Zee.dog is a brand that designs and sells fun, urban, and trendy pet products. The business began through the founders’ personal experiences with mass retail pet products, and how they aren’t “cool” enough. 

“Zee.Dog was founded with one major purpose: to Connect Dogs and People. We design and build products of expression, ones that help make your life and your dog’s that much cooler.”

zee.dog’s mission statement

Throughout the last few weeks, I’ve been working on a social media strategy for zee.dog. I’ve researched and studied different aspects of social media marketing – things that theoretically should work, and work well with consistency and persistence. 

One of the immediately difficult parts for me with this involved how zee.dog’s social media already looks ideal. However, that’s surface level. Yes, zee.dog is already doing many things right, but they still aren’t getting the engagement that they should for the average posts per week, and follower counts – specifically on Instagram and Facebook. The audience awareness already looks good, but it’s unclear if those are all of the right audience members for them, and a great way to improve it would involve more campaigns. 

From my observations, I developed two SMART goals: 

1. Increase awareness – we would like to see a 10% growth on Instagram’s follower count within 3 months.
2. Increase engagement – we would like to create more customer/brand engagement by increased listening and response on all active platforms. This should increase by 80% within 6 months.

All in all, these two goals should help to earn the success of return on investment. 

Campaigns

Something that inspired me with the brand is that they’re already doing collaborations with other retailers to create new, limited time only products. It’s a proactive way to introduce the brand to new audience members – ones that may already be loyal to those other brands involved in the collabs. 

So, I pitched a campaign idea which is rooted in developing more collaborations to reach more, potentially loyal audience members. In general, is already significant – but another great aspect of this pitch is to do more audience listening BEFORE creating the collaboration. This helps the audience to feel more engaged, and helps zee.dog to know beforehand if the collab will be desired.

Secondly, I pitched another campaign idea which is less call-to-action focused, and more to create social media buzz – connecting users in different ways. Zee.dog’s brand is for fun and bold audiences, humans buy the products for their pets, but we have to remember those pets personalities as well. To utilize ambassador and influencer marketing – again, for more reach – zee.dog should have a one day campaign with dog’s accounts taking over the brand’s channels. 

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Overall, this social media pitch took a LOT of work to identify the best approach! I gave myself a challenge choosing a brand that’s already doing many of the right things – I just needed to figure out what specific changes were needed for improvement. 

See my pitch below, enjoy!

I’m trying to remember a time when I’d be able to scroll social media without sponsored ads. And I can’t think of it. I mean, I know there was a time when social media advertising was more organic than it was paid, but when? I don’t know. Let’s Google it. 

2011. Facebook introduced the option to have sponsored ads in 2011, and since then, paid social media advertising trickled to other platforms. Now, it’s become so advanced that most of the major social media apps dish out sponsored ads almost constantly onto news feeds. Hence, why I can’t remember to before 2011 when this wasn’t as prevalent. 

Organic feed is so innocent. And I like it because of that. But, sponsored social media ads have a greater, more effective purpose – especially for the brands that pay for them. And for this reason, I have a list of pros and cons for the use of paid social media ads, specifically for brands.

Pros

• Sponsored ads can reach audiences much faster than organic ones. Organic feed can take many posts to get the attention brands are looking for. By paying for ads, the reach is greater, and more efficient. 
• They can also reach a specific targeted audience. Facebook features something called “Facebook Targeted Ads” and Twitter features something similar called “Twitter Custom Audiences” which lets you choose who to send the sponsored ads to. 
• They don’t have to be so expensive. Even for as little as a few cents for each click, this advertising method would be worth it to add to the marketing budget. 

Cons

• Sponsored ads need monitoring on effectiveness. Using analytics helps to determine how any particular ad is performing. If it’s not great, maybe it’s not worth it to continue spending money on that ad. 
• They also need monitoring for engagement. When there are any comments that need addressing, it may be difficult to keep up with responses within an appropriate amount of time. 
• It can be difficult to learn the ins and outs of paid advertising on social media. There’s much that can go into it before sending out those ads, like learning who the right audience members are, and how to effectively post and track them.

Let’s remember though – there are two sides to the story here. There are the companies who use social media advertising, and then there are the users of the apps – also known as potential consumers of the ads. So while these pros and cons above are weighed out for brands, this doesn’t take into consideration the consumers of the ads. So, I’ve laid out one pro and con for the social media users alone, and sponsored ads that run on those apps. 

Pro: A person may be looking for a product or service very specific. And while making the search, different social media ads may pop up across different apps or web browsers. This could help that person to find the exact thing they’re looking for, resulting in a faster, easier search and successful purchase. 

Con: Social media is made to be addictive. And ads on social media may appear bothersome to users. With paid social media advertising, and the algorithms that pair with them, the users also may be more controlled than they realize. Their feed is their feed for a reason, and very possibly, their purpose could be to generate impressions or clicks – which then spirals into more, and more, and more. Great for businesses with those ads, but maybe invasive for the people on their apps. 

Now, let’s talk about sponsored social media ads that were done right!

BarkBox

BarkBox is a subscription-based company that sends you and your dogs a box of toys and treats every month. 

In search of paid social media ad campaigns, I came across a recent one for BarkBox. I’m not a customer of theirs, but I do get ads from the company all the time. I know it’s because I design dog products and am constantly searching online for them to get trends and design research – BarkBox likely uses Facebook Targeted Ads, and I definitely look like the right audience member for them. 

I love this sponsored ad because it’s relevant to a continued quarantine due to the pandemic, it makes me interested to scroll to the other photos, and there are several call-to-actions for different reasons (although, each “get offer” leads to the same thing – the websites main page).

Regardless that I’m not a customer, I do strongly admire the quirky brand, what they do, and their products. Also, the advertising is always spot-on. 

So, I did some more digging and found an awesome BarkBox ad campaign that has measured results from Facebook so we can know just how effective some of their paid ad campaigns are. 

Scoob! Is an animated movie that came out in 2020. BarkBox collaborated with Warner Bros. to create a box catered to the Scoob! Movie. The launch was so successful, that BarkBox decided to re-launch it again later that same year – a remarketing tactic that’s great for established and new audience members. 

The second launch was even better, as the marketing team was able to work through any kinks that showed up during the first round launch. This sponsored ad displayed on Facebook with imagery, and animated video of the movie characters and dogs enjoying the toys. Engagement included many likes, comments, and shares, and the ad campaign resulted in a 27% lift in branded search site traffic. 

I think this sponsored ad campaign was so successful for a few reasons. One, because it’s remarketed. Repurposed content is a great way to engage members who’ve already shown interest in the past. Also, BarkBox used copy which reminisced voice from the movie characters themselves, which helps keep the post consistent with the content and more effective. Something great to learn from this ad campaign is how BarkBox took an already successful ad and made it even better from previous results. 

The Farmer’s Dog

Of course, the next sponsored ad I have to talk about is another dog one! I mean, that’s basically all I get now for ads, and so many different dog brands do such a good job with their sponsored advertising. But maybe I also feel that way because these ads are catered to me. 

Anyway, The Farmer’s Dog uses ads that involve ambassadors and influencers to increase their reach. This one in particular utilizes video from an influencer, Liz Lovery who shows the food, talks about its perks, as well as her dog who enjoys the food – for more benefits than just taste. 

The ad’s copy is enticing because it calls out right away why you should be interested – because of its benefits. It’s human-grade and pre-portioned specifically for your dog, which is a huge plus for those looking to feed their dogs something that’s better for them and their health. And this ad is successful for all of those reasons. 

I think something to learn from this sponsored ad is that The Farmer’s Dog used a personalized video of the actual product being used by its consumers. Video is increasingly rising in importance as it grabs viewers attention. Also, influencer marketing isn’t a bad way to get the product out either. This way, the ad might reach both The Farmer’s Dog audience, but the influencer’s as well. 

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Overall, sponsored ads can greatly help brands reach audiences, and fast. Of course, the ad needs to be enticing for its viewers, needs to have that audience already identified, and have call-to-actions that will get the clicks. Once a company figures that out, they’re ultimately on the right track in their marketing objectives.

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Citations:

Bark. Facebook for Business. (2021). https://www.facebook.com/business/success/2-bark. 

Coleman, B. (2021, April 6). Paid social media: Worth the investment? HubSpot Blog. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/paid-social-media. 

Kim, L. (2021, February 17). 10 best social media Advertising tips for content marketers. WordStream. https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2016/06/30/social-media-advertising-tips.

To build a community is to share impactful experiences between members. Brands can build communities through their website and social media channels to provide those interactions with members, advocates, and owners of the brand, creating overall positive encounters. 

Chewy and Lego are two brands that have a great built community through their social media and online experience. 

Chewy

Chewy is an online-only product store for pets. And while the brand sells products, it is exceptionally known for its customer service. 

The brand has grown considerably within the last year, during the COVID pandemic. Throughout this time, their efforts to continue advancing in customer service helps to grow their memberships and, therefore, build the community further. 

Chewy has and advertises their 24/7 phone line, chat, and now offers features like connect with a vet – which provides initial vet consultations online. 

Chewy is also well known for sending flowers to customers who’ve lost their furry family members and oil paintings to existing customers to keep their loyalty. 

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will always remember how you made them feel.”

Maya Angelou

A great brand initiative is the #ChewyBoxLove which uses their boxes as a source of community building with their customers. The hashtag is used mostly on Instagram – their platform with the most engagement – but also on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Facebook is another social media channel that proves to have tons of engagement.

#ChewyBoxLove also helps create the user-generated content side of their social media marketing. The brand has an affiliate program, but it doesn’t currently look like brand ambassadors or influencers are directly utilized on social media. 

Chewy also provides many how-to blog posts and infographics which directly mean to help customers find answers to anything pet-related. And with each social post, the brand provides consistent responses to customer and user questions via social media. 

Because Chewy is an all online business, their commitments offline aren’t very applicable – However, it appears to completely work for the brand. 

Lego

Lego is a very well-known brand that’s been around for decades. And with the boom of the internet, it needed to find new ways to interact with customers. 

Throughout the rise of social media, Lego has built its roots with most engagement via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The brand does an exceptional job by actively responding to comments on its social media pages, creating consistent content, and actively involves its community members.

Lego has affiliate programs and uses professionally photographed UGC on its Instagram. On Twitter, Lego has #LegoFanFriday which gives fans the opportunity to display what they’ve recently made with their Legos or Lego sets. 

The brand provides its ideas site for users to vote and be active with contests, product votes and ideas, and more. Through this, fans have been able to vote for new Lego product concepts and branding like the 90th-anniversary retro logo. 

By using these tools that involve their audience members and building an online community is a great way for the brand to grow its memberships, also known as their Lego VIP. Lego VIP includes special offers, points systems to earn and redeem, and additional reasons to buy more.

Outside of the online encounters, Lego also has immersive in-person experiences like Legoland stores, resorts, and theme parks. In addition, Lego took the initiative to involve itself in movies – The Lego Movie was a huge hit in 2014, which now has the popular characters included at Legoland and its own theme park.

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Overall, building a community for brands and audience members to be a part of is a great way to involve loyal feedback, and keep customers wanting more. Through the examples of Chewy and Lego shows that interactions between customers and brands can be very effective for the brand itself.

I know what you’re thinking – AUDITING?! 

Right, but not a financial audit, a social media audit – it’s different! Social media audits examine network accounts of different company brands. And the reasoning behind them is to find opportunities to raise engagement, resulting in better sell-through with products or services. 

Within the last week, I performed a social media audit for HomeGoods. Who doesn’t love HomeGoods – it’s always restocked with trendy, cost-effective home items that are hard to pass up. However, although they have such a great in-store experience, they aren’t quite as well driven on the digital side. 

Here are the social media accounts HomeGoods takes advantage of:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• YouTube

They also have a LinkedIn page, but I didn’t include it here as it doesn’t pertain to product engagement (it also has the lowest follower count at 7,927 followers). 

Most HomeGoods social media accounts don’t have a lot of traction – few posts, and low engagement. After reviewing the social media audit I made of these accounts, it’s prevalent that HomeGoods could expand their presence and engagement. 

Deeper Dive into Three Social Media Accounts

Facebook

While HomeGoods doesn’t have an excellent post-per-week schedule (with an average of half of a post per week) on their Facebook page, it does have many followers at 3.2mil. The average of those followers are also within a good age range to be the company’s ideal audience, as home buyers, renters, etc.

Because the posting is at a low rate, the interaction is also lacking. Each post averages at about 100 likes, and for 3.2 million followers with 12 posts in the last six months – that is not a lot. 

Instagram

It’s not very surprising to see that HomeGoods activity is larger on their Instagram than all other platforms. The follower count of Instagram is the highest of all others at 3.4mil, so it makes sense to have the most interaction there. 

Using photo content is a great way for HomeGoods to show their customers what’s in store, and to use seasonal promos. 

Youtube

Out of all of HomeGoods social media accounts, YouTube has the lowest number of subscribers. However, it’s definitely worth it for the company to continue expanding its content on the platform. Recently, they have had much activity with a series of commercial episodes, featuring Jillian Bell, called Home Sweet HomeGoods. 

The video ad campaign is not only entertaining but engaging for audience members. The six episodes combined have an average of about 1 million views. Props to HomeGoods for thinking of this marketing masterpiece! To continue their growth on the platform by using video advertising series may not only help their engagement on YouTube but others as well. 

HomeGoods Social Media Opportunities

Overall, HomeGoods social media is lacking in engagement. But with lack, comes opportunity. One of the great things about social media audits is that they provide the chance to see where there’s any downfall, to pick it up. 

Some of the main areas of opportunity I see involve the three networks I dove into above, and according to my audit, these are the most essential platforms that HomeGoods could benefit from. 

Here’s a list of opportunities for HomeGoods digital reach expansion:

• Begin to actively post on Facebook. There’s a solid audience.
• Continue actively posting on Instagram. 
  • Use more meaningful captions
  • Utilize the #GoFinding hashtag more often
  • Develop even more relevant hashtags
• Continue actively posting on YouTube.
  • Develop more video ad campaigns as series
  • There are a few how-to videos before Home Sweet HomeGoods premiered. This is also a great way to continue video posts when in-between the big projects.
• Advertise the big promotional campaigns like Home Sweet HomeGoods on other social media accounts with direct links. HomeGoods has done this a few times, but it isn’t consistent. This will help to not only have more posts on each account but to bring loyal members to different sites and have more engagement. 

By utilizing these opportunities for digital growth, HomeGoods may in turn effectively drive more customers to their stores. Of the three platforms, Facebook is high up on the focus list as it has a high following. Though Instagram has the largest following and engagement, it may be a bigger priority than Facebook. Then YouTube has the most potential for growth if they continue doing what they’re doing with the video series and more. 

Ultimately, HomeGoods social media has a ways to go. But like I said earlier, this is where social media auditing provides many opportunities!

Who remembers Myspace? I do! It was my first social media experience. And at the time (approximately 2006 to be exact), I had no idea what social media was. We were just within the first decade of the widely accessed internet, with little comprehension of where that would take us. 

Now, social media essentially IS communication. For not only personal reasons, but for businesses as well. The vast majority of people around the world have smart devices which can be accessed from their pockets. They contain just about anything you can think of – calling, instant messaging, GPS navigation, wallets, and access to all sorts of applications for almost endless ways of communicating and finding information. 

With this advancement of technology, people and company reach have needed to adapt. 

Social Media’s Importance

So, is social media important? Well, to put it simply, yes. It’s an integral and significant part of our society. It helps us to connect with family, friends, and even strangers. It aids us to visually learn about others, different cultures, world or local events and news, businesses – whether large or entrepreneurial, and so on. 

Of course, there are complications that come with the advancement of technology and social media. With virtually anyone being able to share information, it’s become difficult for us to know what’s real and what’s fake. And because of that, we need to do our part in executing more research before quickly sharing news stories, as easy as it is to click that button. 

Being knowledgeable and doing our research will help prevent the spread of misinformation, which is a not-so-great aspect of social media. Doing this will also help us to use it much more effectively and for its better purposes.

Businesses are able to use social media to build up their brand and audience awareness, loyalty, reachability, and ultimately, make sales. With the rise of social media, the audience’s attention has moved from traditional news, billboards, and commercials, to what’s on their phones. Because of this, companies have found it necessary to make their own social media accounts to stay visible to their customers. In this case, social media is important for businesses to make business. 

Taking advantage of social media campaigns for successful product experiences

Coors light has used a few campaigns since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. One, where they gave out free beer to anyone on Twitter who used the #CouldUseABeer hashtag. And a second one, shortly afterwards, where they made a Clone Machine for those working in Zoom conference meetings. 

#CouldUseABeer

Clone Machine

What’s engaging about these is that the company has found ways to deliver powerful movements which relate to people’s emotions about staying home and working virtually (for those who are able to). And thus, effectively increase their brand awareness, and sell more of their product to consumers. 

The company listened to their customers – an impactful interactive marketing technique – and collectively delivered beer to those who #CouldUseABeer. They also took action to continue marketing towards their audience members, still affected by the pandemic.

The future of social media

To be honest, I don’t really know where social media will be in the coming years – all I know is that it will continue to advance. However, social media has steadied out due to its maturing – meaning that the apps that have been developed have consistently secured their audience members, and thus secured their purpose with loyal communities. 

That’s not to say that apps won’t experience more change. With the constant growth of virtual experience, we will definitely continue to see advancement in all things technology. 

Here’s a list of what I think could progress within social media over the next five to ten years:

• More virtual or augmented reality. 
• Continued subscription options for those who don’t want to see ads crowding their feed. 
• More audio and video capabilities.

There is one more feature I think could be utilized in the future. Switching gears back to Myspace here – I wouldn’t be surprised if other social media apps took advantage of some of the perks of the early to mid 2000’s media hit. With our attention spans continuing to decline, what better way to tell users who we are than with a favorite song and decorated home page? 

Using social media in a functional aspect is important. Yes, that means to also be ethical and do research beyond the posts that receive so many shares – finding a credible source. That said, social media is great for building virtual communities, connecting with others, and for businesses to reach their audience (and vice versa). And to put it lightly, social media is not going anywhere – it will evolve to some degree – but it is here to stay.