November 1, 2014
By Maria Minsker, contributing writer

How to Create the Right Content for the Right Social Channel

loyalty, such as a subscription to a magazine," Enright-Schulz explains. "At Adobe Social, we use regression analysis to determine which social strategies are more likely to increase high-value traffic, and put optimization strategies in place to increase the number of loyal customers," she adds.

Thanks to Adobe’s social tools, the publishing company was able to increase subscriptions through targeted cross-promotions and optimize its social media posting schedule to boost traffic by over 40 percent. “A lot of social media skeptics will tell you that you can’t tie social media to KPIs, but you can do it. We’re doing it,” Enright-Schulz says.

3) Mix It Up: To reach the highest level of engagement and maximize return on social media marketing, brands must be prepared to use a combination of networks, and avoid overlooking networks with less conventional marketing capabilities, such as Google+ and Snapchat, experts agree. Google+, for example, is "a must for every business" from an SEO perspective, Block says. A brand's presence on Google+ can contribute to how often it appears in search results or how highly it ranks according to Google's search algorithms.

Furthermore, as a social network, Google+ has its unique appeal. The Google Hangouts feature is an easy way to "put a virtual face on the brand and the quickest way to build brand credibility and loyalty," Stewart says. Luxury brand designers are known for hosting interactive Q&A sessions with fans to create a more personal connection and appear more approachable, and other brands are quickly catching on.

Snapchat, a considerably younger network that focuses on messaging and photo sharing, has promising marketing potential as well. "A marketers' dream has always been to be able to send messages directly to people's pockets. Well, now they can, and they've realized this," Stewart says.

New York City frozen yogurt chain 16 Handles recently began experimenting with a Snapchat campaign. The premise was to encourage customers to send a Snapchat image of themselves tasting yogurt on-site to the 16 Handles Snapchat account. Then customers would automatically receive a Snapchat image of a coupon, which couldn't be opened until customers were at the register and ready to check out, because Snapchat deletes images seconds after they're opened. Still just an up-and-comer, Snapchat could eventually take mobile marketing to the next level.

For marketers ready to revisit and enhance their social media strategies, it's all about keeping an open mind. "When you focus your efforts on Facebook or Twitter alone, you're putting all your social media eggs in one basket," Block says, "and you're missing out on the opportunity that lives on Instagram, or YouTube, or wherever else your customers are. Each of these social tools has a lot to offer marketers in terms of both content and communication. They just have to know how to use them."

Associate Editor Maria Minsker can be reached at mminsker@infotoday.com.