National Day of What Now?

View fullsize

13th October is considered No Bra day. Gentlemen, I can almost see those smiles you are all wearing. The craze or trend of social media users picking a date randomly, and linking it to a campaign in an effort to garner some attention towards the subject; is one awesome social innovation. #NoBraDay trended for a good 4 hours on Twitter and brought about a variety of interactions from different individuals - the everyday nudist, rife feminist, creepy and weird airhead; to simple everyday folk. That’s a lot of Big Data to be analysed. This data is crucial to unpack because it reveals new and different perspectives of the same target market the brands have come to know. Understanding this view or different side to them may direct the way brands package their offerings; this to form consumer satisfaction.

It is often said that “Knowing is winning half the battle” and “application” is the other half. Fitness fanatics and cancer associated organizations usually gain more engagement (conversation & discussion) on this day than usual because of this initiative. Note: October is Breast Cancer Month – coincidence? I think not.

The point here is: there is a huge opportunity to be explored by brands that undertake a particular matter as a point of interest. Insurance companies, apparel brands, lingerie and underwear brands; they too have something to offer in some way or another and in turn perhaps attain sales or further trust from their consumers through this ingenuity.

Should a brand such as a publishing/editorial company run their campaigns around such dates and not the conventional or everyday celebratory dates like 23 April, Talk Like Shakespeare Day, no wait, I meant 23 April, National Book Day, then maybe more engagement can be the case. The truth is; what is unusual or different drives engagement.

Benefits to implementing this idea:

• There are 365 days in a year to choose from and each can be altered to suit the brand’s goals, needs and targets.
• This kind of initiative provides “free” brand awareness.

Analysts like ourselves - Digital Republic Consulting (cough cough) - help by fine combing through the Big Data your social media platforms provide and in turn offer credible and actionable intelligence from it using our award-winning social intelligence tool partner, Tracx - a robust social media research and management platform. Honestly, going through 3 000 posts on Facebook is not something you would enjoy doing - we do because we find the social media world and industry fascinating and full of opportunity. Here is why:

“An unappreciated spouse when quite like a mouse; makes for no happy house.”

Brands, gear up and gather those sales and marketing brains together. There are a lot of housewives and househusbands needing some pampering and acknowledgement out there. 3rd November marks Housewives Day.

The sudden realization of being negligent and unaware of topics, which to a large degree are unpopular but surprisingly important, evokes emotion. It is this emotion that drives the engagement brought about by these special days on social media - this can easily lead to action. By brands incorporating these weird, wacky, sometimes fun and worthy causes into their campaigns they get to be involved in something greater than profit - love for the brand. This brings about loyalty - a valuable entity to any business. 

Written by Theriso Motaung 

Social Media Audits

Social media is buzzing with excitement. Consumers take to social media platforms to make their small mark on a brand by exclaiming what they like, dislike and would like to see. Brands are provided with valuable customer feedback by simply talking to the right people in the right places.

Having a well-constructed social media strategy is just as imperative as performing a thorough social media audit.  According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, consumers tend to trust social media messages more than advertising or news articles about the brand, hence, it is the responsibility of the brand to know which messages are having their intended effect. Search engine optimization (SEO) can only be established by knowing what works for you. In order to create useful social media strategies, brands need to know first and foremost how to reach current and potential consumers organically.

What is a social media audit? 

·         An examination of social data in order to assist marketers in knowing what consumers are saying about a brand and their competitors

What is the main objective of a social media audit?

·         To analyse what type of content is gaining the most traction for a brand and on which platforms

Why is it necessary to investigate social media platforms?

·         A platform analysis is performed in order to determine where pertinent audiences (target markets) are interacting with content  

What does my company gain from a social media audit?

·         You will gain key performance indicators that not only display your social media performance but provide real-life insights that can be adopted in your business marketing strategy

My company is an SME, is this still relevant to us?

·         Yes – regardless of whether your business is in its infancy or well-established, this audit is necessary to make decisions that optimise consumer-brand experiences

How can Digital Republic help?

·         We can provide a social media audit that both analyses your personal data, using a highly intelligent programme called Tracx, and provide key social media insights that are customised to your business objectives

What information does Tracx provide?

·         Tracx provides comprehensive social media data which includes some of the following key aspects:

-   Audience demographics

-   Influencers

-   Sentiment

-   Reach

-   Share of the voice

-   Competitor analysis

Are you attracting more males or females? How old is the average person engaging with your content? Where are your audience members predominantly based? All these types of questions are answered through a thorough and accurate analysis of your social media channels. Social media audits provide you with the little hidden gems of online data that can help make your business’s future even brighter.  

For more information about Tracx, go to: https://www.tracx.com/

Reference: https://hbr.org/2015/11/conducting-a-social-media-audit

Written by Claire King – Content Specialist

Brands vs. Consumers... The social war.

Let’s face it; consumers are evolving faster than brands. Much like natural selection there will always be those people who struggle to adapt to the rapid changes, but for the most part, consumers are complaining “better” and the truth of the matter is that consumers have evolved, but brands have remained, generic. Sure, a personal touch takes a bit more effort, but with rife competition in most industries, brands should start to evolve their customer service and not just their service and product offerings.

Does it often feel as though brands are fighting this fight by launching a new website or app or some fancy service that is relevant to a niche? Instead of “improving” they are fighting their battles with “more.” Brands are, inevitably, spreading themselves very thin.

It is not simply about customer service and keeping up to date with the latest trends in digital with an ever expanding digital strategy that one cannot manage, but rather about really understanding what works and what does not work. Having multiple platforms also confuses people, especially with varying response rates from each platform. Can you say inconsistent?

Digital Republic is conducting social intelligence studies across industries in South Africa to determine the “culture” of customers so that brands can better understand their consumers, their frustrations and with that learning we strive to assist brands in incorporating what really matters into their culture and not only their strategies. Consumers know when they are being lied to and brands do not always realise that staff represent their culture in a very influential way. You do not only want customer loyalty, but you want to be sure that your staff are excited to be part of your brand.

With Tracx, any brand can have access to this insightful and robust data. Through Digital Republic you can have access to people with the knowledge and experience to translate the data into actionable next steps.