As a social marketing professional, I learn from past successes, work to be effective with current tools, and anticipate engaging with newer audiences.
An infographic was released today on Generation Z by Marketo, exploring their aspirations, preferences, online behaviors and how companies can reach them.
GenZers were raised during the 2000s, amidst the most profound changes in at least a century, and will represent more than a quarter of the U.S. population.
So what are some Key(s) to Success in Reaching a GenZer?
Connectivity of social media: They're learning from YouTube videos, engaging with classmates online, and grew up in a world in which one could be in conversation with anyone anywhere any time.
Be fast moving and discreet: They have an average of 8 seconds for an attention span, 5 screens competing for their attention, and a preference for incognito media platforms. (I had never heard of Whisper or Secret...but perhaps that's the point?) The takeaway: Use visuals rather than text!
Educate and build expertise: They're entrepreneurial at heart, mature, self-directed, and resourceful. High intensity working relationships allow for human connection, and they're less likely to resist authority under teaching-style leadership. Feeding their curiosity is a MUST.
One thing is for sure - Gen Z is part of a generation that is global, social, visual and technological. They're sophisticated and influential beyond their years. It'll be interesting to see social marketing professionals shift strategies to communicate and market to them. It makes me look forward to the future, almost as much as they do.
Without thinking twice you can tell me what color is used for the Target logo or McDonald's infamous arches. These are just two examples of companies/brands that strategically use color to appeal to customers.
Colors influence how consumers view the "personality" of a brand. According to a study called Impact of Color in Marketing, researchers found that up to 90% of snap judgments made about products can be based on color alone. Take a look at the Emotion Guide to the right and the overall feeling associated with each color.
The psychology behind colors in branding is based on things like color coordination, stark visual contrasts, and on color preferences by gender. My favorite example for this is the ruggedness associated with the Harley-Davidson brand. It obviously wouldn't attract the same audience if the logo had pink and glittery! There's a reason for that - men prefer bight colors and for Harley-Davidson, men make up a larger percentage of their ideal buyers.
I especially enjoyed Marketo's True Colors Infographic as it detailed consumer reactions to different colors and for which industry those colors were most popular. There isn't an easy, clear-cut set of guidelines for choosing your brand's colors, but the colors used in your logo, website landing pages, and product are definitely worth your consideration.
Can you think of another brand or product where color helped it achieve its biggest impact? Leave a comment below!
Digital communication planners and social channel users around the world can attest to this.
According to Brand Media Strategy: Integrated Communications Planning, the growth of the social network has taken brands to unforeseen heights in generating awareness, building involvement, increasing active consideration, and driving purchase. This week I'll be covering Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and how an array of Facebook posts and Twitter tweets create brand experiences that reinforce the brand proposition of fun family entertainment. By using these channels, they create interaction and retain relevance to consumers.
Please note that the following blog post is entirely hypothetical and for academic purposes only. I am in no way affiliated with the Walt Disney brand or any of its subsidiaries. If you have any questions regarding Disney or its parks, you can follow them on Facebook and/or Twitter.
August 1:
Facebook - Be on the lookout for #FreebieFriday posts every Friday for the month of August - we'll announce where you can take advantage of an exclusive freebie while in the park that day!
Twitter - Interested in free stuff at Magic Kingdom? Stay tuned for #FreebieFriday tweets for the month of August!
August 2:
Facebook - Summer in Florida is in full effect. Besides sunblock, what do you wear for your day at Magic Kingdom? #DisneyTripTips
Twitter - What do you wear for a day at Magic Kingdom to have fun and stay cool? #DisneyTripTips
August 3:
Facebook - Our "Celebrate the Magic" Nighttime Spectacular fireworks show will dazzle you as we turn Cinderella's Castle into a work of art. Two shows every night - you won't want to miss this!
Twitter - Let us dazzle you with our "Celebrate the Magic" fireworks show. You won't want to miss it!
August 4:
Facebook - Love Monster's Inc.? Be sure to check out the Laugh Floor Stage Show and have some fun with Sully, Mike, and Boo!
Twitter - Share some laughs with Sully, Mike and Boo of Monster's Inc. at the #LaughFloor stage show today!
August 5:
Facebook - Poll: What is the longest you would be willing to wait in line for a Magic Kingdom attraction? Select one of the options below.
One hour Two hours Three hours I'd wait five hours or more Four hours
Twitter - What Magic Kingdom attraction are you willing to wait in line for? Tell us!
August 6:
Facebook - Cool off and make friends with a visit to Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station. It's an open play area based on the circus locomotive from Disney's Dumbo.
Twitter - Come play in the Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station and beat the summer heat. #StayCool
August 7:
Facebook - Throwback Thursday: Share a photo of you or your princess with a Disney princess! Use hashtags #tbt #disneyprincess
Twitter - Share a photo of you or your princess with a Disney Princess. Include #TBT #disneyprincess in your post!
August 8:
Facebook - It's #FreebieFriday! The first 200 guests to check-in to Main Street USA Confectionery will receive a special treat on us!
Twitter - The first 100 tweets to mention #MainStreetConfectionery will receive a special treat on #FreebieFriday. Stop by the shop to redeem!
August 9:
Facebook - Disney Trip Tip: Pin your name and cell phone number to the inside of your child's clothes and make sure your family wears closed-toe shoes to the park. Don't risk losing a flip flop! #DisneyTripTips
Twitter - Don't forget to pin your name and cell number to the inside of your child's clothes. #DisneyTripTips #thelittledetails
August 10:
Facebook - Fantasyland's "Festival of Fantasy" Parade will highlight all-new magic with music and dancing. The parade starts at 3pm!
Twitter - RT if you plan to head to Fantasyland for music, magic, and dancing by 3pm for the "Festival of Fantasy" Parade!
August 11:
Facebook - Staying at a Disney Resort hotel means you can enjoy more fun in Magic Kingdom! On select days, guests can arrive early or stay later courtesy of Extra Magic Hours.
Twitter - Stay at a Disney Resort hotel and enjoy Extra Magic Hours on select days! Get more info here: bit.ly/mc56n8d1
August 12:
Facebook - Trivia: Which attraction opened in 1956 and has the distinction of being the only one designed by Walt Disney?*
Twitter - Do you know which attraction has the distinction of being the only one designed by Walt Disney? Reply with your answer!*
August 13:
Facebook - Disney is featured in this Theme Park Insider's article on Top Theme Park Travel Tips. A great read if a trip to Magic Kingdom is in the works! Article: bit.ly/4v85er6a
Twitter - Disney was featured in this article on Top Theme Park Travel Tips: bit.ly/4v85er6a - a great read!
August 14:
Facebook - It's that time of the week again - Let's throw it back with a #tbt photo of a Magic Kingdom #fireworks display!
Twitter - Post a #ThrowbackThursday pic of a Magic Kingdom #fireworks display!
August 15:
Facebook - Love to collect Disney pins? Tell us about the best trade you've made to receive an exclusive 2014 Walt Disney pin! Act fast - we've got 1,000 to give away on #FreebieFriday
Twitter - #FreebieFriday: Tell us about the best trade you've made for a Disney pin to receive an exclusive 2014 Walt Disney pin! We've got 1,000 to give away!
August 16:
Facebook - Planning a trip to Magic Kingdom soon? Want to deal with smaller crowds? Most major parks are less crowded in September and October, as school starts up, and April and May, as school winds down. #DisneyTripTips
Twitter - Try planning a Magic Kingdom trip for September, October, April or May. When school is in, the park tends to be less crowded. #DisneyTripTips
August 17:
Facebook - The Electrical Water Pageant is an all-time favorite. Enjoy the sea creatures and twinkling flags across the lagoon to electronic tunes in this nighttime water parade. Fun for all ages.
Twitter - Watch an array of colorful lights as the floats glide by at the Electrical Water Pageant. Fun for all ages.
August 18:
Facebook - Go backstage to meet the most iconic of the Disney characters - Mickey Mouse! He's ready to hug and photograph with his biggest fans at Town Square Theater.
Twitter - Meet and greet Mickey at Town Square Theater - It's the perfect photo op!
August 19:
Facebook - Trivia: What's the legend of The Big Thunder Mountain? Share your knowledge in the comments section below!
Twitter - Which attraction has an eery ghost legend attached to it? Reply with your answer!
August 20:
Facebook - Your time is precious to you and we are here to help with Fastpass+, our ride reservation system.
Using the suggestions for your specific trip can save you up to 4 hours in line per day with touring plans. Use discount code FASTPASS+ to save 20% on a 1-year subscription to touringplans.com.
Twitter - Save up to 4 hours in line per day by using Fastpass+, our ride reservation system. Find out how here: bit.ly/4b7i2oq3
August 21:
Facebook - Share a Throwback Thursday photo of your most memorable Character Meet and Greet! Include #tbt #disneycharacter in your photo.
Twitter - Tweet a photo your most memorable Character Meet and Greet for #tbt. Include hashtags #tbt and #disneycharacter
August 22:
Facebook - #FreebieFriday Need a stroller for your little one during your visit to Magic Kingdom? If you reserve a Disney stroller for 3 days, get the 4th day Free! Available for a limited time only.
Twitter - Reserve a Disney stroller for 3 days, get the 4th day free! Available for a limited time only on #FreebieFriday
August 23:
Facebook - Plan your day with Disney's Mobile Magic application - you can quickly pinpoint restaurants and provide up-to-the-minute estimates on wait times at rides and attractions. Available for Android and iOS users. Download it today! bit.ly/t7lo760 #DisneyTripTips
Twitter - Download the Disney Mobile Magic app to plan your day right from your phone! Available for Android and iOS users - bit.ly/t7lo760 #DisneyTripTips
August 24:
Facebook - Put on your dancing shoes and prep your moves in Tomorrowland for the #INCREDIBLESSuperDanceParty from 5pm-10pm. It's the most heroic dance party around from Disney-Pixar's The Incredibles!
Twitter - Boogie down in Tomorrowland at the #INCREDIBLESSuperDanceParty from 5pm-10pm!
August 25:
Facebook - Love Frozen? A Sand Sculpture brought Olaf to Frozen Summer Fun at Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Disney Blog - Weekly Recap!
Twitter - Find out how a sand sculpture brought Olaf to Frozen Summer Fun at Disney's Hollywood Studios: bit.ly/3u02bd
August 26:
Facebook - Trivia: The first Audio-Animatronics figure in human form were developed at Walt Disney's request for which Magic Kingdom attraction?
Hint: The result lead to rave reviews at the 1964 New York's World Fair.
Twitter - Do you know the Magic Kingdom attraction in which the first Audio-Animatronics figure was developed? Tell us!
August 27:
Facebook - The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has been open for three months already, and broke records for the number of guests to ride in 90 days. What's your favorite aspect of the ride?
Twitter - The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has been open for three months - Tell us why you love it!
August 28:
Facebook - Share your favorite photo with #CinderellasCastle in the background for #throwbackthursday
Twitter - Have a great #CinderellasCastle photo for #ThrowbackThursday? Share it with us today!
August 29:
Facebook - Did you know that #FreebieFriday can take place year round at Magic Kingdom? Many guests assume PhotoPass Cast Members are not useful if they don't plan on purchasing the CD or prints. The truth is that these picture-taking Cast Members will take photos of you with your own camera. All you have to do is ask!
Twitter - Take advantage of #FreebieFriday year round by asking PhotoPass Cast Members to take photos of you with your own camera at Magic Kingdom!
August 30:
Facebook - #DisneyTripTips Go against the flow: Head to the back of the park at opening while everyone boards the rides nearest the front gate. Opt for the left-hand line at snack bars and souvenir shops because most are programmed to turn right.
Twitter - While at Magic Kingdom, go against the flow. Opt for the left hand line at snack bars and shops. More #disneytriptips here: bit.ly/1w70loz
August 31:
Facebook - Go Wild on the #JungleCruise! Expand your horizons and tour the most exotic rivers of Asia, Africa, and South America. Encounter the wonders of nature in an unforgettable adventure!
Twitter - Embark on the #JungleCruise for a true-life adventure of the world's most exotic locales!
*The Answer is Tom Sawyer Island. The original opened to the public at Disneyland Resort in 1956.
Whole Foods Market (WFM) is a leading natural and organic food store, with nearly 300 stores across North America and the United Kingdom. They have an integrated marketing approach as their social media strategy is built around their company website and additional platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest. WFM is often considered a role model for other brands after five years of having successfully executed their social media marketing plan.
They are successful for a number of reasons, but I'll list the four that I find most important:
1. Each social platform has its primary objective. For example, Twitter is primarily for customer service, questions, and requests. Meanwhile, Facebook is where WFM promotes products, engages and educates their customers. None of their platforms are neglected, as they see the value of each being used equally to build their brand image.
Whole Foods Market on Google+ pictured above;
WFM Facebook on lower left and WFM Twitter on lower right
2. WFM keeps messaging and imagery consistent across platforms, using the logo and a prepared food item in their photo covers (see right). Content is updated daily (almost hourly on Twitter) and they drive users mostly to their blog with links. Their hashtags include #WFMdish and #WFMwine, but are used sparingly.
3. They prioritize the local component of each store. Community managers focus on being where the customers are. These individuals work to engage with customers on WFM's multiple platform accounts.
4. They believe customer engagement and conversation should occur as naturally as possible. They are good at social listening and are ready to apply new ideas from what they learn.
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It takes a lot for a company to admit struggling to determine ROI in their social media strategy. It speaks volumes, however, knowing they found a way to make an impact socially utilizing resources already available to them. That's exactly what The Home Depot did by creating the "social media store associate" position. This hybrid role is now three years old, and allows select staffers to be go-to experts and social media content creators two days a week. Through their use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest, they assist with media appearances on Home Depot's How-To Community, The Apron blog, the
Garden Club and HomeDepot.com.
Everything is up to date as the platforms highlight Home Depot's current specials of "Red, White and Blue Savings," for the Fourth of July. They're using this across all platforms, so the messaging and imagery is consistent. Similar to Whole Foods, The Home Depot pushes users through to their blog via links in Facebook and Twitter posts. Their hashtags, #SpringMadeSimple, #DIHWorkshop, and #StyleChallenge produce results on almost all platforms.
Home Depot Vine Video on Facebook
I was especially drawn to their visual platforms -- Vine, Pinterest and Instagram. On these platforms, users can find fun, vibrant videos, and lots of high resolution photos. But each channel has their distinct purpose. Vine is used as a quick educational/tutorial tool. Pinterest is aspirational with the best looking visual information, whereas their Instagram makes the user want to share in the experience. All in all, it's great to see Home Depot make the distinct move toward more visually focused platforms when consumer interest towards the ongoing trend of visual posts is increasing.
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"Unlike the majority of retailers that believe brand to fan engagement is the primary goal of social media, Amazon has always concentrated on personalizing the shopping experience," says Wade Gerten, CEO of 8thBridge, Inc. Out of the three brands I've researched, Amazon is the only one that is almost exclusively promotional on all of its social media platforms. They take an integrated approach, having a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and LinkedIn. All of these channels are consistent in messaging and imagery as they currently advertise "the first smartphone designed by Amazon #firephone."
Facebook is the network with the most up to date content, with Instagram and Twitter in close second. Their newsfeed on Google+ is heavy with promotional information about electronics like headphones, watches, and other gadgets. Amazon's use (or lack thereof) of Pinterest was really surprising and saddening. As the photo below shows, they only maintain 18 boards - many of them old - and a little over 800 pins.
Amazon Pinterest header
Besides #firephone (or any hashtag promoting a new product of theirs), their use of hashtags is inconsistent across platforms. Amazon doesn't drive users to their other social channels. Rather, any consumer interactions that happen on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest drive significant sales to its online retailer site to make a purchase.
Some would argue that Amazon has missed the boat on social media, but their incorporation of social elements into its own site cannot be overlooked. They make it easy for shoppers to share products with their friends with a Like button, Tweet button, Pinterest Pin-it button, Google+1 button, and an Email A Friend button on its product pages. Additionally, Amazon gives customers with Facebook-connected accounts to see reviews written by their Facebook connections. By use of crowd sourcing, Amazon is making efforts to personalize the consumer's shopping experience.
Sources:
Schoultz, M. (No Date). "How Whole Foods Marketing Uses Social Media to be a Difference Maker." Digital Sparks Marketing. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
http://www.digitalsparkmarketing.com/creative-marketing/social-media/whole-foods-marketing/
Stambor, Zak. 5 Dec 2013. "How Social is Amazon?" Internet Retailer: Portal to E-Commerce Intelligence. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
http://www.internetretailer.com/2013/12/05/how-social-amazon
Zmuda, Natalie. 29 Sept 2011. "Home Depot's Social Media Strategy Pays Off." Advertising Age. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
http://adage.com/article/special-report-social-media-guide/home-depot-s-social-media-strategy-pays/229865/
To follow up on my post from last week, I'm analyzing Swamp Head's website and how they incorporate brand consistency within this particular platform.
I find their website has leveraged a nice blend of push and pull marketing techniques. While on their homepage (and with minimal clicks), you are able to access their list of beers, get information about the brewery and find the latest posts to their company blog, "Swamplog."
There is obviously a lot of push happening on the website. The amount of information you can derive is almost overwhelming. An example of how the website allows push and pull to happen simultaneously can be found on their list of brews in the tasting room. The consumer gets multiple things at once - displayed information about the products and pricing (push). Meanwhile, the map in the corner, operating hours and address provides the information the consumer needs in deciding whether to make the trip to the brewery (pull). Combining push and pull in this way "reinforces key branding and retailer objectives" (S2 Customer Insight Blog).
It's interesting how they also use the site as a touchpoint for e-commerce. On the same page as their brew list, you can find out about purchasing Swamp Head merchandise like t-shirts and hats.
The content on the website is fresh. It lists their latest blog posts and upcoming Swamp Head events they'll be attending, sponsoring, and serving their craft beer. Within their blog content, they include share buttons, but an RSS feed option is not available. This leads me to believe that their blog updates are not as consistent as they are on other social media channels. They include outbound links, but there is a lack of categories and labels being used to assist in finding similar posts in their archive. With a quick Google search, I did find a Wordpress blog by the same name, but the content on the Wordpress blog was inconsistent to the Swamplog that's made available on their website (the last post was in March). Although there is a follow button available, no categories or labels are used. This explains why the Wordpress blog was found on page two of the Google search. A little help with keywords in either blogging platform could fine-tune SEO and help them show up for the right search terms. Since blogs are a great tool for pull marketing, I would especially like to see them improve in this area.
I was initially concerned about how mobile-friendly the website would be because of all the information that is packed on the full site. Luckily, the mobile site is very user-friendly. It allows for easy navigation, integrating scrolling features and swiping options throughout (see photos below). There were more photos than text which is always helpful with shorter attention spans, and they provided easily-digested answers to consumers' questions. You can access all of the same information and social buttons as you could on the full-site, too.
One feature I touched on in my previous post, is Swamp Head's brand consistency throughout their design and social media content. According to the Brand Consistency for Website Navigation, Social Media and SEO slideshare, incorporating brand consistency means they're working toward an honest identity and being consistent with that identity. The desire for consistency in customer service, product quality and marketing practices is apparent from the owner, Luke Kemper, in this interview where he attributes success to "running a business that is ethical." He says, "...[when you] treat people fairly and try to do the right thing, people notice." His mindset and passion for brewing a high quality beer set the tone and personality that comes across in the brand on their website and other platforms. If there's anything that I learned from this analysis it's that no matter how great their social media engagement is, Swamp Head still has areas that can be improved upon. Its push and pull marketing techniques help visitors find valuable content on their website and contribute to their branding. Their website's navigation, consistency in information across its blog(s) and website, and SEO keywords could all be fine-tuned to make them more visible in the right places. Sources: S2 Customer Insight Blog: Push and Pull Maketing (graphic). (n.d.). S2 Customer Insight Blog. http://s2customerinsight.com/blog/push-and-pull-marketing/ Brand Consistency for Website Navigation, Social Media and SEO. (2011, July 26). Brand Consistency for Website Navigation, Social Media and SEO. http://www.slideshare.net/lizhenderlong/brand-consistency-for-website-navigation-social-media-and-seo Richardson, W. (2013, March 19). Luke Kemper - All About Beer. All About Beer. http://allaboutbeer.com/luke-kemper/
Swamp Head Brewery was founded in 2008 and prides itself on being Inherently Floridian. They started up in Gainesville, and make their love for Florida apparent in their logo, brand, and mission to be "Florida's brewery." The short bio description I used in the blog post title was found on Swamp Head Brewery’s
twitter page. I love it because it's a great attention-grabber for those who have never been exposed
to the brand - it shows a little attitude, helps tell their
story, and includes a reason for people to follow their account. This is just one example of how I find them to be successful in using multimedia communications to reach their customers.
The three things that I really appreciate about Swamp Head Brewery are how they focus on telling their story, they work to keep fans up to date on their social media platforms, and focus their energy on the local Gainesville community. Their website not only shares their story, staff and upcoming events, but also includes ongoing promotions, tasting room selections, and photos (posted by company AND customers). They've realized that is a starting point to inform the consumer and they immediately make it known that the company can be followed on social media with one-click widgets on their homepage (see below).
In terms of social media, Swamp Head creates lots of opportunity for dialogue and the tone and voice of their messaging highlights their passion for the brewery and its products. You cannot mistake having reached their company/business pages because they use the cover photo function to keep their pages consistent with their website. They often use the platforms to promote new products and share across platforms by linking to their social media accounts within posts. This makes it very easy for people to follow them on their preferred platform (or all of them).
Swamp Head understands the importance of making sure posts show
up in people’s feeds, letting people get involved in their story and
communicating with them one-on-one.They share great content like pictures and videos from the Brewery, messages about brewing beer, notifications about events (on and off premise), and local community events that they’re involved in. The 5th Annual Taste of Gainesville post below showcases their official beer sponsorship.
Swamp Head's marketing department is obviously doing their job very, very well. Not only has the company expanded to selling merchandise like t-shirts, hats, and frisbees, but you can find their craft brews served in bars and restaurants across the state of Florida. They are doing so well for themselves in fact, that they are looking to relocate and double in size. A lot of this has to deal with Swamp Head's online presence via social media platforms, as it's consistent with their goals and brand. Their approach is interactive and entertaining, and they understand "it takes a village" and its involvement to get their brand recognized as Florida's brewery.
I'm an event planner turned social media-er. My desk is riddled with sticky notes.
This blog is following me as I pursue my M.A. in Mass Communications, specializing in Social Media. I do not claim credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted.
