
how it’s working. This means figuring out who is currently connecting with you via social media, which social media sites your target
market uses, and what you need to do better in order to meet your marketing goals. There is nothing wrong with looking at what is
working for your competitors for inspiration, in fact - we encourage it.
Once you’ve conducted your audit you should have a clear picture of every social account representing your business, and what purpose
they serve e.g. – Heckford Advertising uses Instagram to share design inspiration and facts with marketers and professionals. It should
be evident which accounts need improvements and which need to be deleted altogether. Take the time you need to determine the
purpose of every social profile you have. If you can’t figure out its purpose, it might be time to delete that profile.
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STEP 3 - CREATE & IMPROVE
Once you’ve finished with your social media audit, it’s time to hone your online presence. Choose which networks best meet your social
media goals. If you don’t already have social media profiles on each network you focus on, build them from the ground up with your
broader goals and audience in mind.
If you do have existing accounts, it’s time to update and refine them to get the best possible results. Each social network has a unique
audience and should be treated differently.
Optimising profiles for SEO can help generate more web traffic to your online properties. Cross-promoting social accounts can extend
the reach of content. Make sure every account is in-tune with your brand, from profile pictures to cover photos. Make sure your business
information is correct and present.
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STEP 4 - INSPIRATION
Not sure what kind of content will get you the most engagement? For inspiration, look at what others in your industry are sharing and use
social media listening to see how you can distinguish yourself from competitors and appeal to prospects they might be missing. Consumers
can also offer social media inspiration, not only through the content that they share but also in the way that they phrase their messages.
See how your target audience writes tweets and strive to mimic that style. Also, learn their habits—when they share and why—and use that
as a basis for your social media marketing plan.
A final source of social media inspiration is industry leaders. There are giants who do an incredible job of social media marketing.
Companies in every industry imaginable have managed to distinguish themselves through advanced social media strategies. Follow them
and learn everything you can. See if they’ve shared any social media advice or insight elsewhere on the web. HKFD.CO.UK
STEP 5 - CONTENT PLAN
Create a content plan and editorial calendar (and stick to it!). Having great content to share will be essential to succeeding at social
media. Your social media marketing plan should include a content marketing plan, comprised of strategies for content creation and
content curation, as well as an editorial calendar.
Your content marketing plan should address:
• What types of content you intend to post and promote on social media
• How often you will post content
• Target audience for each type of content
• Who will create the content
• How you will promote the content
Your editorial calendar lists the dates and times you intend to publish blogs, Instagram and Facebook posts, tweets, and other content
you plan to use during your social media campaigns.
Create the calendar and then schedule your messaging in advance rather than updating constantly throughout the day. This gives you the
opportunity to work hard on the language and format of these messages rather than writing them on the fly whenever you have time.
Be spontaneous with your engagement and customer service rather than your content. HKFD.CO.UK
STEP 6 - TEST & EVALUATE
Test, evaluate and adjust your social media marketing plan to find out what changes need to be made. A/B testing is a great way to
measure response when using different text and media e.g. 'book now' against 'learn more'. The response from males versus females, or
the success of video against photographs.
Add the personal touch to your reporting, ask your customers face-to-face or over the phone if social media had a part in their purchasing.
Rewrite your social media strategy to reflect your latest insights, and make sure your team is aware of what has been updated. For
example, if your audiences respond well to GIFs - post more. Fulfil your customers' expectations on social media, better yet, exceed them!
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Contact Thomas Maughan today
to discuss your next project.
T. 01772 884 444
E. [email protected]
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