Social allows companies to directly reach consumers in a more efficient and targeted manner. There are two main social media marketing methods. The first is paid social, which consists of putting pay behind content to reach specific audiences/ achieve an objective. It can take many forms including pay-per-click advertising, display ads, branded content, and influencer collaborations.
A big advantage to paid social is that you can target consumers based on a variety of factors. Many of the common filters include demographics, location, education level, career type, relationship status, life events, interests, and behaviors. While some of these are available through traditional advertising, they are much more effective on social due to data collection. Social microtargeting helps with the ROI (return on investment) because it ensures that your advertisements are reaching an interested audience.
Paid social allows you to grow your consumer base by spreading brand awareness. Showing up on people’s feed in a semi-native method ensures that more users are exposed to your content. This is integral because growing your following will allow you to reach a larger audience more cheaply in the future.
For paid social to be effective, it must be strategic. A company must understand its target market and plan accordingly. What social network does your target market use? What content engages them? What time are they active? Without a strategy, paid social loses its benefits because it won’t yield conversions.
It is also integral that a company’s social networks do not exclusively revolve around advertisements. An advantage of social marketing is that it creates a relationship between the consumer and the brand. The platforms allow for conversation between the two parties. Users won’t follow a company if they are just talking at them. Organic media helps to increase engagement and add low-lift content. It is important to keep a balance between the two types.
THE CW’s SOCIALS
This semester, I am creating a social pitch for the CW Network. Using moat.com and Facebook ads library, I wanted to gain a sense of any social campaigns the CW has recently run. Although the network has a mix of static, video, and banner ads, they are not part of a cohesive campaign. Instead, they are advertising upcoming shows/ episodes. Furthermore, the ads are just trailers and show posters rather than engaging pieces.
This demonstrates that paid advertising is something the CW would want to improve upon. Although driving consumers to watch the show is integral, the simple format doesn’t help break through all the social noise. If they added more cohesive and exciting campaigns in addition to those advertisements, I believe they would find more success.
SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNS
To gain a sense of strong campaigns, I decided to look into the CW’s competition. The entertainment brand with the strongest paid social campaigns was Hulu.
“Future Leaders”
On August 8th, Hulu released a string of ads for the back-to-school season. They used the copy “future leaders, your coach is calling.” These ads were emphasizing the Hulu student deal that allows for cheap access to streaming. This campaign mainly ran on Instagram through in-feed and story ads.
This campaign has a mix of static and video content. They created multiple variations to attract audiences regardless of their taste in television. Three of the video ads were specifically highlighting a popular piece of content to entice viewers; these titles include Only Murder in the Building, The Kardashians, and One Tree Hill. The other video ads were an engaging montage of content across their streaming portfolio. The static ads act in the same way, with some highlighting one show and others showcasing a collage.
One of the elements that make this campaign so effective is the timing of the launch. They are targeting college students in particular and many students go back to school between August and September. They are offering a deal that matches the time frame. Therefore they are inspiring a timely call to action to a very targeted demographic.
Additionally, the large variety of content types ensures that all types of genre interests are reached. Using popular show clips helps endear fans to the service. While showing off the large variety of content can bring in new viewers. For the static content, they are using bright green colors and popular shows to catch users’ attention.
Hulu Motel
Another campaign that Hulu launched this summer was the Hulu Motel, #CheckIntoYourObsessions, campaign. This targeted “superfans’ ‘ of Hulu content, by encouraging streaming and being “obsessed” with the shows Hulu releases. It shows workers at a motel being distracted by Hulu content. It’s a unique concept that I haven’t seen done by any other entertainment networks. It uses over-the-top scenarios along with popular titles to gain audience attention. This campaign was run on Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and Twitter.
I was interning in LA this past summer, and an ad for the Hulu Motel popped up on Instagram Stories. This ad stood out to me because, in addition to having a digital element, the campaign integrated experiential marketing techniques. On the weekend of June 23rd, the network opened a Hulu Motel pop-up. They transformed rooms in the Sportsmen’s Lodge Hotel into immersive experiences based on their popular shows. Fans could sign-up and visit the experience for free. The integration of multiple marketing techniques helps make the campaign successful.
Paid social advertising is a strong tool. It allows brands to target specific audiences effectively. It requires a strong strategy and creative thinking. I plan to use some of the strong ideas demonstrated by Hulu during my CW campaign.
Sources
Coleman, Basha. “Paid Social Media: Worth the Investment?” HubSpot Blog, HubSpot, 6 Apr. 2021, https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/paid-social-media.
Kerpen, Dave. Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create and Irresistible Brand, and Be Amazing on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and More. McGraw-Hill, 2019.