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20% of consumers think hashtags are mainly useful for researching products

One in five (20%) consumers believe that hashtags are primarily useful for finding information on brands and products, though the most common use is for identifying trends (30%).

The findings come from a RadiumOne survey into consumer attitudes towards hashtags, which also revealed that out of the 58% of respondents that said they use hashtags, more than two thirds (70%) said they use them on a mobile device.

Unfortunately this question is slightly flawed as it appears that respondents were forced to answer either desktop or mobile, as if it’s impossible for a person to use hashtags on both devices, but it does at least indicate that people use them more frequently on their mobile.

Unsurprisingly, the report found that consumers would be more willing to use product-related hashtags if they were rewarded with discounts.

by David Moth 03 April 2013 12:19pm 0 comments

How H&M uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+

H&M is rated as one of the world’s top 25 brands, so it’s a great candidate for one of our posts looking at how brands use the four main social networks.

It follows on from similar blogs looking at the social strategies of major brands including Nike, Red Bull, Walmart and John Lewis.

H&M has actually gone to the trouble of publishing the basis of its social strategy online. It states that through social media “millions of H&M fans and followers share ideas and opinions and get quick answers to their queries.”

It has official accounts on almost every major social network, including Chinese platforms Youku and Sina Weibo.

Unfortunately my Mandarin is a bit rusty, so for this post I’ll just focus on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+...

by David Moth 03 April 2013 10:35am 7 comments

Brands that use Vine: five great vs. five bad examples

Twitter's Vine launched to much fanfare at the beginning of the year and brands have been quick to experiment with the video sharing tool to both promote their products and generally have a bit of fun.

Unfortunately too many brands seem to think that just because it’s a throwaway six-second clip they don’t have to put much effort into it, so the clips often end up looking quite messy and of poor quality.

Similarly the temptation is often to try and cram as much as you can into the short time frame, which can make it difficult to work out what's going on in the clip.

In my opinion, the best examples use a single continuous clip or motion capture so the viewer doesn't have to try and take in several different camera angles in just six seconds. I would suggest that unless there's a particuarly pressing need, Vines should be limited to around three of four different shots otherwise it can dilute the impact.

Furthermore, it's a good idea to mount the phone on something so that the video doesn't look too shaky.

by David Moth 02 April 2013 10:38am 8 comments

From share to sale: is social commerce worth the investment?

The social media gold rush is well underway and many retailers are still weighing up how best to approach social commerce.

With new tools being launched every month and audiences continue to grow social commerce is a tempting prospect for retailers but what sort of return can brands expect to see on their investment?

In this post, I'll explore the prospects of social retail and how retailers can capitalise on sharing.

by Eric Abensur 28 March 2013 09:12am 3 comments

How Nike uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+

Sports are an inherently social activity, so brands like Nike are a natural fit when it comes to social media marketing.

To find out how the sports giant makes the most of this opportunity, I thought it would be interesting to see how it uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+.

This post is the latest in a series of blogs that have taken a similar look at major brands including ASOS, Tesco, Red Bull, Cadbury and McDonalds...

by David Moth 27 March 2013 13:22pm 7 comments

Coca-Cola: the 's' in social media doesn't stand for 'sales'

Coca-Cola, one of the most iconic consumer brands in the world, is not surprisingly one of the most popular and active brands on social media. In fact, with more than 62m 'likes' on Facebook, it's the most popular brand on the world's largest social network.

But in looking at the online chatter that takes place on social networks, Coca-Cola has come to a startling conclusion: there's essentially no impact on sales.

by Patricio Robles 20 March 2013 14:22pm 33 comments

Second screen and why you should pay attention in 2013

Watching TV whilst browsing the internet has been around for as long as I have been using the internet.

It used to be because we needed something to do whilst waiting for slow dial-up connections to download content, but nowadays multi-tasking via a 'second screen' or 'dual screen' is part of our everyday routine.

by Rhian Simms 20 March 2013 11:53am 10 comments

How Cadbury uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+

Cadbury appears to be readymade for social marketing as it is a historic brand with products that people love.

However it hasn’t simply rested on its laurels and expected the ‘likes’ to come rolling in.

In the past year we’ve reported on Cadbury’s use of Facebook and Google+ for product launches, as well as its shift away from traditional media thanks to its success in social media.

Therefore I thought it would be interesting take a closer look at how the brand uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+.

This post is the latest in a series that has already examined the social strategies of several other major consumer brands, including ASOS, Tesco, McDonald’s and Red Bull.

by David Moth 20 March 2013 10:43am 6 comments

How Arena Flowers used Twitter to deal with a customer service catastrophe

Fans of funny Twitter feeds will probably be aware of Arena Flowers’ comedy account, and I highly recommend that you start following it if you're not already.

The florist adopted its rather offbeat strategy in 2011 after achieving limited success with a more traditional approach to social marketing, however it was forced to abandon the comic tweets recently following a disaster with its Valentine’s Day deliveries.

A series of problems with the supply chain meant that a number of orders didn’t arrive on time, so the customer service team turned to Twitter to help deal with the flood of queries and complaints.

The crisis has since subsided and the comedy tweets are back up and running, so I spoke to Arena Flowers' managing director Will Wynne about how the company used Twitter to help deal with the situation...

by David Moth 19 March 2013 10:02am 5 comments

How McDonald's uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+

In the latest instalment of our blog series looking at how brands make use of the four major social networks, I’ve decided to take a closer look at McDonald’s.

McDonald’s is one of the most recognisable brands in the world, yet also has to battle a fair amount of negative publicity, so one would assume that its social accounts would be extremely active.

This blog follows on from similar posts looking at the social strategies of ASOS, Walmart, Starbucks and Red Bull, among others.

And without further ado, here is a quick look at how McDonald’s uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+...

by David Moth 13 March 2013 10:39am 10 comments