Social media engagement varies depending on the platform. At delivery.com we use these distinct behaviors to shape our content development and invest our dollars efficiently and effectively. Doing so has helped us yield strong results from our social campaigns.
For instance, we recently ran a “#YesToDelivery” Instagram hashtag campaign that drove user-generated content (UGC) and grew our follower base by more than 10%. We also hosted a “Tweet Week” Twitter campaign in which we quizzed followers with fun pop culture questions; the campaign increased our follower base by more than 5% in a single week and increased our average engagement rate by 4x.
Over the past 12 months, we’ve tested, tweaked, and tailored our approach to get the most out of social media. Here are the top five things we learned along the way:
1. Remember who your audience is and tailor content by platform. All content does not work across all platforms, and every platform does not work for every company. Savvy users recognize when companies repurpose content across multiple channels. And in some cases an image that engages users on, say, Twitter may flop on Instagram.
To prevent our content from falling short, we make sure to tailor our content to each platform. We facilitate conversations with followers on Twitter, drive engagement through high-quality yet believable (read: not stock) images on Instagram, and attract business communities by publishing thought pieces, company news, and press on LinkedIn.
2. Stock photography only goes so far. Our graphic designer is constantly creating entirely original content. It’s not uncommon to find her on random afternoons taking photographs or designing stop-motion animations to post on Instagram. We try to ensure that our images are cool and authentic, which generally resonate far better than content sourced elsewhere.
3. UGC is key. We’ve had huge success with user-generated content, both as an economical source of imagery and as a surefire method for creating posts that align with the expected user experience. Campaigns such as hashtags and photo uploads are a great way to complement in-house content.
4. Don‘t overly rely on promotions. Everyone loves a great a deal, but paid advertisements only contribute to the massive amount of noise on social media today. Promotions should be subtly integrated into posts so they remain meaningful to users without conditioning them to look only for a deal. Strong images, original content, and great messaging should always take center stage over a discount.
5. Love what you do. The team members managing your social channels have to love social media and know its ins and outs. They’ll be far more willing to take risks and create standout content if they do.
About the author:
Delivery.com VP of Marketing Kate McGee previously served as VP of marketing for mySupermarket, director of marketing at Wag.com (a Quidsi/Amazon company), and associate in J.P. Morgan’s Investment Bank. She holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.
