If you were to ask any marketing guru what the most powerful weapon in their arsenal is they would likely all say the same thing. Social media. The amount of versatility and unparalleled outreach social media platforms provide businesses and individuals is almost ludicrous. Especially considering how young social media is as a concept.
Utilizing social media to its fullest is slowly turning into an art form. Navigating the complicated webs of influencers and algorithms can be mind boggling. But, if done correctly, will yield amazing results. Today we are going to be doing a case study of how effective social media is a marketing tool when used correctly. While also providing you with some tips on how you can step up your social media marketing efforts.
The Wendy’s Experiment
You would think that the big name brands wouldn’t need to do much creative marketing to stay in the game. But that just isn’t true. Wendy’s is a prime example of how an established brand can launch itself to new heights with some tactical social media marketing.
Wendy’s decided to adopt a more tongue-in-cheek approach with their social media profiles. You might have seen some of their famous Tweets where they rip into their competition in a light hearted, yet commercially effective way. Their Instagram page is filled with an array of memes, blending current social events and trends with their signature products.
Wendy’s has proved that companies can afford to loosen up when it comes to customer engagement. People are more likely to engage with a brand when it feels like it is being run by actual people. It is all too easy for us to think of a business as an unfeeling conglomerate. Wendy’s Tweets and Instagram posts remind customers that there is an actual human on the other end of the post. And, most importantly, they make that person feel relatable.
And the results speak for themselves. Wendy’s currently has 1.1 million Instagram followers and 1.8 million TikTok followers. The lesson to be learnt here is that it often pays to let your guard down on social media. Spend some time connecting with your audience and researching what is relevant and funny to them.
The Duolingo Craze
Duolingo is perhaps one of the most popular language learning apps on the planet. Effective, user friendly, and easy to use. But they, like Wendy’s, never rested on their fame and still maintain a strong social media presence. And, much like Wendy’s, they too utilize a more audience focused approach.
Duolingo doesn’t go quite as hard as Wendy’s. You won’t find them ripping into their competitors. Instead they focus on highlighting their signature character and incorporating him into current events and social trends. Often paired with clever and humorous post captions and Instagram bios. Duolingo spends a lot of time collaborating with other brands, both big and small. You will often see posts of Duo, their mascot, appearing in different restaurants or hanging with celebrities.
But they never lose sight of what Duolingo is for. Their posts highlight locations and events from all over the globe. Bringing to the fore the magic of learning another language and breaking down the barriers between cultures.
So what can we take away from Duolingo’s marketing strategies? Firstly, you need to spend time on your captions and bios. People are quick to overlook just how vital these aspects are for a social media post. If you aren’t particularly creative you can use an Instagram bio generator or a caption creator to help get you started.
Secondly, Duolingo never loses sight of what makes their brand recognizable while also adapting it to meet customer expectations. A while back people began to make jokes about how some of the Duolingo reminder messages sounded oddly threatening. Duolingo leans into this joke on their social media pages. Your brand should be as malleable as this. The way you want your logos or mascots to be perceived isn’t always how they will be. Don’t fight it. Lean into it.
Final Thoughts
Studying how other companies utilize social media is extremely useful in helping you perfect your own strategies. But you need to make sure you put a unique spin on it. People can spot overt imitation a mile off.
Collaboration is also the king of social media success. As we saw with Duolingo’s strategies. Make sure you spend a lot of time networking and building positive relationships with potential partners. And ensure that the brands you want to collaborate with meet your brand’s ideals as well.