Want to create amazing visuals on Instagram? Wondering how to develop a recognizable Instagram style without needing a design background? To explore how to improve your design on Instagram, I interview Kat Coroy on the Social Media Marketing Podcast. Kat is a designer who teaches small business owners to look amazing on Instagram. She creates […]
Welcome to the Social Spotlight, where we dive deep into what we love about a brand’s approach to a specific social campaign. From strategy through execution and results, we’ll examine what makes the best brands on social tick — and leave you with some key takeaways to consider for your own brand’s social strategy.
Overview
Considering the brand’s surge in sales and popularity during the pandemic, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of Peloton these days. But for those who haven’t been keeping pace, let’s start with a brief warm up.
In 2011, inspired by the challenge of fitting studio cycling classes into his own busy schedule, CEO and co-founder John Foley pitched the idea for a technology-driven, at-home solution to his former colleague, Tom Cortese. Together, they dreamt up a stationary bike outfitted with a digital screen that would give users the ability to stream their favorite cycling classes at any time, in any place in their home. By 2012, with funding secured and prototype built, Foley, Cortese and their three fellow co-founders, Graham Stanton, Hisao Kushi and Yony Feng, had successfully turned dreams into reality.
Eight years later, Peloton—named after the French term for a pack of bicycle racers—has over one million connected-fitness subscribers (i.e., people with either a Peloton Bike or a Peloton Treadmill, as well as the digital subscription). And when you factor in members with only the subscription, that number climbs to over two million. The company has also recently expanded its product line with a second bike model and a treadmill.
But Peloton isn’t the only brand of stationary bike, treadmill or digital fitness subscription. Or even the most affordable. This is a great reminder that it’s not always about the product or service a brand offers, but how it makes people feel. That’s the essence of true branding. So what factors contribute to Peloton’s almost cult-like following?
Analysis
Before we dig in, I should confess that I, myself, have never ridden a Peloton bike. But many of my colleagues have. And after my proposal to expense one for “research purposes” was lovingly (or rather, laughingly) rejected by my manager, I knew I’d need to tap Team Sprout’s avid Peloton fans for some first-hand insights.
Considering the brand’s signature combination of immersive software, beautifully designed equipment, addictive classes and empowering instructors, it’s tough to attribute its success to one single factor. But my teammates’ raving reviews did all share one thing in common:
“For me it’s about the community feel. I love that I can still take classes with people I know and cheer them on during rides. There’s a ton of accountability knowing that you are working out with friends, and that they can see your progress as well and cheer you on.”– Kim Blight, Product Operations Lead, Sprout Social
For many Peloton users, the friendly competition, connection and motivation from fellow riders is a big reason they continue to clip in day after day. Some have shared that their Peloton bike and the relationships they’ve established have helped them quit therapy. Others have said it saved their sanity during the pandemic. But this life-changing virtual community doesn’t just live on the streaming service. In fact, where it truly thrives is on social.
Peloton’s use of social is fascinating to me because so much of that community building is actually happening outside the brand’s owned pages—most notably drawing from the online influence of its instructors, many of whom are celebrities in their own right. These instructor/influencer hybrids have become the brand’s ambassadors and function as the voice of Peloton out in the world. Another big community builder are the users themselves connecting through localized Facebook groups, Reddit threads and what riders often refer to as “tribes” that rally around commonalities like favorite instructors, sports teams, occupations, life stage—you name it.
But don’t sleep on Peloton’s owned channels. There, the brand brings users together through the sharing of its educational blog content, user-generated content (UGC), open-ended community questions, promotional content for new rides, workouts and instructors, and motivational messages. You’ll also find a healthy mix of copy, video, GIFs and static imagery. With a variety of content and formats, these pages feel like a well-spring of knowledge and entertainment designed to quench the thirst of both the curious, and committed.
What you can learn:
1. Lean on your community for product development. While I can’t be sure if those groups and teams all came about organically or if Peloton initiated the trend, it’s clear that the brand observed this behavior (most likely through social listening) and then encouraged it through product integration. In early 2020, the company added a new feature called “Tags” that allows users to connect with—and track their exercise alongside—people in the communities they’ve formed off the bike.
This isn’t the only time Peloton used insights from social to influence research and development. Recently, the brand unveiled a new bike model citing feedback from users as the driver behind the new offering.
"The community spoke, we listened." Learn more about the creation and innovation behind the Peloton Bike+. https://t.co/8OpHHuubwB
2.Feature UGC content frequently. Peloton loves to highlight the humanity and hard work of their users on social. Not only does it offer the priceless reward of simple recognition, but it encourages folks to keep sharing on their own social channels, effectively increasing the reach of their word-of-mouth messages over time.
When putting together her Peloton space, Member Emily H. knew the room would be a family favorite: "We are a Peloton…
Getting started: According to our expert guide to user-generated content, start by choosing the social networks most effective to your campaign. Then determine your goals for UGC and create a plan for how you’ll request and feature it. The open-ended community questions that Peloton uses is a great way to get the type of content you’re hoping to share.
What's a Peloton instructor mantra that you've taken to heart?
3.Empower your employees to become vocal brand advocates. Peloton knows the secret sauce to their service is its instructors. That’s why they’re so heavily featured in the brand’s social content, and why it goes as far as to assist in managing their online presence by helping them create content. In addition to employees, consider any “power users” of your product or service, or really anyone of your customers with a significant following (and therefore, potential reach). The reality is, people will trust the opinions and recommendations of real people before they’ll trust a brand.
Getting started: Give your employees a simple way to share curated content across their social networks and amplify your brand’s reach with an employee advocacy tool like Bambu. You might also benefit from identifying some potential influencers among your social followers. Features like Sprout’s Influencer Recognition may come in handy for this task.
4. Finally, speak from the heart on social. This may sound cheesy, but it’s obviously working for Peloton. The topic of fitness generates a lot of emotions: inspiration, motivation, the desire for self-improvement, but also self-criticism and anxiety. Peloton leans heavily into the more positive, aspirational emotions rather than the fear-based ones. They also place a lot of value on connection (we approve). Whether it’s a motivational message, personal stories of fitness achievement or an encouraging word from your favorite instructor, meaningful content builds community and creates a relationship between a brand and its audience.
This also includes being vocal about the issues and values important to your brand. We talk a lot at Sprout about the importance of speaking up on social and standing up for the things you care about in an effort to better connect with your audience. It might seem scary to potentially offend those who disagree, but the loyalty it encourages in those who do is worth the risk.
“We protect ourselves from knowing the pain of others because it’s painful, and it’s uncomfortable.” Tunde, your passionate words remind us that we have so much further to go, but that we will go together. Experience Tunde’s Speak Up ride on demand now. #onepelotonpic.twitter.com/M7HxIkYQPG
Log on at 12:00pm ET, Tuesday, October 6 through Thursday, October 8, for 85+ tactic-rich sessions that can help you overcome pressing marketing challenges.
Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/3n89QzF
Retargeting on LinkedIn can help boost campaign efficiency for B2B advertisers, since the platform is widely used by professionals. So, how do you do it? Read the full article at MarketingProfs
Source MarketingProfs Daily: Social Media https://ift.tt/3cZgyn7
Sales and marketing teams can often seem aligned--even when they aren't really. In fact, alignment levels have been decreasing. Take the three steps discussed in this article to ensure Sales and Marketing are communicating, collaborating, and working harmoniously. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
Retargeting on LinkedIn can help boost campaign efficiency for B2B advertisers, since the platform is widely used by professionals. So, how do you do it? Read the full article at MarketingProfs
Source MarketingProfs Daily: Social Media https://ift.tt/3cZgyn7
If you’re still on the fence about social media advertising, we get it.
Research shows that one of the top goals for marketers is increasing brand awareness, which is why more and more brands are achieving this with a paid social presence.
That’s because social media has become the go-to place for consumers to research and purchase products.
Meanwhile, the controls and creative options available to businesses today mean that your campaigns are likelier to net you a higher return on your investment.
There are tons of variables that go into any given social media ad campaign, though. The process is often overwhelming for beginners.
That’s why we put together this primer on how social media advertising works, breaking down step-by-step what you need for a winning campaign.
Why run paid social media ads, anyway?
Hey, totally fair question.
After all, arguably the biggest benefit of organic social media is that it’s, well, free.
However, there are some key reasons why paid social ads have grown so much in popularity in recent years.
For many brands, organic reach is declining
Listen: we’re not saying that organic reach is “dead.”
There are no guarantees in terms of who sees your unpaid posts: while some of your content might score a ton of engagement, other posts might feel like they’re totally hidden.
In contrast, social ads essentially ensure that you’re getting impressions. If you want more eyeballs on your business’ content without worrying about algorithms or restricted reach, ads can do the trick.
Social ads let you hone in on specific audiences
Arguably one of the biggest benefits of social ads is that they aren’t “spray and pray.”
For example, Facebook’s ad platform allows you to get super granular in terms of who your ads get served to.
Want to only present ads to college-educated millennial women in Chicago who are interested in beauty influencers and follow Ulta’s Facebook page? Go for it.
This a stark contrast to display ads or even email where ads are traditionally more one-size-fits-all.
Ads make it easier to scale your organic presence
Growing your social presence organically can be a painstaking, long-term process.
The good news is that ads can speed that process up.
Rather than look at paid and organic as a matter of “either-or,” consider how social media advertising can supplement your unpaid efforts. If you’re already creating content and nurturing a community without ads, a well-targeted campaign can serve as a shot in the arm to help you grow faster.
How does advertising on social media work?
Social ads require thorough planning. Even the seemingly smallest details can impact your campaign’s performance and reach.
Beyond putting together the ads themselves, it’s crucial to understand how ad targeting and bidding work.
For example, Facebook’s (and Instagram’s) ad platform allows you to target specific users based on parameters such as age, demographics and interests. You can also target “lookalike” audiences based on your business’ email list or run campaigns solely for people who’ve visited your website before.
The takeaway here is that you really, really need to know your audience. Prior to a campaign, you might consider a social media audit to assess your opportunities, targeting demographics and which products to promote.
Another crucial aspect of social ads is bidding. Based on your bidding and budgeting, Facebook is more likely to serve your ads to the most relevant users.
You can likewise set your ad budgeting to a daily or “lifetime” limit. Essentially, you can let Facebook take the reins of your campaigns–but doing so might blow out your budget quickly.
Figuring out your ad budget is an ongoing process of refining and optimizing your ROI versus ad costs. We recommend running smaller “test” campaigns before running the risk of overspending.
How does social media advertising differ from organic content?
A well-crafted social ad might look exactly like an unpaid post, the most notable difference being the subtle “Sponsored” label.
In short, paid posts should ideally tick the following boxes:
Centered around a specific product, service or promotion
Include some sort of call-to-action (“try our demo,” “shop now”)
For example, let’s say you’re more concerned about impressions and traffic versus actual purchases. On the flip side, maybe you want your social ads to remarket to leads that failed to convert on-site.
Thankfully, social media ads allow you to optimize your campaigns for all of the above.
Now, let’s look at some examples of social ads in actions that address some of these goals.
Increasing brand awareness
Whether it’s introducing someone to your business or re-targeting people who are already familiar with you, social ads are a prime way to get in front of relevant customers.
For example, this Google ad was served almost immediately after researching G-Suite outside of social media. Such ads serve as a sort of nudge to customers to reinforce how you can meet their needs.
Lead generation (or driving website traffic)
On the hunt for traffic, email sign-ups or demo downloads? Ads like this one from Asana are a shining example of how to funnel social traffic to a landing page to do exactly that.
Direct sales
If you’re laser-focused on selling products and services, you have plenty of options for doing so via social ads.
From time-sensitive offers to introducing new collections to past customers, brands don’t have to be shy about showing off products directly.
What are some sample social media advertising formats?
Chances are you’ve seen your fair share of ads on your own time, but maybe you aren’t familiar with the specifics of the social media ad formats available.
Below are some popular formats that are fair game for pretty much any business or industry.
Static image ads
Although targeting for social ads can definitely be complex, the creatives behind them don’t always have to.
For example, simple photo ads are fair game for showing off products, highlighting promotions and making announcements.
The upside of video ads is that they naturally grab viewers’ attention as they’re scrolling through their feeds. The fact that video ads favor short-form content means they’re accessible regardless of your budget, allowing you to create:
Bite-size commercials
Real-life product demos
Looping images and slideshows
Carousel (or collection) ads
Tap-friendly carousel ads are perfect for showing off product collections. Here you’re able to showcase multiple products or multiple angles of the same product.
Another big benefit of these ads is that they’re inherently interactive, giving viewers an opportunity to click and explore. This is a subtle example of how social media advertising encourages people to engage with your brand.
Instagram Stories ads
The sheer popularity of Instagram Stories speaks for itself. The key benefit of Stories ads is that they naturally integrate into viewers’ Stories feeds, meaning they don’t “interrupt” their experience as they’re exploring Stories.
How do you optimize your social media advertising strategy?
Making the most of social ads means experimenting (and perhaps some trial-and-error).
Don’t assume that your first campaign is going to knock it out of the park. Fine-tuning your budget, scheduling and ad creatives is par for the course.
For example, think about your ad materials that are already working for other paid campaigns such as email or SEO. Through creative testing, you can get a better idea of which call-to-action phrases or images work best for your social ads.
Of course, it’s important to understand which types of content and non-promotional posts are already working organically. With tools like Sprout Social, you can quickly hone in on your top-performing content and use it for the basis of a social media advertising campaign:
And as always, digging into your social media analytics can clue you in on how your paid performance compares to your organic posts.
Having a pulse on your data is crucial to figuring out what’s working, what’s not and which campaigns are worth continuing.
Is paid social media advertising on your radar?
Like it not, social media advertising campaigns are becoming a matter of “when” rather than “if” for brands now.
As organic reach is harder to come by and competition grows in the social space, paid ads are often the best way to ensure that you’re reaching your audience.
With this primer, hopefully you have a better idea of what’s possible with paid campaigns and you’re ready to start brainstorming your own.
If you want to get a hands-on look at how a deeper dive into your social data can help improve your paid campaigns, sign up for a free Sprout Social trial and test out all our paid social features.
