The rights and wrongs of social media strategies of big corporations in real time

Working in the communications field, I always look into organizations that post regularly and catchy content on their social media platforms. Two companies that caught my eyes are UFC and Nike, and below I will state the reason they are successful with their social media content.

I want to start off with UFC, a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, which organizes MMA fights around the world on a weekly basis. UFC always tend to hype up their events on social media to push for events ticket sales. UFC post event content on their social media pages including Instagram and Facebook where they announce the card bouts and everything around it from press conference and weigh-in process. The pre-event content is highly dependent on visuals being imagery or videos, which is key to engage audience. Also, the president of UFC Dana White makes sure to add his input on social media by giving shout-outs to UFC fans to attend the event and not to miss it. The social media content also features the fighters on the card which makes it relatable to the fans in getting emotionally attached to the event. As for the post event, UFC always post videos of the bouts just in case the fans miss it keeping them in the loop of the results. It’s all about engagement and that’s what UFC is all about on their social media.

UFC posting the win of Islam Makhachev on their social media platform as he became the lightweight champion in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Nike is another organization which attracts my attention as they always keep us the consumers aware of their product launches. The social media posts include imagery of new releases and sometimes raffle chances for users to get a new pair or wardrobe. Another thing Nike does on their social media platforms is that they create videos that resonates towards a cause which is relatable to the consumer. Its more than just a brand that sells products, but also raise its voice on social media issues. In 2020, Nike launched a campaign ‘For Once, Do It’ facing racism in a video format which was posted on their social media platforms:

Also, Nike utilizes its global sports ambassadors to tap into their fans, therefore expanding their followers and raise their brand awareness.

Instagram post from Nike congratulating their ambassador tennis superstar Carlo Alcaraz on winning the Grand Slam and being ranked the number 1 tennis player

One brand that needs to push hard on their social media content is Under Armour, not the global brand, but the Middle East one.  The Middle East page of Under Armour doesn’t have much engagement as the average likes is less than 500 likes and 10 comments per posts. The reason for this is that their content is not localized as they tend to post global content. Also, they are not benefiting from Under Armour global ambassadors to promote their page, for example asking them to follow their page , which will boost the page followers.

All companies need to use their social media platforms to raises awareness of their services and products. Some are on the right track, but others are not using the tools they have in hand to make the best out of it.

Social Media Listening Starts With The Right Tool

Social media is taking over everything from our daily lives to how to interact with people, also keeping updates with the world and what’s going on via exploring on-time news. From a business perspective, organizations are using social media platforms to promote their products and services.

Pile of 3D Popular Social Media Logos

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Decision makers are using social media to know more about the market and observe what their competitors are doing and most importantly keeping in touch with their customers, this tactic is referred to as ‘listening’. The real question for any manager that understands his business is what kind of data he/she needs, but the ‘how’ with so many data floating around.  Social media tools are available for organizations to receive data-based keywords, hashtags, trends they would like to know about. Technology is available to make our lives easier, and I will be explaining why these two tools are suitable for businesses to use to ‘listen’ and act accordingly on social media.

Hand holding megaphone marketing announcement campaign

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Hootsuite

Posting at the right time matters to reach the target audience. Let’s face it, nobody has the time to login on various social media platforms to post. Hootsuite allows users to schedule posts across multiple social networks (including Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube).

The platform also allows to track of customer conversations and gain real-time insights which enables decision makers to make the right decisions at the right time.

Agora Pulse

Another an all-in-one social media management tool. Similar to Hootsuite, the platform includes scheduling, monitoring, engagement, and analytics features. The social media it supports includes Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and YouTube which ae the most key for businesses.

The platform also allows users to monitor comments on your Facebook and Instagram ads, where are key for the listening processes.

Here are my top two picks for social media tools that will help businesses to get best insights via listening, post content and act accordingly. Let me know your thoughts in the comments box below.

Be Authentic On Social Media To Reach The Right Target Audience

During this course, I have learned that telling your story is key for a successful marketing campaign on social media. Being a large business, entrepreneur, freelancer among others, social media should be a platform to be authentic to your target audience and a mean of communication rather than a sales platform.

Social media is here to stay for years to come, and we should learn to adapt to it and use it to our own benefit, especially in the business. The key lessons to employ a strategic social media approach is promoting that ‘Personal Branding;’ which resonated to target audience.

As my line of work is heavily catered in helping brands promote their products and boosting sales indirectly, I would find it most suitable for them is to be real and sales will follow.

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Every business is looking to gain money, quick wins to be specific. However, we should be able to do so without losing our identity and who we are as a brand.

Influencers are successful cause they are reaching out to their audiences and communicating with them with genuine content. Boosting the brand image comes first through tailored and topical messaging, and followers/sales would follow!

Connecting the dots of your past to help you today

Working in the communication industry, I have come to and understanding that the key success in the business is to be a ‘People’s Person’. I have been working in the PR agency side for an agency and I absolutely love it! I got to interact with different people on a daily manner, jumping from one account to another in different industries. Catering clients’ daily requests can only be approached by a smile, as they are the ones paying my salary indirectly.

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I tend to get asked how I not lose my temper with all the requests coming into my inbox, in one day, with some are non-achievable. The more I think about it, the more I realize that growing up in Lebanon with various cultures of friends and classmate, is what shaped my personality and made me a tolerant individual tend to accept criticism too, as my teachers in high school were strict and straightforward, which is something I build on in strengthening my weakness to be a better personality.

Steve Jobs said once ‘You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future”. I truly live by this statement and try to apply the things I learned from my early years in today’s world.

LOVING MY JOB IS MY STRONGEST ASSET AS A PR SPECIALIST

Working in the communication industry, in a PR agency to be specific, gives you the chance to work on various industries. In my case, I worked on brands in difference sectors including sports, finance, lifestyle, and trade. Being a sports enthusiast, I have always enjoyed working on sports events which makes my job a hobby.  Nowadays, I mostly work on mega sporting events in the UAE and the GCC region.

When the world was on a pause last year due to the pandemic, the sprots industry took a major hit. However, that doesn’t stop the UAE and us an agency to work on sporting events. I worked on UFC events spending seven consecutive weeks inside the bubble on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, including a 14-day quarantine period, working on ‘Return to UFC Fight Island’ in September 2020. Also, in January 2021 I returned for a two-week mission handling another UFC bubble on-site for ‘UFC Fight Island Triple Header’.

During the UFC event period, working with my team, we had successfully navigated the challenges of bubble comms and delivered a successful PR campaign demonstrating Abu Dhabi’s readiness to host global sporting event in safe and healthy environment as well boosting ticket sales. Reflecting on this experience, I can say that was the ‘crème de la crème’ of my PR career so far.

The UFC experience is a defining moment in my PR careers proving that I will do whatever it takes to have the job done, even if it requires me spending two weeks in a room.

Again, working on something I like such as sporting event is not a job but something I crave. I go to work with a smile on my face, and that is the competitive edge I have against other PR professionals in the region.

Just Story Tell! How Nike became not just a sports brand

We all heard of Nike brand being in the athletic shoes, apparel, and other sports equipment. However, in recent years Nike has added to its sales strategy and in selling lifestyle products, targeting a wider ray of audience. How did Nike able to still be the sports brand and yet engage to a lifestyle audience? The answer is storytelling. Nike focused on inspiring their audience and makes them want to be associated with your brand. This is called lifestyle branding.

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One of Nike’s marketing strategies has been working with global athletes, such as collaborating with basketball legend Michael Jordan, to create Air Jordans back in 1984, and continued to do so with the likes of Tiger Woods and Cristiano Ronaldo among others. Nowadays, when collaborating with athletes, the brand can also use their social media presence and reach a larger target audience.

Collaborating with sports legends is key for Nike, however, the magic recipe was to implement an inspiration message upon marketing their products. For example, Nike releases Cristiano Ronaldo commercial about Portugal in the World 2018 Cup, using the football legend name in putting that Nike brand out there. Another instance of Nike engaging with a wider audience when they did an ad features Olympic shot-putter Michelle Carter, to inspire people in loving their body and do sports.

The storytelling approach is key for brands to engage with their audience, especially for a B2C firm. Let me know if you agree with me in the comment box below.  

Stayin in touch with your target audience using social media, to promote sporting events, in a pandemic world

I am a huge sports fan, being football, MMA, basketball, boxing, tennis among others. Working in the sports communication industry during the pandemic was a struggle with sporting events were either postponed, canceled, or held with no fans in attendance. The sports industry kept moving and matches were held in different manner, and we had to adapt as social media marketers to the current situation. The question was how to keep the ball rolling in promoting sports events and keep our target audience engaged, despite the pandemic disruption.

Here are 3 key learning in targeting sports audience in a pandemic era, via social media platforms.

Stay engaged with the sports fans:

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Even when the sporting events were called off or postponed, sports enthusiasts were still searching for content and news about their favorite team and the sports in general. Therefore, as sports social media specialist representing a specific sporting event or team, you should keep in feeding news and updates. With Forty-four percent of cable sports audiences stream audio,  podcasts and other audio content to is key to deliver your messaging to your audience.

Broaden your target audience:

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Sports is not only catered to the fans that follow games, also, people who tend to have a nice day with their families and friends tend to attend or watch a game. With the pandemic setting different rules as sporting events are back with limited capacity in some instances, people are keen to attend a sporting event in a safe environment. To help in targeting a wider audience, its key to deliver the safety messaging to the mass audience and spread the word in enjoying a good day out in a healthy environment.

Target Fitness Enthusiasts:

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Its not a secret that athletes are fit and follow a strict diet to stay in shape. With the world now heading towards a healthy lifestyle approach, its essential to have sports athletes tell their stories on how they stay fit. Posting videos on social media on athletes training with them offering tips to audience in how to stay in shape will attract an audience who is looking to stay fit. This will raise awareness of the sports the athlete is practicing and the team he is representing.

Here are my three key learning in the past year on how to utilize social media to promote sports events during the pandemic. Do let me know is I missed anything in the comment section below.

Attention All Bloggers: The Art of Storytelling

The world was in shock yesterday as social media giants in WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram stopped working for hours, and everyone seemed lost. Away from the numbers and data, yesterday proved to everyone how much we are dependent on internet.  Why not use this platform, which is free, to post something you are keen to share, being a blog expressing your take on a specific topic or just a personal bio? The question is how can you standout and have internet users read your blog and not the other 7.5 million ones posted every day?  Just master the art of personal storytelling is your answer.

Here are three key tips that will help you adapt storytelling in your blog:

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Start with a catchy introduction

With the internet flooded with free content, it seems that there is a battle of attracting readers between bloggers. Therefore, its essential to grab the attention of your readier in the into, or otherwise he/she will switch to another blog, as a study shows. With nearly 300% more people scroll all the way to the bottom as they read a post with a storytelling intro, implement this approach from the jump by adding a personal experience to have readers engaged. Giving that personal touch from the get-go will create a bond with the readers.

Follow the trend

Everyone is up to pace when it comes to new, as no one wants to feel outdated. Make sure you are writing on an interesting and up to date topic. You would want to check the movie reviews of recent movies and screened on Netflix or movies, rather than a movie in the 70s. Research what is happening in the world on a topic you would like to tackle and elaborate on it.

Be You!

It is your blog and should reflect your personality. Do not be shy of expressing your thoughts in your way. Storytelling with personal experience is key, as mentioned above, so make sure you are telling your story which conveys your ideas. By implementing the ‘Be You’ approach, you will be able to better illustrate the idea to your reader. A recent documentary ‘The Last Dance’ created a huge buzz worldwide as everybody enjoyed the run of NBA basketball team from the words of the captain and legend himself, Michael Jordan, which made every episode of the series a must see!

Let me know your thoughts on the storytelling tips mentioned above, and if I did miss any key point, in the below comment box.

Four Additional Steps to Follow Before Travelling During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The world as we know it has changed during Covid-19 pandemic impacting our lifestyle in every aspect. One of the things that got a strong hit is our ability to travel without the fear of capturing the virus and with no additional travel requirements. During this summer break, I have travelled to my hometown Lebanon, from Dubai where I am currently based.  From my personal experience, I will present out the steps to travel in these unprecedented times.

Pre-travel requirements:

Checking visa, flight tickets and accommodations are not the only things needed to do before stepping into a plane these days. An additional travel pre-requisite is Covid-19 related as passengers are required to conduct a PCR negative test and even a vaccination certificate, depending on the country of departure and landing. Therefore, make sure to check the requirements of both the country you are heading to and traveling from. As the world is trying to understand this virus, the rules are continuous changing in short period of time. As a result, make sure to keep checking with the airline companies on the covid-19 rule changes and assess your steps accordingly.

Putting your mask on:

Travel airlines are imposing passengers to have their masks on throughout the flight, regardless of if the person is vaccinated or not. This surely will impact your trip, so make sure you wear a mask that meets the health and standard requirement and is comfortable for long hours flight.

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Quarantine:

The quarantine rules are constantly changing based on the Covid-19 cases and countries are categorized accordingly, and passengers face different quarantine rules upon landing. If the host country requires you to quarantine yourself for a certain period, make sure you prepare the accommodation and plan your stay accordingly. In my case, I only need to quarantine for 24 hours until my PCR negative results come out which I conduced when I landed.

The return flight:

Travelling back might require additional Covid-19 test requirements. Make sure to check with the airline on Covid-19 travel guidelines to return.

Image by Joshua Woroniecki from Pixabay 

We all agree that travelling is not a walk in the park process to some countries. Do let me know in the comment section below, if I have missed any steps for passengers to consider before travelling during these exceptional times.

ATTENTION BUSINESSES: FOUR STEPS TO FOLLOW FOR A SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

With COVID-19 pandemic impacting various industries around the world, companies are searching means to keep their business up and running. Therefore, business leaders are investing more into social media to promote their products or services. The narrative of turning social media button on and expect direct results is false and can backfire. The key word is ‘strategy’ to have social media work for companies. The real question lies on how to build the strategy and what aspects should be considered. I will be demonstrating the key elements of building a social media strategy and acts as a guide to firms in different sections.

What is a social media strategy?

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Some might misinterpret a social media strategy and define it one what they desire to accomplish. To try to simplify it, social media is the big puzzle and other things are pieces that formulate it including goals, tools, tactics, and plans. The strategy is what you are trying to achieve, and all other things act as mean.

Where to start:

Now we defined social media strategy. The next step is how to get the ball rolling. Here are the 4 steps for companies to build a solid one:

1.  Define your goals:  

What are you seeking from using social media in your business? It can range across increasing sales, boosting business leads, reaching a wider audience, strengthening brand awareness, help in recognizing a cause, among others.

• Know your target audience:

As a business, you should be able to know the direct target audience, which are the type of clients you reach out and interaction frequently to create revenues.

What about the ones who share common interest and can be reached via social media? What is the process of their selection? To help you answer these questions, you need to look into the below criteria:

• Interest: There is no point in approaching an audience who has no interest of what you are offing. It will be a waste of time and effort that can be used in other areas of your business.
• Location: The last thing you want as a business is to have an interested client and cannot be reached due to logistics reasons. Therefore, identify the locations of your audience based on your ability to reach.
• Demographics: Which group of people eye on your product and able to use or purchase it. These can vary from age group, gender, occupation, purchasing power, etc..  

• Select your social media tools:

Once you know who are you targeting , the next stage is to work upon it and figure out which social media they use the most . This can vary based on age, culture, location among others. Do some research on what the top 3 social media tools are used and you will know which channels should be applied. For example, if you live in the Middle East and targeting GCC residents , you should be aware that consumption of social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok had increased as a result of social distancing, according to a new report : “How the Middle East Used Social Media in 2020.

• Measure your work:

This part is where you start posting content on the companies’ social media platforms based on the above three points. You will not be able to calculate the ROI from social media, however, you should be able to work out if your business is impacted positively, negatively, or not at all. This can be done from monitoring the targeted goals pre and post social media activation, after a certain period.

Monitoring is key and servers as a learning curve for your social media narrative. It also allows you to have a feel on what type of content works best and the most suitable timing to reach your audience.

Creating social media strategy is key and provides a clear direction of where you are going. I will be posting in my following blog about the type of content that should be posted to have best the best engagement. Stay tuned! For now, do let me know your opinion, in the comment section below, about the four steps stated above to build a successful social media strategy.