Social Media as Promotional Platforms

Consumers often believe that franchises are not in need of using too many promotional platforms as they are already well known to the public for the simple fact of being everywhere. Well, the contrary is true for these businesses. Franchises are very common and for that same reason the competition is very strong between brands. Social media has become a staple way for businesses to promote their products, including franchise companies. When a franchise is able to reach its customer through social media, it is able to create a strong root that will develop towards obtaining a loyal customer.  The franchise I focused on for this discussion was Subway. Facebook is one of the most prevalent social media platforms in today’s age and it is also considered to be one of the most noisiest platforms, due to its variety of content options (Martin, 2018). Businesses on facebook are able to share content through text, images, and video in order to promote their products. Facebook also allows businesses to pay for advertising throughout the platform. On Subway’s facebook it features a variety of sources and elements for not only customer engagement but also potential employees. The facebook page of this franchise is promoting the products by constantly updating its audience about new deals or menu items through images, text, and video. Subway is also using this platform by creating interactive online events such as word search puzzle contests to keep the audience engaged and constantly aware of Subway’s brand and products. Subway is not adding more menu items daily, therefore it aims to keep its customers interested in its menu by showcasing mouth-watering images and videos of new ways to enjoy items from the menu. 

References

Martin, G. Z. (2018). The essential Social media marketing handbook: a new roadmap for maximizing your brand, influence and credibility. New Delhi, India: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd

Building a loyal social media audience

When building a loyal audience in social media it is crucial for marketers to gain trust from its customers. Three main ways in which credibility can be built within social media are the use of stories, the inclusion of experts, and the use of referencing towards one’s own material. When stories are used in social media, they aim to achieve what is called “results envy” which is when the audience can relate to the story being told and then hope to achieve the positive end result from the story shared (Martin, 2018). When using stories to connect with the customer through social media the brand is aiming for “charismatic integrity” meaning that the trust and credibility gained from the audience is done through a feeling of being included in a like-minded community (Martin, 2018). When credibility is built through the use of expert knowledge it is bringing in a source that the audience can be sure is accredited and therefore creates the belief that the brand is backed up by fact and not only good ideas or speculations. Lastly, and most importantly, a brand that builds a strong foundation of credibility often achieves this by following up on its word. If a brand shares what ranges from ethical standpoints to promotional deadlines its audience expects the brand to follow through. When a brand builds credibility it makes sure to use social media in a way to connect with other groups and promotional individuals that are in line with its message. A brand that builds its credibility through this method also looks at its product and the way it is produced, because its social media presence makes it easy to create a loyal audience due to its consistency in connecting its brand message and values to its actual content. Brands in social media are able to use all three methods to build credibility or focus on one method specifically depending on its product and audience. 

 

References

Martin, G. Z. (2018). The essential Social media marketing handbook: a new roadmap for maximizing your brand, influence and credibility. New Delhi, India: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd.

Social Media Changes

Like many departments of technology social media is changing on a daily basis. Companies and businesses have to learn how to keep up with these daily changes in order to successfully grow in their respective industries, if their businesses have core foundations through social media. It is important for the companies that have built the majority of their business through social media, to keep up with these changes because these platforms help “[establish and reinforce their expertise]” (Martin, 2018). Three ways in which companies can stay on par with social media changes is to focus on their audience feedback, the newest technologies, and the global news that would affect the business. Keeping in touch with their customers by understanding the niche that they are in will help companies navigate social media changes in a way that benefits their customer’s concerns. Being able to fluidly connect with their customers by adapting to the changes in different platforms will make it easier for their customers to reach the company's content despite the changes. Understanding where a company’s customers are located comes hand-in-hand with being updated in global news. If a company has a large percentage of customers living in an area that is faced with a weather catastrophe the company can promote content that is conscious of their customer’s situation. Likewise, if the company is aware of a rise in consumer spending within the area of its audience it can better promote sales or know how prices may fluctuate for the profit of the company. Lastly, understanding the newest technology before it becomes viral is important as this will allow the company to be ready when its customers consume from either a new platform or a new gadget. If a company is able to benefit from having a product related to the newest technology it will be much more profitable having the product ready for the market once the new technology has become viral, rather than waiting for the technology to become common and then begin to create the complementary product. 

 

References

Martin, G. Z. (2018). The essential Social media marketing handbook: a new roadmap for maximizing your brand, influence and credibility. New Delhi, India: Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd

Subway Social Media Strategy

For this discussion I focused on the company Subway. I looked at Subway’s website, facebook account, twitter account, and instagram account. When first opening their website they immediately appeal to a customer’s pathos by showing a pop-up message of the business being open for delivery and takeout due to the COVID-19 virus. In the facebook page it appeals to a customer’s ethos and pathos by informing the customer about how many meals the company has been able to donate during the COVID-19 crisis. Subway’s twitter does a combination of what is immediately seen in its website and facebook, promoting to its customer Subway’s goal to help while still providing service to its customers. Through its instagram it provides the customer with a chance to interact with others as well as learn about Subway’s new subs and its new achievements. For the brand platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, where it can engage with customers, can be very helpful in understanding what customers want and what their opinions are on the organizational changes, through the use of a digital media and contests or polls (Freeman, 2014).

Similarly to your experience, Subway, the brand I looked at, had strategically used delicious images on its Instagram page. What stuck out to me, when comparing the different social media platforms, had been the use of eye-catching images on Instagram opposed to informative or even statistical images in the other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. I realized that in order for a brand to successfully use a social media platform it must share content catered to the user of such a brand. Although images are used in both Facebook and Instagram, Facebook users are accustomed to seeing lots of text along with images whereas Instagram users see more eye-catching images and very little text. What do you think the users of each platform can tell a brand based on where most of its clients reach it from? What do you think a consumer can learn based on the platform he or she uses the most?

 

References

Freeman, B., Kelly, B., Baur, L., Chapman, K., Chapman, S., Gill, T., & King, L. (2014). Digital Junk: Food and Beverage Marketing on Facebook. American Journal of Public Health, 104(12), e56–e64.