Some of the Best Social Media Campaigns (and Why They Worked): Analyzing Success and Strategies for Inspiration

A social media campaign is a planned marketing effort that uses at least one social media platform to reinforce facts or feelings about a product, service, or overall brand. 

As the rocket fuel of your marketing efforts, social media campaigns provide an explosive increase to your brand reputation, brand recognition, and sales.

When it comes to social media campaigns, it’s all about coordinating actions across time. With effects that can be followed up on and analysed. You can use a single social network might, or it can span many platforms.

Are you looking for ideas for your next social media marketing campaign? Vindicta Digital Marketing Agency gives some of the most successful social media initiatives in recent memory below to give you some ideas. 

Hello BC’s #ExploreBCLater

Platforms used: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter

What Hello BC did:

Flights have plummeted by 95%, and almost everyone cancelled their summer holiday plans last year. It’s challenging to turn that into a destination-focused campaign, but Hello BC’s #ExploreBCLater campaign was spot on.

Hello BC offered a message of social responsibility in the face of the coronavirus, urging people to remain home and explore BC later. Hello BC were to reuse the #ExploreBC hashtag in the campaign, leveraging on the brand’s existing familiarity and use.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_kb_eNgDp_/?utm_source=ig_embed

Additionally, the #ExploreBCLater campaign encouraged tourists to share pictures and videos from their travels around the province. Giving virtual experiences through social media and keeping these vacation locations top-of-mind.

There have been over 9,500 posts on Instagram using the hashtag so far.

Why Did it Work on Social Media?

Leveraging user-generated content (UGC), this approach assists in building a brand’s reputation by tapping into the audiences and social media platforms of influential individuals. This facilitates reputation growth for your business. Additionally, UGC serves as a means for companies to expand their content library, amassing high-quality visual assets from users and subsequently sharing them with proper permission. This dual benefit strategy bolsters brand presence and content richness effectively.

Also benefiting from the #ExploreBCLater initiative are travel bloggers that got hit by the worldwide epidemic. Exploring British Columbia later allows them to reuse old assets into new postings.

A social media strategy should always include an incentive for participants.

Certain situations call for a certain amount of flexibility. Because of this campaign’s positive message, viewers’ interest was high in visiting British Columbia while also looking at the importance of responsible and caring behaviour.

Starbucks #WhatsYourName

Platforms used: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube & traditional advertising.

What Starbucks Did:

As part of a values-driven campaign that included TV advertising and social media participation, Starbucks aimed to be inclusive of individuals of all genders and ethnicities by honouring their chosen names. A well-known Starbucks feature – getting your name printed on your cup – is leveraged by pledging to honour the names that consumers choose.

Users on social media were encouraged to use the #WhatsYourName hashtag as part of a touching (and award-winning) marketing effort. And they enlisted the public to share photographs of their mermaid tail cookies. Which collected money for Mermaids, on social media using the campaign hashtag.

Why Did it Work on Social Media?

There’s nothing like a TV advertisement to get people talking about your brand on social media. Their hashtag was basic and easy to understand. As a result of their values-based leadership, this campaign had a true emotional effect.

Many companies shy away from political subjects. However, ultimately, your employees and customers want you to make the world a better place through your brand’s products and initiatives. Businesses should take the lead on topics such as diversity and community, in particular.

Starbucks’ #WhatsYourName campaign drew criticism, but it also gained many admirers by standing up for a cause. This reputation-building effort was highly critical because of an event at one of their US sites last year. Starbucks was able to re-establish trust and respect with its consumers by using the #WhatsYourName campaign to spread themes of inclusiveness and respect.

Pantone Color Commentary

Platforms used: Twitter

What Pantone did:

#BigGameColorCommentary was Pantone’s hashtag for a one-day promotion that coincided with the 2020 Super Bowl. For the first time ever in Super Bowl history, both teams wore the same primary uniform colour. According to Pantone, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers’ red colours are only different by one point.

We got you! @darrenrovell #BigGameColorCommentary pic.twitter.com/5BXYHGLjCs

— PANTONE (@pantone) February 2, 2020

Pantone gave a color-coded analysis of the action as it was live-tweeting the big game.

Why Did it Work?

Fun, unique, and creative use of Pantone’s brand identification as a colour specialist made this campaign a hit with consumers. Thanks to its accessible postings, it was able to bridge the gap between sports enthusiasts and design connoisseurs. Pantone capitalised on the Super Bowl’s popularity unexpectedly.

Campaigns don’t have to be long and drawn out! Instead of launching a resource-intensive campaign if you lack the means (or executive backing), try something enjoyable and short-term to observe how your audience reacts.

In addition, don’t limit yourself when it comes to finding the right moment to begin a campaign. “Pantone” and “football” have never been used in the same sentence before, but that’s precisely why it worked! Be creative, and you may come up with a great idea.

Successful social media campaigns have a few common elements…

As you may have observed, each of these campaigns had a distinct design. How does social media marketing work? Key components include:

They’re loyal to the brand’s values

To their followers’ delight, each of these ads embodies the brand’s identity and values. Unsuccessful campaigns are those that don’t make sense for your brand, no matter how smart the concept or how large the budget is.

They are trackable

In addition, each campaign has its own hashtag or channel, which allows the company to track key performance indicators (KPI). The number of mentions or shares in a campaign; the number of entries in a contest. Whatever your campaign aim, be sure you have a plan for evaluating the results of your efforts before you launch.

Their arrival on social media is timely

As you can see, each of the campaigns above were tailored to the current events and activities on their consumers’ minds.

This lets you prepare for and grab opportunities to make an influence by keeping note of yearly events, such as the Super Bowl (or National Pizza Month).

Is it time to step it up in your own marketing efforts? For your next “best-ever” digital marketing campaign, get in touch today and let’s get started!