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Retailers and brands are leveraging social platforms to find innovative approaches to promote their products and services. Moreover, these modern brands are using social platforms, such as Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook, as part of their cross-channel marketing to drive sales online and offline. These efforts are instrumental in improving lead conversion rates and driving product and service awareness.
Smartphones have helped push these efforts, and most of the world's population--about 6.8 billion people--will have a smartphone by 2022. Mobile provides an opportunity for marketers to merge both online and offline efforts as consumers increasingly own and use smartphones in stores and engage with social media platforms. Here is how some of today's brands are leveraging social platforms to drive product and service awareness and promotion both offline and online.
1. Macy's
Macy leverages social platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest, to increase engagement and awareness. The department store retailer created a #HelpMeClinton campaign by hiring fashion stylist Clinton Kelly to help its fashion-savvy consumer with advice on how to put together and style their wardrobe and outfits. Consumers would ask any question via Twitter using the hashtag, and Clinton would answer the questions via videos. The campaign included 39 videos accessed via YouTube and Twitter. The company leveraged the stylist's influence to drive engagement with its consumers. The brand also partnered with NBC to livestream its annual Thanksgiving Day parade via YouTube, which worked to increase awareness of the department store retailer. These efforts also help to support the product and research efforts of its consumers, who use mobile site and branded app and make in-store purchases.
2. Nike
Famed shoe brand Nike is using Instagram to drives sales. Consumers can select photos from Nike's official Instagram account to create custom background pictures that feature the brand's shoes. The consumers can even customize shoes using this image and purchase the shoe. Nike also uses Instagram's Stories to connect with consumers and engage them in hopes of converting shoppers to buyers. Instagram stories has worked well for the brand and even garnered 800,000 views within 24 hours of its first video. The brand also revealed a new Jumpman23 Michigan football jersey via Instagram Stories during 2016. Nike also uses Snapchat and other social platforms but finds Instagram provides the best results. These efforts further its omnichannel marketing efforts and merge online and offline sales.
3. Charmin
While Charmin uses a variety of social platforms, such as Google+, Facebook and YouTube, Twitter is a popular social platform choice for the toilet paper company. Charmin's #tweettfromtheseat 2014 campaign helped to bring awareness to an everyday, utilitarian product. The idea behind the campaign was to engage its audience and drive brand advocacy. The Twitter campaign coincided with its offline introduction of its Chamomile scented toilet paper, which Charmin promoted at a Chicago festival during the same year. The company simultaneously created the separate Twitter handle @CharminLatino using the #tweetfromtheseat hashtag translated in Spanish to introduce the product to its Hispanic audience.
Final Thoughts
Social platforms make an ideal solution for raising awareness about products and services of brands, both online and offline. With the increasing adoption of smartphones and mobile devices, retailers and brands will continue to turn to social platforms to drive sales and scale their omnichannel campaigns.
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