Here’s How Brands Are Redefining Social Media Marketing

Contrary to popular office etiquettes, messaging during your office could actually benefit your company.

Today’s prime consumers, have shifted dramatically from their boring communication modules, to something more instantaneous, such as mobile messaging apps. This is the era of screen revolution, where everything happens at a click of a button: Whatsapp, WeChat, Kik Messenger, Viber and Snapchat. No longer does social media apps dominate the playing field.

Audiences nowadays, don’t even read their emails as often as they check their chats. In fact, it is noticed that these people spend most of their time on these very platforms that are being ignored by most marketing experts.

Research also shows that mobile messenger app users are more loyal than other audiences as they appear to be “online” most of the time.

Statistic state 91 percent of Chinese Internet users use instant messaging apps more than search (82 percent). With WeChat apps, users can now do everything from making mobile payments to hailing a cabs to sending messages and placing voice or video calls.

And WeChat is not the only app that has integrated “ask and you shall receive” services.

Last Year, Dominos allowed users to order pizzas by simply tweeting and messaging a pizza emoji icon. You could also hail a Uber in the US by via Facebook Messenger’s Transportation service.  This innovative integration covers all of Uber’s features up in Messenger – such as payment, maps, and alerts – when the driver is nearby. Uber’s Chris Messina, says it’s part of a move towards ‘conversational commerce’.

Brands are slowly creeping into this space of actually conversing with their audience through these chat apps. No longer would marketing be limited to a TV commercial, a print ad, billboard or even social media. Brands are becoming up and personal with their consumers making it more convenient for them, and are being gratified tremendously for doing so.

Burberry has crafted a fresh Snapchat strategy offering fans an exclusive tours of the fashion house, and it’s these behind-the-scene glimpses that have manged to garner a great audience. The brand has launched its 2016 Spring collection by giving consumers a sneak-peak of the campaign photoshoot with Mario Testino live and in real time.

Dominos also launched on snapchat with a short film – Dough to Door, which gave viewers access to a unique code.
Everlane has made snapchat its hub of conversation by divulging in user-generated-content to create Snapchat Stories and also give its users a glimpse of behind-the-scene. It also created a secret shop giving consumers limited edition items that are available at certain times, through a fun treasure-hunt incorporation.

On Valentine’s Day, Toyota incorporated Whatsapp by asking users to flirt with the brand by sending messages. The insight being that people converse (read as flirt) through private messaging apps. The campaign was a big hit, with people sending flirtacious one-liners, pictures and videos, 1100 flirts in total during the first 5 days.

Unlike Whatsapp, other apps like Tango has also opened its doors to sponsored content on its newsfeed.