A social media marketing campaign is a advertising and marketing strategy manufacturers use to advertise their services on social media platforms.
Profitable social media campaigns improve model consciousness, categorical your organization’s persona, and encourage loyalty. They are often one-off or long-term advertising and marketing efforts.
On this article, we’ll cowl eight of the perfect social media campaigns from current years. Together with takeaways for small companies with out big budgets and infinite sources.
1. Warner Bros. Barbie
Selection reported that Warner Bros. spent $150 million on advertising and marketing for the studio’s 2023 Barbie film. Despite the fact that this quantity is staggering (and greater than the $145 million funds used to supply the film itself), any model can use the studio’s “breadcrumb technique” to stimulate dialog on social media.
Merely stagger your content material to entice individuals over an extended time period.
The Barbie film’s first teaser trailer was launched greater than a 12 months prematurely, and generated round 4 million engagements on social networks.
Picture supply: Comscore
However the second trailer shot to #28 on YouTube’s Trending movies in beneath 24 hours and generated 18 million social media engagements.
Whereas the second trailer continued to climb in views, the Barbie advertising and marketing staff created a free AI-powered selfie-generator instrument. Customers might create personalised variations of the film posters. Then share them on social media for extra free word-of-mouth advertising and marketing.
Even celebrities like Zooey Deschanel received concerned.
This picture generator gave the studio the identical advantages of influencer advertising and marketing for no further effort. Folks had been seeing huge names successfully promote the film.
The ensuing memes, film stills, and user-generated content material (UGC) from the general public who noticed the crew filming scenes additionally created a buzz on social channels. Every bit of content material turned a “breadcrumb”.
For instance, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling had been noticed filming in Los Angeles and social media customers had been certain to put up the new gossip. This behind-the-scenes stream of content material solely added to the intrigue of the storyline.
Warner Bros. President of International Advertising Josh Goldstine joked, “Somebody took an image of a pink sundown and thanked the work of the Warner Bros. advertising and marketing division.”
By means of their breadcrumb technique, Barbie’s staff created a chronic, highly-impactful social media marketing campaign.
What you are able to do: Stimulate curiosity and dialog by dropping content material breadcrumbs forward of your subsequent social media marketing campaign. Use Semrush’s Social Poster instrument which options drafting, scheduling, and posting of content material throughout a number of social media platforms. You may schedule content material weeks prematurely on the easy-to-use calender interface.
2. Dove’s Actual Magnificence
Again in 2004, Dove launched the Dove Marketing campaign for Actual Magnificence, a first-ever marketing campaign to put up a various vary of normal girls on its advertising and marketing supplies as an alternative of fashions. Many years later, this technique remains to be holding robust and has helped the model develop their social following.
Utilizing actual our bodies elicits an emotional response, advocating the message that true magnificence comes from inside. Dove now runs academic packages like The Self-Esteem Venture by way of social media with the hashtag #DoveSelfEsteemProject.
The intention of this social media campign is to assist 1 / 4 of a billion younger individuals worldwide really feel extra assured about themselves by 2030 (and naturally to promote extra cleaning soap).
Earlier hashtags from the marketing campaign (some nonetheless in use) embrace:
- #ShowUs: A set of selfies and UGC from girls and non-binary customers.
- #NoDigitalDistortion: Posted beneath pictures to show Dove hasn’t altered our bodies and pores and skin in any manner.
- #NoLikesNeeded: Goals to indicate youthful social media customers that liking themselves is the one “Like” that counts.
- #PassTheCROWN: A marketing campaign to finish race-based hair discrimination.
Dove highlights its overarching values on its Instagram account bio saying, “Let’s change magnificence collectively and assist increase self worth within the subsequent technology.” Since 2004, the sweetness model has showcased solely pure girls and our bodies. And guarantees by no means to distort our bodies in pictures.
What you are able to do: Discover out what your audience values and create campaigns round these messages. Semrush’s Viewers Intelligence instrument lets you section your viewers and supply an in depth abstract of every group.
This breakdown can embrace key phrases from consumer bios, high influencers, most used hashtags, and general demographic tendencies. Phase your viewers as a lot as attainable to focus on totally different demographics with every social media marketing campaign.
3. Apple’s #ShotOniPhone
Apple’s #ShotOniPhone is a long-running marketing campaign that mixes UGC with out-of-home promoting. iPhone customers can hashtag social media content material for the prospect to have their photograph featured on an Apple billboard.
Beneath was one of many billboards for Apple’s summer season marketing campaign. As an alternative of highlighting the machine individuals use to take photos, Apple makes use of the images themselves.
Picture Supply: Adverts of the World
In 2022, the model requested customers to share their finest macro images for that 12 months’s problem. The social marketing campaign celebrated three issues that made 2 cm macros attainable: new lens design, autofocus functionality within the Extremely Extensive format, and extra superior software program.
The marketing campaign demonstrated the standard of the most recent iPhone with out being overly promotional. It additionally used gamification by turning the request for photographs right into a problem and inspiring participation.
There are presently simply over 29 million Instagram posts with the #shotoniphone tag.
To use, customers are requested to tag the photograph on Instagram or submit on Twitter, Weibo, and even by way of electronic mail. In addition they have to have the unique shot (to show they took the picture) and easy-to-find contact particulars so Apple’s promoting company can get in contact.
The billboards solely spotlight photographs from the most recent iPhone, creating extra demand for gross sales.
What you are able to do: Have interaction audiences with a UGC-inspired competitors, problem, or recreation. Create a enjoyable hashtag across the content material so it’s straightforward for you and others to trace and monitor Need assistance realizing what key phrases to focus on? Use Semrush’s Key phrase Magic instrument to realize entry to an intensive database of over 24.6 billion key phrases for world analysis.
4. Spotify Wrapped
Spotify Wrapped is an annual wrap-up of customers’ most-listened-to music and podcasts. It’s personalised, in-app information constructed for sharing as an Instagram Story.
Picture Supply: Newsroom Spotify
Yearly, the classes and designs are totally different. However the construction stays the identical.
Most years, the interactive roundup consists of:
- Whole time spent listening
- Most-played artists, songs, and genres
- Favourite podcasts
- New artists and genres
Instagram Tales solely final 24 hours (until you save them as a Spotlight). X (previously Twitter) customers additionally prefer to share their Wrapped screenshots on the platform.
However this dialog isn’t restricted to the primary week of December when the brand new Wrapped drops. Customers speak in regards to the information tales all 12 months spherical utilizing key phrases “Wrapped” or “Spotify Wrapped” or the official hashtag #SpotifyWrapped.
Spotify designs these inner metrics to be tremendous shareable. With the push of a button, Instagram customers can share their highlights with out resizing or reformatting.
It’s additionally turn into an ongoing recreation for customers, who hearken to extra of the artists and playlists they love so they seem on subsequent 12 months’s Wrapped.
What you are able to do: Supply personalised, shareable content material that encourages extra use of your services or products. Attain out to influencers to take part in your content material creation. Use Semrush’s Influencer Analytics instrument to determine the right ambassador on your model and see what the competitors is doing.
5. Patagonia Mission-Led Content material
Patagonia doesn’t use its social media advertising and marketing technique to advertise its merchandise. As an alternative, it focuses on content material that drives consciousness of related social causes and environmental points.
For instance, right here is certainly one of its TikTok movies that includes a clip from a brief movie on the significance of recycling.
This Instagram put up is a shot from a current March to Finish Fossil Fuels protest. It endorses the trigger and features a hyperlink to a related petition in its bio.
This X put up is one other clip from a brief movie in regards to the impact of dams on greenhouse gasoline emissions.
Patagonia has been centered on UGC and standing up for its beliefs for a very long time. The model does focus on matters like its manufacturing course of on social media, nevertheless it doesn’t push gross sales. Or make merchandise the main target of any posts.
As an alternative, all messages and calls to motion (CTAs) are about defending the atmosphere and rethinking consumerism. The model isn’t afraid to talk out about points it believes to be essential.
For instance, this assertion defined why Patagonia boycotted Fb advertisements beginning in 2020:
It’s a daring technique that will not work for all manufacturers. Nevertheless it highlights the affect of prioritizing your mission over merchandise.
What you are able to do: Push the worth of your product (not the product itself). Advocate for world social causes or nonprofits that relate to your mission. Check out Semrush’s AI Writing Assistant instrument to generate numerous varieties of content material in 28 totally different languages although 75 AI-driven content material creation instruments.
6. Starbucks Seasonality
Starbucks adapts its social media channels and the kind of content material it posts to match that season’s menu choices. It enhances this seasonality by creating a way of group and belonging with different prospects.
For instance, almost each video on its TikTok feed includes a human. This mixture of TikTok customers, Starbucks workers, and celebrities visually represents its seasonal merchandise. And the user-generated content material feels extra actual and relatable.
Starbucks makes use of this human-led social media marketing campaign to drive extra engagement and gross sales. It’s constructed round two key psychological techniques:
- Social proof: Folks see others like them having fun with the model’s drinks, meals, and ambiance.
- Worry of lacking out (FOMO): Folks turn into conscious that they might miss out on limited-time seasonal choices in the event that they don’t hurry all the way down to their native Starbucks.
Throughout October, you’ll be able to anticipate most of those movies to reference “pumpkin spice”, “fall”, or “Halloween.”
The video beneath is an ideal instance. A buyer talks by way of every of the new fall menu objects with their very own private aptitude. It’s a put up constructed round Starbucks’ well-known pumpkin-flavored drinks and the big variety of people that take pleasure in them.
It’s a year-round technique that adapts to that season’s particular presents and offers. The corporate presents offers on refreshers in summer season and peppermint mochas in winter. These campaigns lean closely into emotions of well-being and nostalgia.
Starbucks additionally varies its day by day posts between Reels and nonetheless pictures. This combine retains its viewers happy with eye-catching visuals whereas additionally catering to the algorithm.
The deal with seasonality additionally consists of posts about cultural occasions. For instance, this Instagram put up celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month as a solution to encourage the sense of group and heat that Starbucks pushes as a part of its values.
What you are able to do: Create a way of urgency by highlighting limited-time presents for occasions, seasons, and holidays. Be sure you carry your model values by way of campaigns and all social interactions. Use Semrush’s Immediate Banner Generator instrument to automate banner creation for seasonal advertising and marketing campaigns. This instrument helps a number of codecs (Fb, Instagram, LinkedIn, X) and eliminates the necessity for design expertise.
7. Airbnb’s Storytelling
Airbnb makes use of a story really feel and format to create an emotional reference to its viewers. It segments its social media posts, utilizing storytelling to focus on the advantages of its service for each friends and hosts.
Not too long ago, it ran two digital advertising and marketing campaigns concurrently.
For one marketing campaign, Airbnb invited photographers to make use of the service as friends and take images throughout their stays.
Co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky launched the brand new social media promoting technique with a video on his X account:
Whereas Airbnb paid artists to take the journeys, what the viewers noticed had been seemingly candid moments of households and mates on trip.
Airbnb appealed to friends with a financial institution of high-quality, user-generated footage—and the story of a tremendous getaway.
The corporate compiled the photographs into social posts and video advertisements. This documentary-style content material from friends’ views feels extra pure. It offers new audiences a sneak peek of what their journeys may very well be like.
Airbnb additionally appeals to hosts by telling a narrative by way of pictures. It makes use of its Instagram content material to strategically showcase houses which can be out there on the platform. With over 5 million followers, this can be a good technique to offer properties extra publicity and entice new hosts to enroll.
The model not too long ago started experimenting with documentary-style modifying for residence photographs. The white border ties in with the photographers’ marketing campaign format and makes it appear like guests’ images. The idyllic pictures evoke the type of vibe friends can anticipate to take pleasure in when staying at a property, and supply inspiration for what hosts can provide their friends.
The technique of utilizing cut up captions is supposed to cater to each audiences.
For instance, “Shut sufficient to stroll to the touristy stuff, but far sufficient away to flee it” summarizes the expertise for friends.
Whereas the underside half, “Every residence on this class receives a 3D scan and detailed Accessibility Overview” outlines the advantages for potential hosts who could need to listing their residence in the identical class inside Airbnb.
What you are able to do: Present your viewers a preview of what their expertise together with your model will probably be like utilizing high-quality pictures and movies. Use Semrush’s Immediate Video Creator instrument to hurry up the artistic course of. Convert any weblog put up to video, shortly customise and edit your present video content material, and translate your movies into 20+ languages.
8. ASOS The Gown
ASOS capitalized on a social media put up that concerned a damaging point out of one of many firm’s merchandise. The model turned it right into a constructive story that generated tons of free PR.
Thea Lauryn Chippendale posted a screenshot of a impolite Tinder message the place a person insulted a gown she was carrying in certainly one of her profile images. The gown occurred to be from ASOS.
The put up went viral. As different customers complimented the gown, asking the place she purchased it, ASOS determined to leap on the prospect to defend not solely this lady however her selection of clothes.
The British retailer requested Thea to verify her direct messages (DMs).
The gown she wore within the picture was nonetheless on sale on the time. The model requested for her permission to use the user-generated content material on its product web page.
Due to Thea’s capacity to be susceptible on social media and ASOS’s social “listening”, the entire affair made fairly a splash on-line. Many information retailers picked up the story and Thea turned the official mannequin for the gown on ASOS’s web site.
What you are able to do: Pay shut consideration on social media for any mentions of your model or merchandise. You by no means know what is going to come of an off-the-cuff point out or evaluate. Use Semrush’s Subject Analysis instrument to determine the preferred subtopics and top-shared headlines round a specific subject. Use the Media Monitoring app by Brand24 to trace model mentions on TikTok, YouTube, Telegram, and Reddit.
An efficient social media marketing campaign begins with realizing your viewers. Begin your analysis with the Viewers Intelligence app, then transfer on to your opponents and analyze what they’re doing with Semrush’s Social Media Toolkit.
Get extra acquainted with your viewers and your area of interest. Strive Semrush without spending a dime in the present day!
