How To
How Beverage Brands Can Make the Most of Social Media?
As consumers go online, it’s important that businesses follow suit. Considering people spend a combined average of 116 minutes a day on social media platforms, it’s important that your brand is active across social channels. However, if you really want to make the most of your social media marketing, you’ll need to do more than just post every now and then. Here’s what you should be doing to get the most out of your social media channels.
Talk to Your Audience, Not at Them
We have already mentioned that brands need to be on social media as that’s where consumers are, but it’s about much more than that. Social media is a two-way street, so you should be actively engaging with your audience rather than just talking at them by releasing content. Don’t be afraid to ask for their opinion on things, and remember that conversations don’t always need to be centred around your product, as long as they are in line with your brand identity.
Take note from Vita Coco’s Twitter page – aside from having a strong social offering with plenty of visual content, the brand also regularly replies to customers, even throwing in a fun emoji here and there. What you can learn from this is that if your customers are talking about you, get involved with the conversation. After all, it’s free marketing for your brand. The reason this works particularly well for beverage brands, is thanks to the rising popularity of food and beverage posts across social media. Consumers want their followers to know everything about them, including what they’re eating and drinking.
Share Your Story
Although self-promotion can get rather boring on social media, if you produce great content that’s relevant to your audience, don’t shy away from being your own cheerleader. With beverage brands, consumers love to know the story behind the label. Social media is the place where you can really show off the individuality of your brand, and share your story.
Set Up Tailored Campaigns
Source: Karma Cola
To make the most of your marketing efforts on social media, you should think about what your overall marketing goals are, and plan a tailored social media strategy that reflects this.
With nearly a third of the global population now actively using social media networks, being able to leverage these platforms has never been more important for brands. And, as the use of social continues to rise, so do the opportunities it offers brands – both to connect with their audiences and market their product.
Don’t Be Afraid of Newsjacking
Newsjacking is a sure-fire way to make the most of any social media platform, and to get your product into topical conversations. Although brands have used this tactic successfully in offline campaigns, its real sweet spot, so to speak, is social media due to the reactive and fast-paced nature of the medium.
Simply put, newsjacking is the act of ‘piggy-backing’ on trending news items, with the goal of putting your brand in the spotlight. Despite newsjacking becoming an increasingly popular tactic, there is still a time and place for it, and knowing when that is can often be the key to its success.
Soft drink brand Oasis is particularly good at this, and you’ll find its social media channels often filled with content based on recent news and awareness days. Although these tactics are relevant for any brand, they are particularly important for beverage brands since the industry is becoming increasingly competitive. A strong social media strategy can, undeniably, make a real difference if properly implemented.
