Utilizing social media is an essential strategy for businesses of all sizes. Many digital marketing examples revolve around social media as the primary means of engaging with prospective and current customers. The reason is simple: That’s where the customers are already communicating.
This article delves into how three big businesses are utilizing social media. Learn about their strategies, and how they use digital channels to provide the most value for consumers.
Digital Marketing Examples from McDonalds, Uber, and Airbnb
It comes down to a simple principle: Businesses that keep up with the times survive. Those that do not stay current exit the consumer’s social conversation, and therefore, inevitably die. These digital marketing examples show how crucial social media and digital marketing engagement is in defining your business’s place in the industry.
McDonald’s Strategy
When it comes to marketing prowess, you can’t beat Mcdonalds. Mcdonald’s marketing strategy is built around the changing needs of its customers. For example, during the recession of the mid-2000’s, Mcdonalds was among the few companies in the United States to, not only survive, but thrive.
Adaptability in its marketing strategy is the hallmark of the companies longevity. And, in recent years, customers have increasingly called for greater transparency and accountability on the part of the companies practices. So, it answered its customer’s call, through digital marketing.
But, in the late 2000’s, the problem for McDonalds was mistrust in their animal production methods. After amending some of their animal practices, the company had to make the public aware. The way in which McDonalds succeeded in reaching their audience was, and still is, through social media marketing.
How Does McDonald’s Use Social Media?
Mcdonalds utilizes 3 digital channels in its strategy: Facebook, Instagram, and the McDonald’s mobile app. Through these channels, the company directly engages with customers directly, and enables the public to casually engage with McDonalds. In addition, the company uses digital marketing to meet the public’s demand for transparency.
McDonalds Facebook page is where customers directly engage with Facebook. Facebook acts like a less-formal version of the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Facebook’s platform allows customers to raise questions and concerns in a transparent space where the company can openly respond. Today, Mcdonalds has nearly 80 million Facebook page followers.
The company uses Instagram to provide a place where customers can engage with each other regarding their McDonalds experiences. McDonalds offers its mobile app to engage customers in-store with special coupons and deals. Social media and mobile devices are where customers spend most of their time, so McDonald’s markets where the customers are.
Instead of rumors and horror stories dictating the digital conversation around McDonald’s food, the company fights back by providing transparency – via their digital marketing channels. It worked, and in 2018, McDonald’s received the Long Term Excellence Award from The Marketing Society.
Uber’s Strategy
Uber is infamous for swooping into, and ultimately disrupting the taxi industry through its expert use of digital marketing. The reason why Uber could do this was in its ability to communicate with consumers in the space where communication was already happening.
Because the taxi cab industry wasn’t engaging in its customers’ digital conversation, Uber took over. Needless to say – social media is integral to Uber’s digital marketing strategy. And so, the company capitalizes on digital engagement to, both, increase ridership, and increase the number of drivers on the road.
How Does Uber Use Social Media?
Uber employs Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as it’s main digital marketing channels. Facebook and Twitter allow users to post positive and negative feedback, allowing Uber to be in direct contact with its customers. Instagram is where Uber unveils new features, and offers exclusive deals and discounts.
In 2016, Uber unveiled a new complement rating system for giving positive feedback on your ride. Feedback about positive user experiences provides Uber with valuable information on the most marketable aspects of their service. Using this information, Uber put together a Youtube campaign to highlight extraordinary Uber experiences.
Uber uses its social media and digital marketing channels to propagate positive, inclusive messaging across the internet. The companies messaging focuses on inclusion, connectivity, and social awareness. By connecting its messaging to issues in society, customers feel a greater sense of connectivity to their world by using Uber.
Airbnb’s Strategy
Yet, another tech startup company, Uber, utilizes social media engagement as it’s primary source of marketing. Like Uber, the company swooped-in to disrupt an industry that lacked digital engagement.
Airbnb’s digital marketing strategy revolves around creating direct connections between people, places, and experiences. So, the strategy of Airbnb is to offer travel lodging that is personal and affordable. And, it all connects through digital marketing.
How Does Airbnb Use Social Media?
Airbnb re-enforces its customers’ experience by telling a story, through social media. The company creates a space on social media for users to engage with the story and contribute.
Facebook is where the company creates one-on-one value with customers by answering questions and concerns. Instagram is a space where customers can share experiences with other users of the service. And, Twitter enables Airbnb to construct its own narrative, with which customers engage.
Airbnb partners with digital influencers to post hashtags and links back to Airbnb. And so, in other words, they get popular people and non-competing organizations to promote Airbnb from outside its platform. Influencer marketing helps Airbnb to establish reputability in the eyes of its customers and improves the website’s SEO score.
Real-World Implementation
The more avenues of communication between the customer and the business, the more reputable it is seen to be. For Mcdonalds, social media is an outlet to engage new customers in the company’s rebranding. Uber and Airbnb uses social media digital marketing to establish reputability and positive customer experiences.
For a small business, the best way to engage with new customers and retain current customers is to grow your business’s avenues for engagement. Digital marketing channels are infrastructure that you own, and can be the difference between taking over an industry, or becoming obsolete. Digital marketing through social media is the key to being part of the conversation.
Want to learn about other digital marketing examples from real life? Contact DOJO Creative for a crash-course in leveraging social media. And, check out the blog for more information on engaging your digital audience.