A winning social media campaign isn’t easily defined. Of course, high rates of engagement are basic measurements of an effective social media marketing campaign. However, the most memorable and award-winning social media campaigns are set apart because of their innovation and creativity.
What does all that mean? Rafael Richards, Digital and Social Director at Augustine Agency, describes that magic spark as the ability to connect with powerful storytelling. “People love a good story, and a winning campaign connects and captivates on the other side,” he says. “When we create content we speak to the person on the other side — how does it fit into their life? Is it true to the brand goals?” When executed well, winning campaigns connect with channel users on a personal level and drive significant change.
Augustine recently took the coveted gold and bronze awards for best Social Media Campaign at this year’s AAF Dallas ADDYS awards. Augustine’s gold-winning campaign, “Mission Sweet Hawaiian Tortillas,” exemplifies all those winning qualities. For starters, it far- surpassed industry standards as well as exceeded client benchmarks for engagement. Additionally, it connected with its audience.
Winning content is an exchange of a business objective with what the consumer needs. In this case, Mission Foods had a new product. Key insights revealed that the shopper audience is looking for new flavors and meal ideas that are easy to execute at home. Mission’s new Sweet Hawaiian Tortillas certainly could deliver on that need to “Bring on the Sun and the Tropical Yum.” The campaign added visual flavor cues to share the essence of the new product — all in a playful way that fit each social platform’s landscape.
Nike doesn’t describe the best fabric — it shows you how it fits into your life.
“A great social campaign consists of compelling content but also requires a strong marketing strategy, effective messaging and the right mix of tactics and authenticity from the brand. It’s all about connecting with consumers in ways that are important to them, says Beatriz McDonald, Senior Social/Digital Content Manager at Augustine.
Social Media Campaign, Bronze, AAF Dallas ADDY awards
“Social is all about making connections and earning relationships with the audience to build trust – which is one of the most important factors for a successful social campaign.”
– Beatriz McDonald, Senior Social/Digital Content Manager at Augustine Agency
Lastly, measuring a winning campaign is much more sophisticated in today’s climate. Where likes and shares once drove decisions, the Augustine team goes beyond “vanity metrics” to analyze behaviors such as “How long was the video watched?” “How many were engaged enough to reshare?” and “Was a purchase made?” This exercise resulted in an ideal combination of metrics and levers that provided meaningful insight and, ultimately, help meet specific goals.
Simply put, you need insights, rich metrics and a powerful story. Wrap those up in a tortilla and you’ll have social campaign gold.