It’s old news that brands are jumping on the Facebook band wagon. The problem is that some brands are jumping on without having a long-term strategy in place- and sometimes aren’t even considering if Facebook is something that they can really leverage.
I know we’re all looking to the future and trying to spy what brand is doing what next, but I think in this case, we can learn by studying what strategies have been executed successfully and what the main focus was in them.
General Goals of Facebook Fan Pages & Applications:
- To gain new fans
- To retain old fans
- Understand demographic of fans through insights
- Build community for fans to engage with the brand
- Include content that links to main brand site to track referrals
- Offer unique content (videos/images/posts) to engage with fans
- Offer deals/discounts/specials where applicable
- Give the brand a voice
But most of all: the brand needs to bring uniqueness with their page. Whether that be something in the design, user interface, or message.
This is something that is all achieved by the brands below- they’ve put in a strong effort into certain strategies to gain and maintain fans and followers.
Innovation. Community. Philanthropy.
There’s nothing shocking here, so if you’re looking for top secret brand strategy coming out in 2011, you’re in the wrong post : ) Sometimes the best studies come from those brands that have stood the test of time.
Innovation
Under Armour
# of Fans: 517,618
Why they’re innovative-
They’ve utilized Facebook to allow engagement of their fans by actually integrating them into an Under Armour video.
When you get past permissions and open the app, it lets you star in a commercial with Brandon Jennings, they pull in all sorts of custom goodness from your Facebook profile. As you can see above, one of the screens pulled my last name in from my profile, into the video.
At the end of the video, they pulled my name in with their “I will. Protect this house” slogan. Then, with a dramatic end, it pulls in your profile pictures.
Teams
After the video, you’ll see a little link at the bottom asking you if you want to let others join your “team.”
They also have a section on their page (link to this is under the video when it ends) where you can upload your own local team- they’re assisting with team management through here to keep themselves in touch with their true demographic.
They also encourage fans and athletes to share their stories of how they “protect their house”… allowing fans to inspire other fans who may be just starting the path towards being dedicated to a sport.
What they did right:
Under Armour was founded in the University of Maryland and has steadily grown through the years into what it is now.
· By offering a customized and subtle video on their Facebook page, they’re adding that personalized element that gives them that “small brand” feel with a “big brand” reach.
· By reaching out and making themselves accessible to smaller teams through Facebook, they’re bridging the gap that often forms between a business and their consumers.
· Allowing other athletes to secure their “protect this house” message by sharing inspiring stories of their own- humanizing the brand.
Community
RedBull
# of Fans: 14,985,383
How they’ve harnessed community:
It’s no secret that those in the extreme sports community are tight knit and passionate. Red Bull has positioned themselves as a huge supporter and sponsor within this community.
Naturally, it only makes sense to extend that community and make their Facebook page a center for them to consume awesome, relevant content and keep tabs on others in the industry.
Red Bull Athletes on Twitter
Red Bull has a tab dedicated to all Red Bull athletes and their Twitter accounts- so you can get a constant stream of what’s going on with them- segregated by sport. Red Bull has essentially made this a go-to place for anybody following extreme sports athletes. There’s also a nice call-to-action to follow Red Bull on Twitter.
Red Bull Web TV
Red Bull has also dedicated a tab to extreme sports entertainment- so that athletes and fans can enjoy constant streaming from within Facebook. They don’t even have to leave the page (even though they can also access it from both phones and the Red Bull site).
Red Bull Procrastination Station
Red Bull has put together these fun games to encourage users to participate and challenge friends- therefore bringing their friend’s attention to the Red Bull page.
What they did right?
• Leveraging an existing community and creating a Facebook page that acts like a hub for the extreme sports community.
• Basing games around events that Red Bull holds (Flugtag… which I WILL make it to one day) that you can invite your friends to participate in- extending their brand to your friends.
• Making games of interest to the particular demographic that would be frequenting the Red Bull page.
• Streaming extreme athlete’s Twitter accounts, that users in this demographic probably follow anyway, so fans can view them all in one place.
Philanthropy
Pepsi Refresh
# of Fans: 3,188,882
Originally started in 2007 by the app “Causes”, Facebook has been used as a gateway for brands to practice philanthropy and raise funds. A few months ago, a video uploaded into Causes of dolphin killing gained 10,000 viewers in three days- causing users to contact Japanese embassies in outrage of what they saw. Philanthropy is powerful. We recognize this.
You may remember Causes on Facebook (I personally used it in 2008 when I was working on a campaign for New Hope for Kids to raise money) and it’s been a longstanding strategy to harness the power of national users- and what better place to reach millions of people who could potentially help make a difference besides Facebook?
Pepsi’s Refresh is another example of how Facebook has been used to harness fans to improve society.
Asking fans a simple question:
Users that access this voting application and search for topics that they’re interested in.
Pepsi has turned the tables around by asking, “What Do You Care About?” … opening the doors for conversation and making the user feel as if they’re being encouraged to browse and participate- allowing them to vote on what project wins funding money from Pepsi.
Enabling sharing:
Sharing. The true cog in the social-philanthropy wheel.
They finish up the application with the option to share through your status message- mobilizing the cause one step further, and extending their brand to your friends.
What they did right:
* · Extending their philanthropic efforts off their main Refresh website and into Facebook
* · Asking their fans a question and allowing them to respond
* · Mobilizing their cause by giving fans the ability to share what they care about with their friends
If you’re looking to bring your brand onto Facebook, make sure you plan and execute a strong strategy that makes an impact. Build your community, understand what they need, and use whatever channel fits best to maintain them.
If you’re interested in stalking… ummm following us for more fun brand analysis or strategy, follow us on Twitter, Fan us on Facebook, or check out my Twitter since we all know I’m a Facebook fanatic…
Thanks for the brain food, Selena. All the gears are now turning in my head!
Taking a look at what works is a great way to spark creativity and develop something fantastic for the next brand to jump into the facebook/social media game.
Of course, Michelle! I’m glad my post has given you some insight into what some brands have successfully done. Everyone tries to find the next best thing, but sometimes you need to incorporate a little bit of something that you know works.
Selena,
Good stuff on your articles. I’m so tired of reading about Facebook, but your articles are bearable.
Keep it up, I’ll recommend to some others in the biz.
I know! I’m sick of Facebook articles too, but I feel like there’s still some aspects of what brands are doing that are notable and can be considered in future campaigns.
I’m glad you enjoyed
While it’s important to have a social media presence these days, you will only get out of it what you put into it. A Facebook page without any content or updates is pretty useless. Thanks for sharing these examples of creative ways to use the medium.
Definitely. There are lots of brands out there who put up a Facebook page and expect instant return. Your exposure and bottom line (if applicable) can really only gain traction over time- a Facebook page is a long-term strategy and not a short term thing that can be forgotten about.
Thanks for the comment!