Developing a social media marketing campaign can be a daunting task for any business. However, the key to developing any successful social media campaign begins with identifying the purpose of the campaign, and the relevance of the campaign to your business. Many small businesses are eager to dive into social media campaigns with little knowledge of social media platforms, let alone the marketing wherewithal to implement a multifaceted digital marketing campaign. Before posting content, ads, and promotional material ask yourself the following: what am I marketing, where am I marketing, how am I marketing, and to whom am I marketing? These questions represent the four basic tenants of marketing, also known as the ‘four P’s’. The P’s are Product, Price, Promotion, & Place, and they provide the blueprint for every subsequent campaign.
Let’s take a look at how the Four P’s affect Bob’s Burgers, a popular hamburger restaurant.
Bob has decided to launch a social media campaign to increase sales and brand awareness for his business, but is unsure of where to start. Bob knows he has a great product and a dedicated customer base, but needs to add customers to compete with Mr. Krab’s Burger Palace, which opened next door. What should Bob do?
First, Bob does an analysis of his current customer base. Bob knows that on any given day, he serves the most customers between 12-3pm (Bob’s Lunch Special), and sells 150 of his signature double-bacon burgers compared to 60 each of his other menu items. In fact, the double bacon burger sells more than double as compared to his other burgers, and has a contribution margin of 70% at a selling price of $9.95. Moreover, Bob knows his average customer is male, aged 25+. This information is very useful for Bob because he has identified all four critical pieces of his marketing mix. He knows that the double bacon burger is his most popular product, 12-3pm is the most popular time customers flock to his business, his price point is agreeable, and promoting a lunch special drives customers. Bob also runs a weekly burger review in which he discusses new menu items on his Facebook Business Page. The burger review has always been successful, and customers often offer ideas for new menu items.
So, how does this translate to social media marketing?
Research indicates that the majority of Facebook ads and posts are viewed between 1-3pm. This statistic aligns perfectly with Bob’s busiest part of the day. Bob has also identified his customer profile as Male, aged 25+. Bob decides he wants to start a conversion campaign to take advantage of this information. At 1pm, Bob launches a Facebook ad targeted at males 25+ in the San Francisco Bay area, promoting a free 15% off coupon for Bob’s double bacon burger in exchange for customers signing up to his weekly burger review. Additionally, he starts a “build-a-burger” contest, which allows users following his pages to submit their best burger recipe for a chance to win a burger named after them or a free dinner for 4 at his restaurant. To bolster his conversion campaign, Bob also tweets 3x a day reminding his followers of the contest and promotional offer.
Bobs approach is well developed, and incorporates the 4 P’s flawlessly. His efforts generate a substantial increase in sales, online following, and conversions to his weekly burger review.
How Can You Be Like Bob’s Burgers?
Take a step back and evaluate your current market position objectively. Identify how your business fits into the 4 P’s of marketing, and how you can incorporate those criteria into an online campaign. As with all marketing, success lies in the ability of the marketer to engineer a campaign with specific goals and a targeted segment. Bob successfully identified the most critical aspects of his business, and transposed the information into a poignant campaign. The most important step of any campaign is to start from the inside and work your way outward. Knowing the ins and outs of your product will help you launch a successful digital campaign, scientifically engineered to optimize results.
