KLUMME: Social isn’t for everyone
In fact, it’s not something you hear very often these days, and especially not from an “agency man” – but social media simply isn’t for every company. It is often irresponsibly exaggerated and over represented in the media.
The role it plays is often incorrectly understood in the “big picture” of a campaign. But make no mistake, when combined together with an offline media it can help strengthen the impact of any campaign. Combined with good content and the right strategy, social media can comfortably stand on its own as the sole marketing tool – this is especially true for startups, small and medium sized companies.
So it never fails to shock me (just a little) whenever I spend time researching the market and I come across companies or brands that decided to be on social media, but fail to be active on social media.
Denmark is a place online
If there is any doubt where one can find a Dane, then look no further than online. Incredibly 3 out of 4 Danes have a smartphone. Nearly 50% of Danes own a tablet. Over 86% of Danes have regular access to the internet. Last but not least, 3.4 million Danes are on Facebook.
The online segment is well represented and will only get stronger as younger and more technical savvy consumers enter the market and the late adopters (40-60 year old segment) become more educated on using the platforms.
Social media itself is also starting to move faster. New networks are demanding attention (like Snapchat). Old networks are totally dead (like Myspace). Companies are hiring social media managers (Amen!), and getting enterprise solutions from companies like Hootsuite or Falcon Social. New features such as geo targeting ads and buy buttons will be introduced to the masses on a much larger scale. As will half a dozen new innovations over the course of the next months coming ahead.
The current status quo is clear: put a post up every 2-3 days with some kind of picture and/or link and blend that with easy to consume content. Social insiders know already that this simply isn’t going to cut it in a few years from now… But for now, it is the market norm, and quite frankly this “bare minimum” execution is expected by consumers. Yet there are still some laggards that are refusing to acknowledge the fundamental fact that social media is not just an extension of the company homepage, but comprised of a community of real people that are actually interested enough to “like”, “tag” or “follow” that needs to be engaged.
A short list that represents
So with that said, I would like to share a short list of random Danish companies and/or brands that I came across during my market research over the past month that I feel need to revamp their attempt at executing social media. Bare in mind that this list is not in any particular order and there are plenty of companies that are far worse but I think that this is a good representation.
KFC is the second biggest fast food franchise in the world – trumped only by McDonalds. With 4 well placed locations in Copenhagen, they have a strong brand that is easily recognised by a large segment of consumers.
When you consider that KFC’s mother organization (Yum! Brands) creates mountains of shareable content to market online I find it strange that KFC Denmark is unable to acquire more than 400 likes on their Facebook Page (since 2012!) and 9 followers on Twitter…. 9 followers!?
The last tweet @KFCdk sent out was January 21st as was the last Facebook post. It doesn’t make sense to me that KFC wouldn’t allocate anything to at least secure that they would post more than once per month. At this rate, KFC might as well not post at all – they should close both accounts.
If they were prepared to work on their social media then I would remind them that people love fried chicken and most Danes have yet to try their product. I would suggest a small layered advertising budget both locally and nationally to grow their online community and boost brand awareness. Minimum 3 posts per week before lunch/dinner tempting onlookers with delicious chicken.
While it’s not really understandable why PFA pension (with under 1.100 likes) has only posted once since December 12th last year; it is completely unacceptable that PFA Brug Livet Fonden with over 37.000 likes would be inactive all year.
This is in stark contrast to November and December (2014) where they were able to execute a high level of activity on social media (nearly 50 posts) and then suddenly, they just stopped. Why? PFA Brug Livet Fonden has not had a single post in the last 2.5 months!
The biggest error here is that they used time, energy and resources to create momentum and were actually doing quite well – but they weren’t able to continue their activity – and thus reap the real benefits of social media. The good news is, they can do it again.
With one main page, and 10 local pages – Sticks’n’Sushi have an online network of only 31.000 likes on Facebook, they are also present on Twitter (but they don’t really tweet – only twice since Christmas), Instagram and Pinterest.
My biggest gripe when looking at their social media strategy is the fact they don’t really have one. Social is not something they spend any time on, and there doesn’t seem to be a connection to a bigger vision on social media. None of the local pages get updated regularly and have all been forgotten about.
I’m a big fan of Stick’n’Sushi, and what I’m missing is content. As a customer I want offers and reminders. I want beautiful pictures of delicious food and colourful cocktails. Pictures of the other restaurants I haven’t visited. Information on the dishes – maybe a story about the food and why I should try a certain stick or roll… I want engagement and I want to be more connected to my local Sticks’n’Sushi.
Jepti is a classic example I see often from startups. The founder(s) have a great idea. A company is created, time and money is used to create a nice webpage/product/service/store. Everything is ready to go…. one small, tiny, problem, before they launch they are struggling for money or they simply don’t have money for marketing. The ol’ catch 22.
Jepti have put backend work to build a small network on their Facebook page, and they have a service that is actually hot and in demand these days. A service like Jepti could see powerful and substantial growth with increased activity, brand awareness and social media advertising.
I would use (or buy) active groups and existing communities that could be used to further promote the page. But with only one post on Facebook since November last year – I wouldn’t bet on it.
empt (Royal Unibrew) is a premixed alcoholic beverage that can be found in an assortment of fruity tastes that has over 18.500 followers on Facebook. The brand is well known within the youth segment – and without having any data, sell primarily to females.
Considering the majority of their past content was actually targeting young men, I would say they did quite well for a period of time with providing interesting original content. This January they were active, posting everyday for 3-4 days but then “poof” gone. Nothing.
They had used time, energy, resources to build a profile on social media last year and then it goes to waste because they decided to just let go. In my opinion Tempt uses their Facebook page activity only during actual campaigns, this is an incorrect use of social media.
I would challenge them to create better (and cheaper) content that is more targeted to their consumer base.
I would automate content in times of off-activity to secure a minimum online presence and run offers together with major retailers.
As a new high end manufacturer of mobile phones – and being distinctly Danish in design, you would think that this local company with big ambitions would have more than just 7.000 likes on Facebook.
In fact there is a lot missing from Lumigon, only 7 posts since December 23rd? Why? Just the same boring 10 pictures being rotated, over and over and over again…Why? Don’t they want to actually sell phones? Have I missed something here? I think it is a safe assumption to say that Lumigon can’t compete with the likes of Samsung or HTC on marketing budgets for offline media.
On social media things balance out a bit more, they are still the underdog, but they can show off they are local, they can be guerilla, they can move faster and more gracefully than their competitors.
Lumigon could make a serious impact using a few good young and edgy content creators to give them far better and more interesting content; and social media manager with the right strategy that would focus on on sales, brand awareness, and media placement. Just look at what a company like Oneplus was able to accomplish.