Most every company has a social media presence, but whether or not they use it effectively is crucial. Obviously many companies simply use their social media as another form of self-promotion. Sometimes they even cut and paste ads from other platforms and post them on their pages. However, I don’t believe this is the most effective way that companies can utilize their social media presence.
Take Ben and Jerry’s Instagram account. They use their platform to advocate for social change and activism. However they do it in a way that still draws attention to their product, and maybe subliminally makes you want ice cream. They aren’t solely focused on self-promotion, and it makes their posts less monotonous and predictable. Because of that, browsing through their page becomes interesting, as well as informative. Of course, this is not the only way to avoid having a bland social media presence.
While it is important sometimes, you don’t need to broadcast your opinion to be relevant. Utilizing user generated content can be an effective way to market through social media as well. For instance, the SpotifyWrapped campaign from 2019, or Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign showing off their camera quality. When it comes to social media, the lifespan of content is extremely short, and so you have to design your posts around that. Companies need to find a balance between self-promotion and interesting, consumable, content.