Marketing via social media is omnipresent these days.  You are being marketed to left and right, and many times you do not even know it! The bad marketing practically shouts the message at you while the great marketing is subversive magic. We want to focus on the “great” within this post, and highlight some top-line tactics we have seen success with when marketing via various social media channels.

So let’s get down to it then. We work on a pretty wide array of accounts at Rocket XL, everything from Mexican soda and hot sauce to video games and consumer packaged goods (which I’ll refer to as CPG from here on out for all intents and purposes).  And I know you are thinking, ”How do those clever people try and influence me to buy the product they’re touting, simply through using social media as a vehicle?”

Naturally, there are an array of differences that we consider when creating a campaign. There are some tactics that work nearly universally across demographics, but when you are marketing to different demographics, say men and women, you will find there are some pretty inherent differences in strategy that come into play. Those differences, no matter how minute, are what makes strategy – your guiding light - so important.

Let’s home in on this a little and focus on two of our clients: Dove – a line we all know and love – and the Green Lantern video game franchise. When developing a strategy with either client in mind, we know there are certain tactics that appeal across the board, but how do we tailor those to fit each campaign? Below are a few tips we have on how we have been able to tailor some general tactics to fit each particular campaign:

1. Know your audience

Whether you take a grass-roots approach or opt to use sophisticated software, it is important to remember that research is your friend.  Take a look a the brand you’re working with and its competitors; what are they doing? Who are they reaching out to? And most importantly take a step back and analyze.  Are the tactics they are using influencing opinion, increasing word of mouth buzz, and most importantly, leading to a sale?  When working on Green Lantern, we researched to see what tactics best grab the attention of our influencers. We found that most men’s blogs are open to reviewing something like a video game, so offering them that product to review is of great value; not only do they understand it has a higher cost than many other products, but the fact that he can play the game and compare it other games he’s reviewed lends itself to easy coverage. Inversely, if we were to offer a men’s site a grooming product to review, it would not pique their interest. Several factors play into that: the perceived value is a lot lower, said blogger likely has a go-to product and because most people seek immediate gratification, we tend to see that male bloggers do not want to do actual product reviews of say a deodorant because they feel it may take time to feel a difference.

2. Determine what resonates with said audience

Knowing your audience, its nuances, and what will resonate is the basis of where you ground your campaign. Creating tonality and a “voice” for the campaign is how you make it relatable to the masses. For example, when speaking with female bloggers about a CPG, through multiple waves of outreach and trial and error, we know when working with bloggers on Dove for example, the technical details pertaining to how the product “improves your skin” and other product benefits  tend to resonate more and encourage bloggers to engage. When outreaching men, we have to evaluate what will interest them in the product. Most men do not give a hoot about what body wash they’re using, right? To counter that and still get the male opinion, we go out to female bloggers and have them give product to a man in their lives for a first-hand review. This allows us to get the message out in a way that’s authentic, and targeted to the woman who makes general household purchases.

3. Leverage assets that are compelling and unique

When working on Green Lantern, one of the major goals was to generate pre-launch buzz.  With that being said, many of the bloggers we worked with became interested in obtaining exclusive screen shots. Through ongoing dialogue, we were able to recognize this and work with the client to get the asset which lead to a more well-rounded, positive review. At the end of the day, bloggers know you want a good review and attention to their wants leads to better coverage.

4. Incentivize appropriately

Incentives:  that’s what the bloggers and brands’ communities are in it for.  As mentioned, everyone loves a great product to review, but only if they feel it accurately reflects their site and the time and work they put into a post. For Dove, we work with several bloggers who we have been able to foster strong relationships with over the past few years. To let them know their value to us, we try to work with them to figure out compelling ways in which we can reward them and their community. Of course the product is at the root of this, but if we can create a package that ties back to the product then we can reward both the blogger and a few of his/her readers for a real win. This allows us to create a larger sphere of interest around the product and potentially extend the longevity of a posts reach.

That sums up some of the initial differences in approach we’ve taken, stay tuned to [insert blog name] for more!