Although advertising takes many forms nowadays, laws still apply. When using social media channels to advertise, your statements must be consistent across all accounts. The content of what you advertise needs to obey the provisions outlined in the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. To read the consequences of false and misleading statements, read here. Ultimately, what you advertise on social media should be no different from what you’d advertise in print.
1. Time Matters
The success of a post is largely dependent on what time you make one. A lot of companies have trackers that determine if the timing of a post will correlate with the amount of views or likes. Some basic findings include that for Facebook, Wednesday are the best day to post. Whereas, posts before 7 AM and after 5 PM get the least amount of engagement. These results are similar for Instagram and Twitter.
2. Pay for a Boost
Paid promotions through social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook will increase the amount of times a post appears on someone’s feed. Boosting a post can keep your company constantly on someone’s mind. Further, websites such as Facebook provide many options towards which audience to target. However, it’s important to consider social media channels outside the usual Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. LinkedIn can be important for business to business advertisements. Conversely, WeChat is extremely prominent amongst the Asian population. Therefore, consider who your target audience is, and advertise through the appropriate channels.
3. Hashtags
Hashtagging the right catchwords can expose your company to the right audience. However, creating a hashtag and a community around that can also work very effectively. This has proven successful with many companies, such as Coca-Cola’s #ShareACoke and Calvin Klein’s #MyCalvins. This can definitely increase brand awareness and the successful ones often incorporate a positive social change campaign. Examples include Always’ #LikeAGirl campaign which went viral, challenging gender stereotypes and empowering women. Another momentous movement was ALS Association’s #IceBucketChallenge. It went viral, creating great awareness and funding. The trend was further fueled through tagging friends to participate too!
4. Brand Ambassadors
Knowing who your target audience is can be easy, but knowing how to get their attention can be a difficult task. Instagram and YouTube are one of the most widely used social media platforms. However, they’re also conveniently used to promote products. Popular Instagrammers and YouTubers often get paid to review products, and if their audience matches the target audience for your product, then positive results can soon follow. However, it’s important to scout a wide-range of potential “influencers”, as well as the image they promote. Of course, you don’t want your brand associated with someone negative.
5. Promotions Exclusive to Social Media
You’ve probably seen competitions, where you tag a friend in the comments of a post and are in the winning for an amazing prize. This strategy is effective because it increases your brand awareness towards a chain of customers. Therefore, having a competition or promotion only available through social media channels can really help to reel in people to visit your accounts. This technique can work for all companies, whether new or old! Other examples include having a discount when people post a photo of your product tagging your company or with a brand hashtag.
Legal Reminders
A lot of cases involving advertising on social media have actually involved comments on a company’s posts. For example, if a fan makes false statements about a competitor, a company can be expected to take it down as soon as they are aware. The court will decide what is reasonably expected from the company.
For more scenarios and what can constitute a misleading claim, visit the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s social media cautions. This page explores how you can minimise your risk as a company and the role of the ACCC. If you’re unsure of what guidelines adhere with you, we suggest contacting a Competition Lawyer. These lawyers are familiar with the rules that regulate what companies can or can not do.
