Social media marketing has power when it comes to engaging your target audience and building buzz around your brand. But where should you begin with your marketing efforts?
Here at Plann, we’re strong believers that if you’re feeling short of ideas, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes, all you need is a little inspiration from those who have come before you. By learning from the brands that do it well, you can find fresh ways to craft your own impactful social media marketing campaigns.
Keen to boost your social media strategy? Check out some of the best marketing campaigns on the web!
Why should you analyze successful social media campaigns?
Learning from other social media users can help you recognize the fundamentals of a successful campaign. By mapping out effective social media campaigns, you can generate new content ideas and understand what makes good advertising stand out.
The more you learn from other brands, the more you do for your own. Remember, social media is a community. Studying the greats can help you make your social media marketing strategy part of the bigger picture going forward.
Can these campaign ideas be adapted for small businesses?
The good news is that all kinds of social media marketing ideas can be adapted to suit your unique business, regardless of its size or niche. You can run high-impact social media ads that target a mass-market audience or that speak directly to a small, tailored community.
Don’t be put off by the size of a brand’s following when seeking out inspiration for your next social media campaign.
What’s most important is that you know your brand and its audience. When you have a clear understanding of who you’re speaking to, you can transform any campaign idea into something special that helps you achieve your goals.
How do you measure the success of your own social media campaigns?
In the world of social media marketing, it’s critical to keep a close eye on performance, mapping what works best for your brand. Measuring success can help you strategize effectively for future campaigns and marketing activities.
The best way to monitor your campaigns is using metrics and analytics data, available across many different social media platforms. Here, you can assess reach, impressions, engagement, and more, analyzing what kinds of social media posts get your audience buzzing.
Hot tip: Within your Plann workspace, you can access in-depth analytics that breaks down the performance of your content across every single platform. Not only can you track your follower growth, reach, and impressions but you can see powerful engagement metrics to measure the success of your campaigns, too.
Successful Social Media Campaign Examples
It’s time to learn from some of the best in the business! Check out these social media campaign examples from the brands you know and love.
1. Barbie Movie, Multiple Platforms
The 2023 release of the Barbie movie was a cultural phenomenon, and part of that success can be attributed to incredible social media marketing. This multi-platform campaign was full of opportunities for engagement and conversation, generating major interest just ahead of the blockbuster’s cinema debut.
So how did it work? The Barbie movie celebrated clear branding by turning socials an iconic shade of pink, and it gave users a chance to do the same. The film partnered with major brands and celebrities, in addition to utilising participatory gimmicks, like fun Instagram and TikTok filters and AI image generators!
Barbie’s AI selfie generator gave audiences an easy way to engage
The results? The Barbie movie achieved mass engagement and unbeatable brand awareness. When the film hit screens, it grossed a whopping $1.45 billion worldwide.
Key Takeaway: Stay true to your brand! Harness the power of clear branding elements that make you instantly recognizable while giving people an opportunity to get involved with interactive content elements, such as filters or ‘Share Yours’ Stories slides.
2. #DetoxYourFeed, Instagram & TikTok
Dove’s #DetoxYourFeed campaign has been running successfully since 2004, and for good reason. This initiative works across major social media channels to engage users in a rethink of self-esteem in the social media age.
As part of this annual campaign, Dove’s target audience is encouraged to share their true selves, without filters or editing, and to unfollow accounts that make them feel negatively. This supports the brand’s true-beauty focus, as well as creating a positive impact for consumers.
Dove’s #DetoxYourFeed providers actionable steps
To date, the #DetoxYourFeed program has empowered an incredible 94,500,000 young people to re-evaluate their social media activities, and that number continues to rise with every year’s fresh spin on the social media campaign.
Key Takeaway: Be committed to your values, and choose social media marketing strategies that align closely with your mission statement and overarching goals.
3. Spotify Wrapped, Multiple Platforms
Every year, Spotify Wrapped gives listeners an opportunity to look back on a year of music — and to share their stats with their friends across Instagram, TikTok, and more. This campaign truly centers conversation!
Actively raising brand awareness, Spotify Wrapped provides ready-to-post social media content that turns regular users into devoted brand advocates. Listeners from around the world contribute to the campaign’s success by sharing their top songs and artists all across the web.
Spotify Wrapped Shares Music Insights
Spotify Wrapped has fast become an end-of-year tradition, with even major celebrities getting involved. Beyond the campaign itself, many users take to social media to create spin-off memes and alternative content. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!
Key Takeaway: Give your audience something worth sharing, and let them raise awareness for your brand. Plus, consider running a monthly or annual event with high social sharability to build anticipation!
4. Invisalign Smile Quiz, TikTok
Invisalign’s Smile Quiz campaign was high-impact, giving users an opportunity to seriously consider the brand’s products and treatment options, all with help from a short and sweet interactive quiz on TikTok.
By giving users a way to participate, the Smile Quiz encouraged users to explore more product offerings, and it included in-built lead capture tools that made it easy to optimize conversions. Users gained critical information, while the brand built valuable relationships.
Invisalign ‘s Smile Quiz Focuses on Engagement
With its innovative Smile Quiz, Invisalign achieved huge goals! The brand saw a 28% increase in form submissions compared to website results, alongside a 113% increase in page load rate. This made for a major increase in online traffic and engaged consumer inquiries.
Key Takeaway: Harness the power of interactive tools to not only engage users but also support effective lead generation.
5. Netflix #WhatsYourPower, TikTok
The Netflix #WhatsYourPower campaign made the most of platform filters to generate huge volumes of user-generated content, all in the name of the Project Power movie release. Simply by using the filter, users got to be part of something bigger, and they could engage directly with Netflix itself.
Simply by creating a fun and easy-to-use TikTok filter and a branded hashtag, Netflix invited audience members to drive this campaign’s success. Users were able to uncover their own superpowers and celebrate the key focus of the upcoming film.
The Netflix #WhatsYourPower Filter in Action
The #WhatsYourPower campaign succeeded in becoming one of the best social media campaigns ever on TikTok, with 112,000 people using the filter to produce their own original content. People around the world became a part of the campaign and the movie’s eventual launch.
Key Takeaway: Use participation tools and interactive features to get people talking, and encourage users to make their own content for your campaign.
6. Crumbl Cookies Changing Menu, TikTok
The ever-popular Crumbl Cookie empire strikes again! The rotating menu campaign keeps users on the lookout for new desserts and recent changes, encouraging consumers to buy now for fear of missing out on something delish.
Using TikTok to reach a highly engaged and passionate audience, Crumbl harnesses the power of community to spread the word and get people talking about its latest menu offerings. By changing things regularly, the brand makes sure its audience never has a chance to get bored!
Changing Weekly Menus at Crumbl Cookies
Today, Crumbl’s TikTok account boasts an amazing 9.5 million followers, with users around the world consistently engaging with both brand-made and user-generated content pieces. By keeping things fresh, the brand ensures neither its cookies or its campaigns get stale.
Key Takeaway: Scarcity bias can make a big impact! Use limited campaigns to encourage conversions before products or offers run out. No more FOMO!
7. #AmexLife, Instagram
The American Express #AmexLife Instagram campaign combined social media marketing efforts with a community growth approach. The project encouraged users to share Insta snaps of their Amex cards in unique destinations around the world.
By engaging the community, American Express benefitted from high-value content from trusted influencers, in addition to highlighting the value and use rates of its Amex cards. The brand was able to build new relationships and promote audience creativity all at once.
#AmexLife pictured around the world
Working with key influencers, American Express achieved a huge surge in Instagram impressions and improved its brand credibility on the basis of its relationships. That’s not to mention that the business was able to show off the dreams its cards make possible!
Key Takeaway: Use known hooks, like beauty and travel, to engage your audience, and don’t be afraid to work with respected online influencers.
Common Elements of Successful Social Media Campaigns
What are the core elements of a winning social media campaign?
Social media advertising is highly variable, and every campaign is unique. That’s what makes this industry so interesting! But there are a few staples most successful campaigns should always aim to include.
A strong social media campaign should align closely with brand values, using a consistent brand voice and actively engaging your audience and providing a clear call to action, ideally across a variety of media formats and social media platforms.
At its heart, effective social media marketing is all about starting a conversation and giving people a reason to get involved, so that should be the basis of your social media marketing approach.
Tips for Applying These Campaign Strategies
Keep our top tips in mind when creating your own social media campaign!
- Set clear, measurable goals for what you want your campaign to achieve.
- Seek fresh ways to engage your followers and encourage participation as much as possible.
- Consider your budget and team, and set up campaigns accordingly.
- Monitor campaign performance, and be open to adapting your strategy over time.
- Listen to your audience, and learn what your followers want from your business.
- Automate where possible, using tools like Plann to simplify the posting process.
Get Started With Plann
Looking for an easier way to manage your next social media campaign from end to end? You’ve found it!
Download Plann, and discover a range of user-friendly tools for strategizing, scheduling, and tracking social media success. Explore content strategy features that help you plan effective campaigns, and keep an eye on analytics insights to see what works for your biz.
Ready to make a start? Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial of Plann today.
