Advertising Age recently featured brands who follow best practices in their social media marketing. It’s interesting to see how companies continuously create new ways to use social media in unique ways, whether it’s combining Flickr photos and Google + like Ford Motor Co. did or a simple strong collection of photos on Tumblr, like The Standard does. Here are a few examples to get your creative wheels turning.
Ford stays focused on individual car owners, and never waivers in its brand messaging. This page gives Ford owners a chance to show their Ford pride by posting images to a Flickr group (“Me and My Ford”), which Ford links to from Google+ (Ford has more than 1.6 million followers on Google +). The page also shows subscribers’ concept cars and other Ford technologies, which helps people learn more about the company story.
Pinners love to see how they can work ideas into their own lives and West Elm doesn’t disappoint. They post beautiful photography that showcases West Elm products by theme such as stripes or color-block, as well as ways to use odd spaces under the stairs or in the attic. The best part about West Elm is that they pin more than just their own products.
Standard Hotels are all about image — and that’s exactly what it showcases by sharing big, pretty photos on Tumble. People are happy to repost, spreading the Standard brand story. They’re promoting more than hotels, they’re setting an example of a lifestyle.
YouTube: Orabrush Tongue Cleaner
Orabrush chose humor and well-known people to turn bad breath and dirty tongues into video gold. “Cure Bad Breath” became a popular destination on YouTube and they also integrated the videos into their website. An innovate way to draw attention to an otherwise “undesired” topic of conversation.
There are endless ways to showcase your brand through social media. All it takes is your imagination, and serious savvy.