LO4: How to Plan & Manage a Social Media Campaign

LO4: How to Plan & Manage a Social Media Campaign

Necessary Planning

• Understanding objectives 
• Logistics
• Justification of content
• Evaluating a social media campaign

Analysing a Campaign: Burger King 'You Rule'

The Burger King 'You Rule' advertising campaign is a primary example of social media/viral marketing and this is done through posts across various social media (e.g. YouTube & Instagram) which use and were reacted to various popular icons for a digital native audience such as Catchy Ditty and Fitzalan (who appeal to a male & female audience). The effect this social media advertising had encouraged prosumers to buy Burger King and post photos on the social media sites where Burger King's social media accounts would respond therefore, increasing audience engagement. This would therefore, target a mix of ABC1 and C2DE audience due to special deals which would be advertised on social medias (which digital native, 16-25) audiences are likely to own and the requirement for disposable income. 

Practice Scenario - Gemini Films

• Name of Product/service: 'In Static' (movie)
• Purpose: To promote the film's opening
• Launch Date: Jan 2025 - July 2025 (dictates content ideas based on time-frame)
• Social Media Channels: YouTube, Instagram, Twitter/X for the digital native audience and benefit of viral marketing (including algorithms and hashtags to bolster popularity and put adverts for the product in front of the people who want to see it. A/V social media sites for an A/V product). 

Considerations:

• Legal & Ethical: Copyright, Libel/Slander, Race Relations, Equality Act (fair/non-discriminatory representation), ASA regulation.
• Audience: 15+ (digital natives, disposable income)
• Timescale: 6 months (Jan-July 2025)
• Milestones: Points of completion/checkpoints of progression
• Review Dates: A measure of progress, how are people interacting with the campaign (no. comments, likes or clicks)
• Content Plan: Production schedules which are determined by the time-scale and signify when and what is going to be released, where and the time-scale to create and validify it

Campaign Structure

Cycle 1 (1st month): Posting once a week, to not annoy audience and drip feed them content therefore, keeping audiences interested. Introduce sponsors (audiences will become interested if its a sponsor they like). Set up accounts (if unclear in the scenario) and end with metric goals/what you want to achieve.

Cycle 2 (2nd month): Build credibility, post twice a week (so audiences that are interested have more to go off) and end with new metric goals based on success.

Cycle 3 (6th month): Drive sweet spot (selling points), strengthen relationships, earn referrals; posting twice a week in the lead up to launch. End again on metric goals. 

Sales Funnel

A social media sales funnel begins by generating interests in the broadest way possible to gain a mass audience who will be fed more specified content related to the product that involves them more (the progression of the campaign/how it's structured); trying to retain audience engagement throughout the campaign through this.  

1. Generate Leads/Initial Interest: e.g. folksonomy and measurement tools, metric goals (500)
2. Building a relationship with audience: post ideas/content, audience interaction and collaboration, synergy, aggregation and metric goals (2000)
3. Buying into the idea, gaining advocates: post ideas/content, audience interaction, collaboration, sharing content, embedding other channels; working with sponsors. Final metric goal (5000).

Content Ideas

Creative Ideas to engage the audience: This could include hashtags with a verb that will encourage folksonomy and audiences/prosumers can create user-generated-content that you can repost/reply to. This could include fanart or posting about going to see the product.

Synergy: Tagging your sponsors (using @) and relevant accounts to spread awareness of your campaign. Engaging brand images benefit from synergy due to recognisable visuals.

Specifying Visuals: Include shot types, house style colours, appropriate representation theory & justify them (e.g. use of synergy or relation to audience/demographic). 

Audience Appeal: Discuss both primary & secondary audiences (anyone else suitable for the campaign).

Social Media Channels/Platforms: Showing an understanding of social media content and how they work (e.g. Instagram stories, reels, posts, notes, filters) and justifying which social media would be best to use based on primary & secondary audience, what content is being posted (e.g. video, photo, poster) and the channel's purpose (e.g. Twitter/X is useful for microblogging therefore, audiences can create small discussions regarding the product).

Key Terminology

Folksonomy: Where social media encourages/makes the audience do something 

Tagging: Including someone into a post via hyperlink

Synergy: Cross-promotion, including/referencing sponsors

Measure: Checking how people are interacting with the campaign (click rate, likes etc.)

Metric Goal: How many people are following your media product

Collaboration: Working with a team on a project (two companies working together e.g. promoting a Twitter/X account on Instagram)

Social Media Aggregator: Companies monitor what you interact with (e.g. through cookies),  an aggregator is someone who checks if the algorithms are recommending your product's advertisements.

Only mention legal issues if bullet points mention them. Mention 3-4 Social media channels, justify why you're using them (terminology: sales funnel, Wikinomics, folksonomy) and why they link to the primary and secondary audience.

In Touch Scenario