A strong social media strategy connects a brand with their consumers, and a key way to do this is through creating inspirational content. Your brand has built a great following over time, but how do you remain relevant and engage your top social media influencers, while also connecting with new potential consumers? The answer seems simple (Produce content that customers will love and relate to!), but the execution isn’t always easy or simple.
Example of Salomon Running Inspirational Content
It can be hard to stand out on a social media timeline that is refreshed and reorganized in real-time. Your followers will only engage with content that they feel personally connected to or inspired by, and so you want your brand personality to shine through every single post, picture shared, and status update — from the national level all the way down to your local retailer marketing. We all agree that product announcements and company updates are important, but the integration of beautiful content is what makes your brand relatable and your customers say “I need to have that now!”
It’s also proven that inspirational content receive higher engagement on social media. Did you know that having at least one image in your post leads to more Facebook engagement on average, and twice as many people share posts with at least one image in the post?Imagine what your social reach will look like when you factor in not only your corporate brand pages, but every single retailer that carries your products! This is why it’s so important to provide local retailers with your marketing materials and campaign plans.
The best place to start is by sharing inspirational content posts that feature real people using or engaging in activities related to your products and brand. This not only makes your brand authentic, it also celebrates the message, values, and vision behind your brand. General Electric does a great job of this by sharing recipes and other ways to use their appliances, without needing to sell their products straight out.
Example of GE Appliances Inspirational Content
Example of GE Appliances Inspirational Content Shared by a Local Retailer
A key part of connecting with your fans is tapping into their personal interests. For example, create content that shows people embracing the outdoors — or pursuing whatever their passion may be — and that also makes clear your products are the ones that empower them to do that. This sort of content strategy will help you connect with audiences even long after they purchase.
Example of Olukai Inspirational Content
New Balance does a great job of this through their campaign #MyFutureSelf, which incorporates world-class athletes like Boris Berian. This approach is incredibly impactful because consumers can relate to someone who faced big obstacles, but never backed down in pursuing their dreams.
Example of New Balance #MyFutureSelf Inspirational Content Campaign
Example of New Balance #MyFutureSelf Inspirational Content Campaign Shared by a Local Retailer
While brands have a strong national reach, retailers have a direct connection to their local communities, who will come in-store for product purchases. By making lifestyle marketing content and social posts more accessible to your retailers, you are increasing their exposure while also positioning them as thought leaders in their local communities.
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Brands can provide inspirational content easily to their retailers through Promoboxx. It’s pretty simple actually! Brands easily invite local, independent retailers to participate in both organic and paid digital marketing campaigns using brand-approved content. Retailers can adapt the content to their local market and promote it to their unique audiences across social, email, mobile and web channels — all with just a few clicks.
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