What's one way you've used social media to solve a marketing challenge?

Question

In the dynamic world of digital marketing, we've gathered insights from top marketing professionals, including CMOs and CEOs, on overcoming social media hurdles. From humanizing brands through CEO stories to increasing brand trust with user-generated content, discover the diverse strategies in these fourteen expert responses to mastering marketing challenges via social media.

Eric Dickmann · Answer

As a fractional CMO, a challenge I often face is humanizing a tech company's brand. One approach I've found successful is to leverage social media by having the CEO share candid 'day-in-the-life' content as Stories. These include behind-the-scenes glimpses of product development meetings, casual office interactions, and even moments of frustration or setbacks. This approach creates a stronger connection with audiences by being authentic and vulnerable, showing both successes and struggles. It helps to break down the perception of the company as a faceless entity and showcases the real people and passion behind its products. These Stories produce an overwhelmingly positive response that increases engagement and brand affinity. This strategy not only solves the initial challenge but also lays the foundation for more genuine, two-way communication with the company's customers.

Heather Benwell · Answer

Social media is an effective tool when you use it properly. I have primarily used social media to create the persona for each brand I work for. Being on social media as a brand allows you to embody your brand identity and humanize your organization. What can be more enjoyable or impactful than that?

Susan Ganeshan · Answer

A common challenge for marketers is low engagement on social media posts, as people can scroll through social media feeds without posts grabbing their attention or sparking interaction. 
The solution is to leverage user-generated content (UGC). UGC is content created by users, like photos, videos, or tweets that mention your brand — it can boost engagement as it feels more authentic and relatable than traditional marketing messages. One success story is with our client, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, who told their luxury brand story creatively through guests' social media. https://emplifi.io/customers/kimpton-hotels-success
Brands can effectively use UGC in several different ways, for example, by running contests or challenges, which encourage users to create content based on a theme or hashtag, with a prize for the most creative or popular entry. Or, brands can host a live Q&A session, as this gives users a chance to interact directly with the brand and fosters a sense of community. Brands can also simply re-post user content, such as sharing photos or videos featuring a product or service while giving credit to the creators. This shows appreciation for your audience and inspires others to create content.

Marc Bishop · Answer

At one point, we needed to improve our brand's reputation after a product hiccup. We implemented a Twitter strategy where we actively monitored all mentions and quickly responded to any customer complaints or inquiries. This proactive approach in addressing concerns and providing solutions publicly demonstrated our commitment to customer service, improving public perception. Regular updates on how we were improving the product and processes, based on customer feedback, further helped in restoring trust and loyalty.

Jason Hennessey · Answer

We tackled a low-engagement issue for a tech client who struggled to connect with its audience on LinkedIn. We shifted the strategy to include more video content, including short tutorials and product demos that highlighted usability and efficiency. These posts were supplemented with LinkedIn articles written by company leaders discussing industry trends and the future of technology. By positioning the client as a thought leader and directly addressing the interests and needs of their audience, we significantly increased engagement and strengthened their brand presence on the platform.

Dinesh Agarwal · Answer

One significant challenge we faced was the launch of a major product update that initially received low engagement through our email campaigns. To address this, we shifted our focus to a targeted social-media strategy. We used LinkedIn's advanced targeting features to identify and connect with key industry influencers and decision-makers who would benefit most from our update. By engaging with these individuals through personalized content and interactive posts, we not only increased our product's visibility but also drove a substantial rise in sign-ups and valuable user feedback.

Nicole Farber · Answer

As the owner of a digital marketing agency, social media is my bread-and-butter. A few years ago, one of my law firm clients was struggling to gain new clients and increase their revenue. I suggested an interactive social media campaign where they would ask their followers questions about different legal topics and offer a free 30-minute consultation as a prize. The campaign was a huge success and gained the firm 12 new clients in just six weeks. 
My team and I regularly hold social media contests and giveaways for our clients. They are a great way to boost engagement, gain new followers, and collect leads. The key is to offer a valuable prize related to your business that people will actually want to win. You have to make it worth their time to participate.
Another strategy that has worked well for multiple clients is influencer marketing. Identifying influencers in your industry and sending them free products or service trials in exchange for an honest review and social promotion is an affordable way to reach new potential customers. The credibility that influencers have with their followers means a recommendation from them goes a long way.
In the end, social media is meant for engaging and connecting with your audience. Using it primarily as a broadcast medium for self-promotion will not yield the best results. Interactive, value-added campaigns and collaborations with influencers are two of the most effective ways I’ve found to overcome marketing challenges and boost revenue through social media.

Daniel Yi · Answer

One significant marketing challenge we faced was improving customer engagement and loyalty in an increasingly competitive market. To address this, we leveraged social media to create a community-driven brand advocacy program. We identified our most active and passionate customers on platforms like Instagram and Twitter and invited them to become brand ambassadors. These ambassadors were given exclusive access to new product launches, behind-the-scenes content, and special events, which they shared with their followers. This not only increased our organic reach but also lent authenticity to our messaging. The program resulted in a 30% increase in user-generated content, a 25% boost in engagement rates, and a 15% improvement in customer retention. By turning our customers into advocates, we effectively extended our marketing reach while simultaneously strengthening our relationship with our core audience.

Rajat Bokolia · Answer

Our company faced difficulties in reaching younger, first-time homebuyers who were skeptical about investing in real estate. To tackle this, we launched a targeted Instagram campaign called "Home Stories." We partnered with satisfied young homeowners from our previous projects to create authentic, relatable content.
These homeowners shared their experiences through a series of Instagram Reels and Stories, highlighting the benefits of owning a home, showcasing their personalized spaces, and discussing the financial advantages they've gained. We complemented these testimonials with informative posts about the home-buying process, financing options, and the long-term value of real estate investments.
The campaign resonated strongly with our target audience, resulting in a 40% increase in inquiries from first-time buyers aged 32-40. By leveraging social media's visual and interactive nature, we successfully addressed the skepticism and educated potential buyers, ultimately driving sales and expanding our customer base.

Chase Mckee · Answer

One way I've used social media to solve a marketing challenge was by creating 10 different landing pages to test search engine optimization. I built basic HTML and CSS pages to ensure fast load times, which Google prefers, and was able to rank all 10 on the first page of results for their target keywords. The inbound leads from those pages gave us the cash flow to start hiring and build the product. 
When we were still in school, social media was crucial for finding our first clients. I used growth-hacking techniques and spent 15+ hours a day engaging on LinkedIn and Facebook groups to start conversations, ask questions, and build trust in the communities. Once we had a beta product, the connections from those groups became our first customers.
As we've grown, social media has been key for improving our online reputation. We frequently share customer testimonials, behind-the-scenes videos of our team, and updates on new features to build social proof and control the narrative about our company. Interacting with followers in the comments and staying active in groups and hashtags related to our industry strengthens our authority and organic search rankings. Overall, social media marketing has been essential for gaining visibility, leads, and loyalty.

Mia Naumoska · Answer

One effective way we've utilized social media, particularly Reddit, at Internxt is through our dedicated subreddit. This platform plays a crucial role in solving marketing challenges by directly engaging with our community. 
We actively seek feedback on our products and services, which helps us identify areas for improvement and understand user preferences. This direct interaction not only enhances our product development process but also serves as valuable market research, guiding our strategic decisions.
Reddit and similar forums offer a unique advantage in marketing by facilitating authentic conversations and building trust with our audience. By addressing user concerns and questions transparently, we establish credibility and foster positive relationships. This trust, particularly in the context of Reddit, is instrumental in overcoming skepticism about cloud storage services, instilling confidence in our audience, especially in an industry where privacy and security are paramount concerns.

Melanie Draheim · Answer

For CMOs like me who have spent their careers in complex industries like health care and finance, social media is a game-changer for making what's complex simple. Industries like these, that deal with people's health and money, are extremely personal, yet they're full of industry jargon that's not personal at all. Using social media, the marketing teams I've led have been able to break complicated topics down into digestible content that consumers can understand and resonate with. Beyond promoting products, we've used social media to share compelling stories that connect with our audience's everyday lives.

Kelly Nuckolls · Answer

Harnessing the power of my network has been pivotal in implementing successful marketing strategies. In today's B2B landscape, online fatigue is rampant due to an inundation of sponsored posts and LinkedIn InMails, making the preservation of trust and credibility paramount. By actively cultivating robust online and offline connections, we maintain visibility amidst the noise. Whether adapting to remote work or refining our digital outreach, leveraging our network ensures authenticity and relevance. Testing content and engagement within my personal network provides invaluable insights into campaign performance, guiding strategic decisions and driving strong ROI.

Billy Parker · Answer

As the Director of GiftDelivery.co.uk, one of the ways we've used social media to solve a marketing challenge is by leveraging user-generated content to increase brand trust and authenticity. We encouraged our customers to share their experiences with our products on their personal social media profiles, tagging us and using a specific hashtag we created for a campaign. This not only provided us with valuable content that we could repurpose on our own channels, but it also served as a form of social proof for potential customers, seeing real people enjoying our products. It was a cost-effective strategy that increased our reach and strengthened our brand image.
We also used targeted social media advertisements to reach our ideal customer demographic based on their interests, online behavior, and purchase history. By analyzing the data from these campaigns, we were able to refine our marketing approach, resulting in higher conversion rates and a better return on investment. Social media has been an indispensable tool in addressing our marketing challenges, allowing us to engage with our audience in a more interactive and personal way.

How Have You Used Social Media to Solve a Marketing Challenge?

How Have You Used Social Media to Solve a Marketing Challenge?

Humanizing Brands via CEO Stories

Creating Brand Personas on Social Media

Boosting Engagement with User-Generated Content

Reputation Management through Twitter Engagement

Increasing LinkedIn Engagement with Video Content

Targeted Social Media Strategy for Product Launch

Interactive Campaigns and Influencer Collaborations

Building a Community-Driven Brand Advocacy Program

Addressing Skepticism with 'Home Stories' Campaign

SEO Optimization and Community Engagement

Engaging Community on Reddit for Market Research

Making Complex Industries Relatable on Social Media

Leveraging Networks for Authentic B2B Marketing

Increasing Brand Trust with User-Generated Content