Delicious Social Media Success
In the modern marketing world where everyone is trying to create compelling content, how do you make sure your brand isn’t lost in the noise? Some brands stand out in their social media efforts, and I love finding inspiration in the success of others. One of the social media marketing campaigns I’m addicted to right now is Hostess Snack Cakes. They instantly hooked me with all the things they were doing right.
The brand voice is clever, but never mean
Unique brand voices are on the rise right now. Brands have figured out they don’t have to be only polite and promotional, and we are finally seeing some really unique voices by bigger brands. Wendy’s created a huge uproar when they transitioned to a sassy brand voice. Even though it bordered on mean, their audience embraced being roasted on social media by the fast food restaurant. The Hostess’s brand voice is unique in that it is fun and witty, but never crosses the line into being mean.
They are engaging
The most important and challenging goal of social media is to engage with your audience. Social media should be a long-term relationship, but so many brands miss this by not continuing the conversation. Hostess communicates with their followers directly and intimately by responding directly to comments and even calling users by their first names. The familiarity draws me in and makes me feel closer to the brand. It’s almost like they know me, and it’s almost like they know I eat too many snacks.
The graphics are simple and on point
Stock photos with some brand images carefully placed on top is all you need to be fun on social media. Entertaining content doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and Hostess gets that. They focus most on the idea, but they keep the execution simple.
They respond to conflict with grace
Some brands don’t respond to negative posts at all, while others respond to every single negative post they get even if someone is just trolling. Hostess seems to ride the line in between the two extremes. They don’t respond to all of the negativity, but if there is an opportunity to make a playful comment or change someone’s mind, they don’t mind chiming in.
When a brand chooses a specific voice, they may not connect to everyone, but they will leave a lasting impression on the people they do connect with. Kudos to Hostess for making strong choices that are clearly working in their favor.