When marketers draft their strategies, they place great emphasis on content; and rightly so. Though we agree that content is the backbone of a well-rounded social media campaign, there are certain other factors that are just as important.

1. Designing a Winning Social Media Campaign
Getting Started With a Solid Framework
Creating a successful social media campaign is like constructing a skyscraper. You need a strong foundation, quality
materials and a reliable crew to ensure your structure doesn‟t collapse. However, for many marketer, the idea of ROI
and traffic takes priority over the finer details that go into designing a winning campaign. Although returns are a
measurable and important aspect of social media marketing, the end result largely depends on the basic framework.
Also, people are spending more time on social networks, and that means brands are even more pressurized to capture
their attention and convert them into consumers. According to the Trends in Social Advertising survey conducted by
Pivot:
60% of the respondents anticipate
that social advertising will be very
valuable to them.
54% are satisfied or very satisfied
with their social advertising.
While 37% agree with the statement
that social advertising is gaining
momentum, 54% strongly agree with
the same.
38% marketers always have a social
advertising competent as part of
their campaign(s).
85% were currently experimenting
with social advertising or planned to
do so within the next 12 months.
While the above statistics appear
encouraging, there were some respondents
(45%) who said they were not as satisfied
with their social marketing efforts. There
could be several reasons for this. The success of a social media campaign depends on some elements which are very
apparent, such as content, videos, pictures etc. However, there are certain less obvious, but equally crucial,
components that need to be included while designing online promotional material. These are sometimes overlooked,
leading to dissatisfaction among both marketers and consumers. In
our opinion, these make up for the building blocks of digital
marketing messages.
The Crucial Building Blocks
It is every social media marketer‟s dream to create the next Old
Spice or Ford campaign. There are some things that the creators
of these highly successful promotions did right; setting up a solid
foundation before building creative content, and following it up
with offline marketing and post-launch activities. Ford‟s decision
to reveal the redesigned 2011 Explorer via Facebook instead of an
auto show was a bold move, which paid off. Although the online
launch coincided with the offline unveiling across the US, what
worked among other things for the Detroit Company was a)
creation of the pre-launch online buzz through teasers b) allowing
fans to converse with company executives about the new
revamped model, giving them a feeling of being involved and c)
uploading a pre-reveal video featuring celebrity spokesperson Mike
Row and CEO Alan Mulally. Irrespective of whether a brand is in
the same league as P&G or Ford, we believe there are certain
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2. elements that function as the building blocks for a holistic digital campaign.
Resource Management
One of the biggest attractions for brands incorporating social media into their marketing strategies is the low-
investment, high returns benefit. While large businesses need not always worry about the „how much‟ part,
resource management is nevertheless the first rung in the
social advertising ladder for enterprises as well as SMBs.
Securing budgets was said to be the second most difficult task
for online marketers, with 34% reporting this to be a periodic
challenge. This makes it all the more necessary to judiciously
manage online marketing budgets.
o Where is the Money Going? Social advertising
is a relatively inexpensive proposition,
provided you know what the marketing dollars are being used for. As an online marketer, you do
not always have to overspend to create a memorable social media campaign. Knowing the purpose
of your promotion will help allocate a budget, besides answering the „where is the money going‟
question. For instance, if acquiring new customers, monitoring the impact of a campaign or
growing the business further etc are among the goals, then these are probably the areas where
your marketing dollars are being invested. As long as the accounts tally, we say there is no
reason to worry.
o It’s an Investment, not an Expense: Brands that look at digital advertising as an expense rather
than an investment are usually not as satisfied with the returns. This incorrect perception can also
result in marketers trying to reduce these „expenses‟, thereby compromising on their online
marketing efforts. Changing the outlook and looking at ad spend as money wisely invested will
ensure you are happy with the outcome of your social media marketing campaign.
o Working Backwards: Going in the reverse direction is a good way of drawing up a blue print for a
social campaign. This will help understand exactly how much you need to invest, what are the
areas that need additional dollars, and what kind of returns you can expect. If achieving „X‟
number of sales per month is the end result, then you should slowly work backwards, so that you
know where to start.
Speaking of smart resource management, the example that comes to mind is Coca-Cola. Having understood the
importance of social advertising, the beverage giant increased focus on Facebook and YouTube promotions,
despite cutting its overall ad spend by 6.6% in 2010, according to a Grocer report. Coca-Cola‟s budget
management can be a yardstick for other consumer brands that are now faced with increasing marketing
expenses. Instead of allocating a major part of their advertising budget to traditional marketing, while keeping
aside a meager share for social media, perhaps brands should try and achieve an agreeable balance.
The Pre-Launch Phase
Now that the budget is planned, it‟s time to advance to what we call the pre-launch phase. Creating a checklist of
what needs to be done before a promotion goes viral is essential for designing that perfect campaign.
o Background research: Although most marketers use social media monitoring services to measure
the impact of their marketing messages post-launch, we believe it is just as vital to use
monitoring tools like Brand Monitor before
unveiling a campaign. Doing your homework is
essential because a) you know where your
target market is hanging out (geographically
as well as with respect to social media
platforms) b) by listening to conversations
about your competitors, you can analyze what
you can and cannot include in your
advertisements and c) this enables you to
determine the demographics you should be
focusing on.
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3. o It’s All About Timing: For a social media campaign to have the desired effect, it needs to make a
splash at the right time. A company looking to promote school stationary, for instance, will have
better chances at success if they unveiled their ads across various networking channels during the
„back-to-school‟ season. Also, research by Buddy Media shows that user engagement on Facebook
is 18% higher on Thursdays and Fridays; as for Twitter, according to the company‟s Chief Revenue
Officer Adam Bain, users are more engaged with tweets on Fridays. In our opinion, a social advert
will have the maximum impact provided
brands find their sweet spot.
o Teasers: Unveiling teasers ahead of the actual
launch is a good way to create buzz. It not
only piques the audiences‟ interest, but also
gives a fair idea if the promotional material
needs to be tweaked further. Motorola‟s
decision to roll-out a teaser video before the
actual launch not just created excitement
among consumers, but also generated instant
demand for the product following the
unveiling of the complete ad.
Featuring Celebrities a Good Idea?
The answer to whether you should or shouldn‟t feature celebrities in your online ads depends on what you’re
selling. Unilever‟s Dove brand celebrates natural beauty, therefore features ordinary women with their
imperfections. On the other hand, the company‟s Lux brand stands for the promise of beauty and glamour and
includes famous personalities in its online as well as offline ads. However, if you do have the resources, it
wouldn‟t harm to rope in someone famous to endorse your brand.
o It’s a celebrity obsessed culture: A recent study of social media campaigns by Brand Affinity
Technologies analyzed 200 Facebook and Twitter endorsements, besides similar Facebook ads that
did not feature celebrities. Findings show that for the same spend – endorsed messages delivered
enormous performance lifts – over 50% greater on the low end.
o Roping in the Local Talent: Not all companies have the budget to rope in the big names in sports
and entertainment. A small or mid-size organization can consider local celebrities in order to
provide the „local lift‟ to their brand.
o Lifting up Business: Marketers looking to
revive their business should consider including
celebrities in their social media promotions.
This tried, tested and successful formula is
sure to boost a brand‟s reputation, besides
driving sales. When Fab.com got Demi Moore
to endorse them via Twitter, the designed
goods company saw its business lift from an
unstable start-up to a very profitable business.
The Flip-side; the power of celebrities to prop up an online campaign is undoubtedly immense. Yet, there is a
flip-side to this. A negative tweet or post by a popular figure can risk a brand‟s reputation. Nevertheless, the
benefits overshadow the risks, prompting both big and small companies to approach iconic personalities to
promote their brands.
Getting Consumers to Contribute
Sometimes it‟s a good idea to give the creative team a break and give consumers a stake in the marketing
strategy. Unlike traditional media, where the onus to brainstorm and design a creative campaign solely rested on
the marketing team, the interactive nature of social networking can ease this responsibility by considering
consumers‟ suggestions. Here‟s why we think marketers should make use of customer inputs during the
creation/designing phase:
o Reduced Risk of PR crisis: There‟s more to brand-customer relationship than just engagement
and post-launch conversations. Asking customers for ideas, gauging their response, etc can go a
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4. long way in reducing the risk of a PR crisis in later stages. How? As a marketer, your engagement
with users during the creation period gives you
a glimpse into their mindset, thereby ensuring
your promotional material appeals to them.
Happy Customers=Reduced Risk of PR crisis.
o Driving Valuable Traffic: Sometimes designing
an online campaign can seem daunting. Such
instances call for customer assistance. In
2009, Vitamin Water turned to social networks
for soliciting ideas from users regarding the
name and packaging for the new flavor. This
approach not only grew the company‟s
Facebook fan base, but also spurred a massive
increase in sales after the campaign and the
product were launched. The customers
couldn‟t wait to try „Connect‟, the new flavor they had helped create.
o Increase Brand Loyalty: Giving people a sense of ownership will increase their faith in your
brand. In addition to obvious benefits like increasing traffic and sales and diminishing the
possibility of a social media crisis, allowing customers to participate will increase brand loyalty.
Long term benefits include strengthening of brand image as well as better customer retention
rates.
Conclusion
Google has predicted that, by 2015, 75% of online ads will have a social component. This, along with an expected
investment of nearly $28.5 billion in online ads in 2011, means there is immense potential for social advertising.
Unlike a few years back, when brands considered Facebook or Twitter campaigns as fancy add-ons, today‟s marketers
perceive social media advertising to be a crucial part of their marketing arsenal. Companies now have exclusive social
media experts, monitoring tools and separate budgets dedicated to promoting their brands online. In our opinion,
successful social advertising requires a well-though out and detailed plan. A strong foundation, which is the result of
comprehensive preparation, will help brands find out how their campaigns will fare once they are launched.
When marketers draft their strategies, they place great emphasis on content; and rightly so. Though we agree that
content is the backbone of a well-rounded social media campaign, there are certain other factors that are just as
important. As discussed above, for an online advert to make a solid impact and get the sales charts soaring, the pre-
launch phase and budget planning function as key building blocks. This, along with the right amount of customer
involvement and creativity, is the recipe for a winning social media campaign.
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5. About Position2
Position2 is a Search and Social Media Marketing firm that delivers continuous growth for our clients using our
proprietary “Surround and Intent” Marketing Methodology, delivered by our products. Our proprietary methodology is
a result of years of experience in working with diverse clients to deliver customer acquisition goals through search
engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing (SMM), and Pay Per Click (PPC) and online media advertising.
Position2 was founded in 2006 with funding from Accel Venture Partners, and has offices in Palo Alto, Bangalore and
Mumbai. Position2 is a certified agency with Google, Yahoo, Bing and is also part of the Google Adwords advisory
council.
Position2's flagship product is Position2 Brand MonitorTM, a platform that allows users to listen, discover and engage
with social media conversations in real time. With a team of over 100 professionals, Position2 also provides expertise
in online marketing solutions: SEO, PPC, Media and Advertising.
Position2 works with leading global brands:
This article is also available on the Position2 Blog: http://blog.position2.com.
For more information, visit http://brandmonitor.position2.com or email info@position2.com.
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