If you deal with social media, or media of any sort, you
must have heard how important it is to synchronize all your activities. Colors,
message, tone, images, and every other imaginable has to be kept consistent across all platforms. Every list and guide that your read preaches this
but in reality this is slightly harder than expected. Sometimes it isn't that
easy just to read a list and execute everything properly. In cases like that I
do what many others do, I draw “inspiration” from others who are following the
checklist and doing it right. By inspiration I mean I find someone who is doing
well and copy what they are doing well. To help out with inspiration below are
three companies that are having success on social media across multiple platforms.
To focus in on a successful integrated approach and proper
use of social media we will look at a few main points for each company. They
will be:
1.
Are all channels similar in content, theme, and
branding?
2.
Are the colors used consistent?
3.
Are hashtags utilized on channels that allow
hashtags?
4.
Are there any other items of note?
INTEL
Didn’t expect Intel? Considering that Intel makes chips and
other assorted computer hardware you may not think that they are very social
media savvy. After all a very small part of their business depends on B2C
sales. However Intel is very active both advertising their products as well as
on social media.
Intel does an extremely good job at synchronizing all their social
media channels. The blue and gold trademark colors of Intel are not only
prevalent on ever banner on their networks but throughout many of the images
and graphics posted. Many of the images used by Intel are used across the
different social media platforms. Don’t consider that a bad thing, there is no
point in creating something new for every platform. Not everyone follows the
same company on every network. As branding goes Intel is incredibly thorough.
Each platform features similar highlights about technology, science, and
progress. This has been a branding effort of Intel for a very long time now.
If you check each of the platforms for Intel each one is
updated on a regular basis, from Twitter to Instagram. Intel will often mention
other users or include user created material on their social media platforms.
The only downside of Intel is their limited interaction with the users on their
social media platforms. There are very few Intel to consumer interactions on
any of the platforms, although this could be due to the nature of their
product.
Popchips
If you haven’t tried Popchips you should, they are delicious and supposedly healthier than regular chips. Popchips is a very social company and one that strongly leverages social media and social marketing. From grass roots campaigns to now hiring celebrity endorses Popchips has maintained their mantra of “One snacker at a time”.
An important part of Popchips strategy is the interaction between
the company and its consumers. On each platform the company will frequently engage
in conversation, respond to questions, and feature certain users. Each week
Popchips highlights a fan of the week which then receives a prize like a case
of chips. These fans are highlighted across all platforms, not just the one on
which they engaged with Popchips. Posts are often tagged with hashtags and other
users.
Given the social focus
of Popchips all of their social platforms are very well curated. The content is
continually updated with recipes, images, user created content, and original
content created by Popchips. All of the platforms are integrated and content is
shared across each of the platforms to reinforce a constant theme and brand. On the Popchips website
the “Poplive” tab summarizes all the social media platforms that Popchips is
on. You can click on each of the platforms and see a summary of all the posts
on that platform as well as jump to the Popchips page on that platform. Just by
browsing through the multiple platforms you can see the consistency of imagery,
messaging, and conversation on all platforms.
Dogfish Head Beer
Talking about a beers
social media presence may not be as good as drinking it but at least it comes
close. If you like trying new beers from up and coming breweries then you may
have heard of Dogfish Head. Just like many of the other upstarts Dogfish is
utilizing social media to raise awareness about its beers. Dogfish has taken to
all the most popular social networks to advertise and promote.
Dogfish is great at
conversing with its customers. From answering every questions to simply saying “Hey”
Dogfish is utilizing the two way communication of social media. Their posts are
frequent and well timed. Just by scrolling through the Facebook timeline you
notice that they post every day, sometimes twice a day at the most active times
for social media. The posts will at times refer to other social media platforms
such as Twitter or YouTube to highlight some of the different content presented
on each platform.
The imagery, and more
importantly, the tone on each social media platform is the same. The brewery portrays
itself as fun loving, trying to bring their customers the best beer possible
without compromising on taste. This is
evident in the conversations they have with their customers, the highlights of
their products, and the involvement of the community.
