Singaporeans’ Online Sentiment about the Recent Issues that Shook Singapore Politics
It seemed like time stood still for Singapore in the last two months. With the nation anticipating its 58th birthday just around the corner, this series of events led Singaporeans to ask – what moral standards do we set for our leaders?
We analyzed people’s discussions and opinions online to gain deeper insights into Singaporeans’ sentiments regarding these matters.
Which Topics Did People Talk and Engage About the Most?
The Ridout Road Saga, which began in May 2023, dominated conversations and engagements (Likes, Comments, and Shares). It accounted for half of the conversations about the five recent issues as it has been discussed for the past two months.
The corruption probe involving Minister Iswaran and Ong Beng Seng, which people still sought more details about, came in a far second, taking over 20% of the buzz. Despite only being revealed last week, the two affairs already got significant volume, as this kind of issue hasn’t happened in Singapore politics since Former Speaker of the Parliament Michael Palmer resigned from his position 11 years ago.
Leon Perera and Nicole Seah’s issue had a slightly higher volume than Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui’s, as this was the only recent issue involving the opposition party. Tan Chuan-Jin’s remark towards MP Jamus Lim had a significantly lower buzz and engagement volume with the other topics as the revelation of the two affairs immediately succeeded it.
How Much Did People Discuss Each Topic Over Time?
Since the beginning of the Ridout Road Saga in early May, it has remained a topic of discussion for an extended period. There were two notable spikes in conversations: one at the end of May, following statements made by Minister K Shanmugam and Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on the matter, and another at the start of July when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed the issue in Parliament.
In contrast, Tan Chuan-Jin’s unparliamentary remark generated discussions for just a week before being overshadowed by the two affair-related issues.
Regarding the more recent revelations, Minister Iswaran’s issues experienced the highest peak of conversations. Although there was a significant dip a week later, people are still actively discussing it online. Both affairs brought to light just last week already had a dip in conversations this week.
What are People’s Sentiments About Each Topic?
The recent issues led to people mistrusting the government – with the theme being the highest for all topics, except the issue involving Leon Perera and Nicole Seah.
People have doubts about the proceedings’ fairness concerning the Ridout Road Saga and the corruption probe involving Minister Iswaran and Ong Beng Seng.
People questioned the length of time that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong knew about Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui’s relationship but did not take the proper actions.
Even though it had the lowest volume of conversations, Tan Chuan-Jin’s unparliamentary language issue had the highest percentage of mistrust sentiment because people perceived using that language unacceptable and unbecoming, especially of a Speaker.
Leon Perera and Nicole Seah’s issue also had a percentage of conversations questioning the timing of when the video was released, seemingly implying that it might be a strategy to distract from the other issues.
Aside from this main theme, people also called for transparency as they sought more details about the issues – especially for Minister Iswaran’s still unfolding probe and Leon Perera & Nicole Seah’s video that some people thought was unclear or edited.
Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui’s issue got a significant percentage of conversations supporting the government, showing that it doesn’t tolerate that behavior among its members.
Other themes discussed were the proper allocation of the Ridout Road properties, as several people thought using the land for public housing or parks would be better.
Leon Perera and Nicole Seah’s issue generated significant buzz about people’s mistrust of the WP, as they said they liked the two MPs and were disappointed with them.
What Brands and Marketers Can Learn from the Singapore Political Climate
The recent happenings in the Singapore political climate have highlighted important expectations that people have from their government. As brands and marketers, valuable lessons must be learned from these developments to build trust and credibility with their audiences.
1. Embrace Honesty and Transparency
Singaporeans expect their government to be honest and transparent in addressing issues, especially during challenging times. Similarly, brands and marketers should adopt open and transparent communication with their customers. Being forthcoming about products, services, and potential shortcomings can strengthen the bond of trust between brands and their audience. People are very discerning now and can assess a person/organization’s sincerity through their words – see how netizens have graded the resignation letters of ex-MPs Tan Chuan-Jin, Cheng Li Hui, Leon Perera, and Nicole Seah.
2. Prioritize the Well-being of Customers
A key demand from the public is for the government to prioritize the well-being of the average citizen and allocate resources for the greater good. Similarly, brands should prioritize customers’ needs and strive to provide value and positive experiences. Putting customers’ interests above profit-driven motives fosters loyalty and long-term customer relationships.
3. Uphold Moral Standards
The discussions surrounding the moral obligations and higher standards of public officials serve as a reminder for brands and marketers to uphold ethical practices. Acting with integrity and being responsible in business operations can enhance a brand’s reputation and foster a positive image among consumers. Also,
4. Embrace Healthy Competition
The call for establishing a ‘real’ opposition party indicates a desire for proper checks and balances within the government. Brands and marketers can learn from this by embracing healthy competition within their industry. Healthy competition encourages innovation and continuously pushes companies to improve their products and services.
5. Be Human and Empathetic
Finally, it is crucial to recognize the human element in leadership. The recent events show that everyone is fallible, even those in positions of power. Brands and marketers can draw from this insight by being authentic and acknowledging their imperfections. Demonstrating vulnerability, when appropriate, can create a sense of relatability and strengthen the connection with the audience. Also, no matter how tempting it is to leverage a trending topic, it’s more important to exercise grace and empathy – as shown by the flak gotten by Takagi Ramen’s online post related to Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui’s issue. Not every trend should be capitalized – the critical thing is to see which trends align with your brand’s values.
Author’s Note
Kei Obusan – Insights Director at Radarr
Kei Obusan has worked for agencies, brands, and consultancies in the digital analytics and consumer insights space for the past ten years. She has worked with brands from various industries, such as FMCG, pharmaceutical, and technology.
Social media is getting bigger and bigger with each passing day.
Just when your brand has established its presence on one, there seems to be a new platform waiting for you.
As a brand, you naturally want to be where your audience is and be the first to reach them. But bringing in another social media channel into your marketing strategy is easier said than done – especially if you’re running on a defined social media marketing budget.
Taking into account content creation, management, monitoring and more, and your social media marketing budget can skyrocket in no time.
That’s why in this post, we’re going to look into how to decide your social media marketing budget to keep room for experiments.
What is a social media marketing budget?
A social media marketing budget is the allocated amount of money for marketing efforts on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. It outlines spending on ads, content, and promotions, helping businesses make effective use of resources to reach their target audience and achieve their marketing goals.
Why should you have a social media marketing budget?
With so many channels and platforms to be present on, not having a social media marketing budget can quickly run a business into increasing spends without getting the ROI they wish to accomplish from them – in the longer term, this means burning their resources.
Here are a few reasons why we recommend having a social media budget:
With the ever-increasing number of active users on various social networks, having a dedicated budget ensures that resources are allocated strategically to reach and engage with the target audience.
Investing in social media advertising and content creation enables businesses to enhance brand visibility, drive website traffic, and generate leads. A well-managed budget allows for experimentation with different ad formats and audience targeting options, optimizing campaigns for better results.
Without a social media budget, businesses risk falling behind competitors actively leveraging these platforms, missing out on valuable opportunities to connect with customers, build brand loyalty, and ultimately drive business growth.
Having a defined social media marketing budget also helps build in room for experiments on trends, content formats, moment marketing and more, without disturbing what’s working for you.
What should your social media marketing budget plan include?
Creating a comprehensive social media budget plan is essential for effective financial management and the successful implementation of various marketing strategies.
Let’s break down each point and explain their importance:
1. Content Creation
Content creation refers to the production of various materials such as blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, and other media to engage and attract your target audience.
Your social media budget plan should allocate funds for hiring content creators, graphic designers, video editors, and writers, as well as purchasing licenses for stock images or music, if needed. High-quality and engaging content is crucial for building brand awareness and driving customer engagement.
The budget allocation is distributed across various content types for social media based on their specific objectives, production costs, and frequency of creation.
Keep in mind that the actual figures will depend on your specific business, social media strategy, and the level of investment you want to make in each content type. Regularly assess the performance of your content and adjust the budget allocation accordingly to optimize your social media efforts.
2. Software and Tools
To streamline your marketing efforts and maximize productivity, you’ll need various software and tools. This may include marketing automation platforms, email marketing software, social media management tools, analytics tools, graphic design software, and project management tools.
Allocate a budget for purchasing or subscribing to these tools, as they can significantly enhance your team’s efficiency and effectiveness.
Here are some key types of software and tools that businesses should consider:
Social Media Management Tools: Helps schedule, publish, and manage social media posts across various platforms from a centralized dashboard.
Social Media Analytics Tools: Provides valuable insights into the performance of social media content and campaigns such as engagement, reach, click-through rates, conversions, and audience demographics, helping businesses measure their social media ROI.
Content Creation and Design Tools: Enables businesses to design custom graphics, edit videos, and optimize content for different platforms.
Social Listening Tools: Monitors brand mentions, keywords, and industry trends across social media platforms.
Influencer Marketing Platforms: For businesses considering influencer marketing, these platforms help identify relevant influencers, manage campaigns, and measure the impact of influencer collaborations.
Social Media Advertising Platforms: Social media advertising tools, such as those provided by platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, allow businesses to create and run targeted ad campaigns to reach their desired audience.
PS. You can cut down your cost of tools by using an all-in-one social media marketing tool for listening, monitoring, publishing and analytics, like Radarr.
4. Paid Social Media Campaigns
Social media platforms offer powerful advertising opportunities to reach your target audience directly. Allocating a budget for paid social media campaigns will allow you to promote your content, products, or services, increase brand visibility, and drive traffic to your website.
When allocating social media budgets for paid social media campaigns, consider the following:
Campaign Objectives: Clearly define the objectives of each campaign, such as lead generation, brand awareness, website traffic, or product promotion. Each objective may require different ad formats and targeting strategies.
Platform Selection: Choose social media platforms that align with your target audience and campaign objectives. Different platforms cater to various demographics and user behaviors.
Ad Spend: Decide on the monthly ad spend for each campaign. Consider the platform’s advertising costs, competition, and potential reach when setting the budget.
Campaign Duration: Determine the duration of each campaign. Some campaigns may run continuously, while others may be seasonal or time-limited.
A/B Testing: Allocate a portion of the budget for A/B testing different ad creatives, audience segments, and campaign strategies to identify the most effective approach.
Seasonal Adjustments: Consider seasonal variations and special events when adjusting the budget for specific campaigns.
Contingency: Leave room in the budget for unforeseen circumstances or opportunities that may arise during the campaign period.
It’s essential to continuously monitor and optimize these campaigns to get the best return on investment (ROI).
Using a social media marketing budget calculator offers several advantages that can greatly benefit businesses and marketers.
5. Training and Development
Investing in training and development is crucial for keeping your marketing team up-to-date with the latest industry trends, technologies, and best practices. Allocate a budget for attending workshops, conferences, online courses, or bringing in external trainers to enhance your team’s skills and knowledge.
When allocating budgets for training and development in social media, consider the following:
Program Relevance: Ensure that the chosen training programs align with the specific needs and goals of your social media team. Focus on areas where improvement will have the most significant impact on performance.
Number of Participants: Determine the number of team members who will participate in each program to calculate the total cost accurately.
Cost per Participant: Consider the cost of registration or access fees for each training program per participant.
Training Frequency: Decide on the frequency of training programs, such as quarterly, biannually, or annually, to plan for ongoing development opportunities.
Certification Renewals: Account for the cost of renewing any social media certifications that team members may hold.
Professional Development Budget: Set aside a specific budget for professional development to ensure that your team has access to valuable resources and learning opportunities throughout the year.
Track the impact of training and development initiatives on the performance and efficiency of the social media team to assess their effectiveness and adjust the budget allocation accordingly.
6. Social Strategy and Management
Your social media presence requires a well-defined strategy and consistent management. Budget for social media tools that help you schedule, analyze, and manage your social media posts effectively. Consider allocating funds for hiring social media managers or agencies who can execute your social media strategy and engage with your audience on different platforms.
When allocating budgets for social strategy and management, consider the following:
Social Media Strategy: Budget for research, market analysis, and strategy development to outline clear goals in a style guide, target audience, and content approach.
Content Calendar: Allocate resources for planning content ahead of time to ensure consistency and alignment with the strategy.
Social Media Management Tool: Invest in a comprehensive tool to streamline scheduling, analytics, and collaboration efforts.
Community Management: Budget for dedicated staff or resources to engage with the audience, respond to comments, and address inquiries.
Social Media Advertising Management: Allocate funds for managing and optimizing paid ad campaigns across different platforms.
Social Media Analytics Tool: Use analytics tools to track performance metrics and gain insights for data-driven decision-making.
How big should your social media marketing budget be?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how big your social media budget should be. It’s a dynamic process that requires continuous evaluation and optimization.
Determining the appropriate size of your social media budget depends on various factors, including the size and goals of your business, the social media platforms you intend to use, your target audience, and the level of competition in your industry.
Here are some steps to help you determine the size of your social media budget:
Determine specific social media goals (e.g., brand awareness, lead generation, sales).
Research your target audience and their preferred social media platforms.
Analyze competitor spending to gauge industry benchmarks.
Consider the costs of running ads on various platforms (CPC, CPM).
Start with a smaller budget for testing and gradually increase based on performance.
Monitor and analyze campaign performance using analytics tools.
Stay flexible and adapt your budget to changing trends and opportunities.
To be more specific, social media ad strategies vary among companies, but typically, businesses allocate $200 to $350 daily for their social media advertisements.
How to create a social media marketing budget plan?
Creating a social media marketing budget plan involves careful consideration of your marketing goals, target audience, and available resources.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you create an effective social media budget plan:
Define your objectives: Start by setting clear and measurable goals for your social media marketing efforts. Common objectives include increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads, boosting sales, or improving customer engagement.
Understand your target audience: Identify your target audience’s demographics, interests, and online behavior. This will help you determine which social media platforms are most relevant for reaching your audience effectively.
Choose the right social media platforms: Focus on the platforms where your target audience is most active. Major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube may be relevant, but not all of them will necessarily align with your goals.
Research your competitors: Analyze what your competitors are doing on social media and how successful their strategies are. This can give you insights into what works and what doesn’t within your industry.
Allocate your budget: Determine the amount you are willing to spend on your social media marketing efforts. The budget can vary depending on your overall marketing budget and the scale of your social media strategy.
Divide your budget: Allocate your budget across different aspects of social media marketing. Some common categories include:
a. Content creation: Creating high-quality and engaging content such as graphics, videos, and blog posts.
b. Paid advertising: Budget for sponsored posts, social media ads, and promoted content.
c. Influencer marketing: If relevant to your brand, set aside a portion of the budget for collaborations with influencers or content creators.
d. Social media management tools: Consider investing in social media management tools to streamline your efforts and track performance.
Adjust and optimize: Based on your performance analysis, make necessary adjustments to your budget allocation. Invest more in strategies that yield positive results and consider scaling back or modifying approaches that don’t perform as expected.
Review periodically: Conduct regular reviews of your social media budget plan to ensure it aligns with your overall marketing objectives and business goals. Regularly update your strategy based on changing circumstances and insights gained from data analysis.
Conclusion
Every business requires a tailored approach based on its specific goals and resources. To maximize the impact of your budget, it is crucial to proactively assess the response and ROI from each social media channel.
Social listening and analytics play a key role in making informed decisions about budget allocation. By closely monitoring performance metrics, businesses can identify the most effective channels and strategies, ultimately optimizing their marketing efforts.
Radarr offers comprehensive tools for tracking, analyzing, and optimizing your social media efforts.
Book a demo today and discover the difference it can make for your business.
Social media managers, marketers and advertisers, this piece is for you.
If you’ve landed here, anxious and nervous about your future as a social media manager in the age of ChatGPT and AI, we want you to google AI FAIlures on Google or head to this directory of AI-related errors that have caused billion-dollar losses to the companies who used AI blindly.
From Tessa, a chatbot who replaced dozens of human employees to respond to people’s mental health queries and reassurance, but eventually ended up giving harmful dieting advice to people seeking help for eating disorders..
Maybe you’ve heard about how a professor fAIled his entire class because ChatGPT told him that the papers were written through AI, even though they weren’t.
Looking at such incidents, it is clear that the rushed move to an ‘only AI’ strategy has cost companies and will continue to do so.
As any social media manager might know, even well-thought-out campAIgns can sometimes go over poorly.
Cue a Twitter storm and a PR nightmare!
Does that mean AI is not helpful to content creation?
Absolutely not!
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a buzzword in the tech industry for quite some time now.
Its applications are vast and varied, and it has been making significant strides in many fields, including social media marketing.
The advent of AI tools for social media has led to a surge in discussions about the possibility of AI replacing social media managers.
However, looking at the examples above, we firmly believe that while AI can enhance the capabilities of social media managers, it will not replace them.
Let’s zero in on the exact reasons.
AI Always Has Answers (Even When It Doesn’t)
Generative AI HAS to respond to a query – so even when it doesn’t have an answer, it will find one, making up answers that sound convincing.
This issue has been seen in Google’s Bard, Open AI’s CHAT GPT and other tools.
This highlights the absolute necessity of fact-checking every piece of content that has been created with AI.
We recommend you fact-check your research data FIRST, feed that as part of your brief to any AI tools you want to use to create content, AND do a final fact-check before releasing ANY AI-generated content.
AI functions on Limited Data Sets
Another significant problem lies with the datasets these tools are trAIned on.
Until recently, Chat GPT was unable to access live links and would base its answers on knowledge up till 2020 only.
Even now, the rate of information, news, and events grow too rapidly for any tool to keep up and its data set to become outdated.
So when AI doesn’t have an answer, because it doesn’t have the correct data to process, it will generate ‘stories’ and mislead the querent.
AI Models Have Been Repeatedly Proven to Be Biased
Implicit bias has been a recurring problem with machine learning for decades.
Take for example, whenHewlett-Packard’s cameras had difficulty identifying the faces of Black people but had no issue with lighter-skinned users, because the software’s trAIning and testing were not as diverse as they should have been!
Even Amazon’s recruitment system, which wanted to streamline and speed up its hiring process, found that it routinely discriminated agAInst women’s resumes because they did not have active/powerful words like “executed” and “captured,” which were predominantly found in male candidates’ resumes.
What does this mean for you, as a social media manager in 2023?
When you fact check, check for any bias in your content before sending it for production.
The Role of AI in Social Media Marketing
AI has introduced a new level of automation and data analysis that was previously unimaginable.
Its tools for social media can analyze vast amounts of data, identify patterns, and provide insights that can help marketers make informed decisions.
For instance, Facebook’s ad management system uses AI to provide recommendations based on machine learning.
AI also AIds in social listening, a crucial aspect of social media marketing.
Tools like Radarr use AI to monitor conversations and trends on social media platforms, saving marketers a significant amount of time.
Moreover, AI can automate tasks such as lead generation and customer service via chatbots to handle customer queries and requests, reducing the need for manual intervention – but not negating it entirely.
There will always be complAInts and issues that need human intervention or even human empathy, as the example of the chatbot called Tessa showed when it messed up and misled people with eating disorders.
A lot of hate and dislike agAInst chatbots is because people just don’t like how they sound. And while Chat GPT and NLP advances to sound more like it, it’s just not there yet.
Despite these advancements, AI is not a magic wand or a fix-all solution. It is a tool that can streamline processes, but it cannot replace the human touch that is essential for effective marketing.
Social media is about connecting with people, understanding their emotions, and building relationships. These are inherently human attributes that cannot be replicated by AI.
A community can’t be run via a machine – and that is the point of social media.
The Future of Social Media Management with AI
The future of social media management is not about AI replacing humans, but about AI enabling humans to do their jobs better.
And the key to using it effectively goes beyond just having ‘the right prompt’.
Use AI to free up time that takes up hours of manual work, to brAInstorm and come up with new ideas and strategies faster.
By automating such repetitive tasks, a social media manager will have more time to create connections between events to drum up new and fun takes to experiment with, w.r.t brand voice.
AI can also be a valuable tool for content creation.
Use it to come up with ideas for hooks for reels, crafting compelling captions, for content pillars for your niche – the possibilities are endless.
Aaaas long as you (say it with us) fact check all of it!
As we move forward, the role of social media managers will evolve, and you will need to learn to leverage AI to enhance their capabilities.
Don’t be scared of it- learn to use it well and it can become a time-saving asset to your marketing team!
Want to see how leading brands are using AI for social media marketing?
Radarr uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help brands proactively listen, monitor, analyze and respond to conversations happening across social media. This helps them understand their audience better and create campaigns that strike a chord!
Here’s a complete breakdown of Etsy’s approach to UGC (user generated content) and lessons for your brand. Don’t miss it!
Founded in 2005, Etsy has become popular as a platform for creativity, crafts, and small businesses. Over the years, the brand has won millions of hearts and minds by leveraging stunning product images from its creator community for its product listings.
However, as content consumption rapidly shifted from static images to short videos, static image performance could not compete with video content.
At this point, Etsy revised its strategy and began using user-generated content on social media in three different ways to bring the brand to life and emphasize the uniqueness of the community:
Seller-created content
Content co-produced with hired video creators
Original, high-quality content
What Is Etsy’s Approach To UGC in Marketing on Social Media?
Now that we know 3 different ways in which Etsy is leveraging user generated content. Let’s understand them in detail:
1. Seller-Generated Content
Seller-generated content (UGC) is the most important part of Etsy’s UGC strategy. This content consists of photos, videos, and reviews. Etsy encourages sellers to create high-quality content that showcases their products and helps shoppers make informed purchasing decisions.
To find out who is creating content for their products, Etsy uses social listening to scour Instagram and TikTok using hashtags and keywords. The brand also offers many tools and resources to help sellers create content, such as product photography tips, video tutorials, and review platforms. Additionally, Etsy offers sellers the opportunity to participate in UGC contests and promotions.
UGC content example 1:
Etsy launched its Explore Video feature in 2022. This feature allows sellers to create and share short videos of their products. These videos are then featured in the Explore section of the Etsy app, where millions can see them.
2. Co-created content with hired video creators
In addition to seller-created content, the brand creates co-created content with hired video creators for UGC marketing. This content is typically more polished and professional than seller-generated content as it is used to promote the brand on social media and other channels.
Collaborative content on Etsy’s social media is typically produced in-house by its marketing team. However, the company has also worked with independent video creators and influencers to produce content that matches its brand values.
UGC content example 2:
Etsy partnered with multi-award-winning artist , John Legend who co-designed this limited-edition home and living collab with an incredible group of women, Black, and underrepresented sellers available exclusively on Etsy.
3. Original content
Etsy also produces original content not created by the seller or commissioned video artist. This content includes blog posts, infographics, and social media posts. Etsy Original Content is typically used to educate buyers about the Etsy platform, sellers, and products.
Etsy’s user generated content on social media is a three-tiered approach combining seller-generated, co-created, and original content. This strategy has helped Etsy build a strong community of sellers and buyers and helped the company promote its brand globally.
What Can Brands Learn From Etsy’s UGC Marketing Strategy?
Etsy is a great example of how user generated content (UGC) can be used to build a strong brand and drive sales. Here are some of the key lessons what your brand can learn from Etsy’s marketing strategy:
1. Make it easy for customers to create UGC
Etsy understands the importance of making it easy for customers to participate in user-generated content (UGC). They provide sellers with easy-to-use tools and features to effectively showcase their products.
You can learn from Etsy’s marketing strategy and implement an intuitive platform that makes it easy for customers to create and share content related to their experience with your brand. This may include submitting reviews, uploading photos, or sharing testimonials. By removing roadblocks and streamlining processes, you can encourage more customers to participate in creating UGC.
Here are some specific ways you can make it easy for customers to participate in UGC:
Create a dedicated section on your website or social media pages
Use clear and concise instructions for submitting UGC
Offer incentives for customers who participate
2. Promote UGC on your website and social media channels
Etsy actively promotes user-generated content on social media channels and the website. This includes customer photos, reviews, and stories that showcase users’ unique and personalized experiences with Etsy’s products.
You can follow the same strategy by curating and highlighting UGC. You can use this content as social proof and inspiration for potential customers. UGC marketing can help your brand demonstrate authenticity and build trust with their audience.
3. Use UGC to build trust and credibility
Etsy recognizes the power of user-generated content (UGC) in building trust and credibility. They encourage sellers and buyers to leave honest ratings and reviews, providing potential customers valuable social proof.
You can learn from this by using UGC marketing to showcase positive experiences, testimonials, and case studies from satisfied customers. By amplifying the voice of the customer, your brand can build trust and credibility and influence the purchasing decisions of potential customers.
4. Use UGC to drive sales
Etsy uses the compelling potential of UGC to grow sales. How? By creating compelling stories about their products by allowing customers to share their experiences and showcase their purchases. These stories are more likely to resonate with potential customers than traditional marketing messages, as they come from real people who have used the products.
You can learn from Etsy’s example and incorporate UGC into your marketing strategy. This can be done by asking customers to share photos or videos of themselves using the products or featuring customer reviews on product pages or ads. UGC can also be used to create social media content, such as blog posts or infographics.
With the help of UGC marketing, you can tap into the power of real-world experiences to influence audience buying behavior. When potential customers see that other people are enjoying a product, they are likely to want to try it for themselves. UGC can also help build trust and credibility with potential customers, as it shows that real people have tried and tested your products.
5. Listen to your customers
Etsy values insights and feedback from our community. We actively encourage sellers to engage with customers, reply to reviews, and address concerns.
You can take a similar approach by actively listening to your customers using social listening, learning from their feedback, and making improvements based on their preferences and needs. By using user-generated content as a valuable source of information, you can iterate your products, improve your services, and build stronger relationships with your customers.
Unleash the Power of UGC Marketing for Your Brand Growth with Social Listening
Etsy’s remarkable success in leveraging user-generated content on social media provides valuable lessons for brands seeking growth and credibility. By adopting and harnessing the UGC marketing, you can tap into your customers’ authentic experiences and voices, fostering trust and loyalty.
Furthermore, you can take advantage of social listening tools to monitor and analyze conversations on social media and other online platforms to gain invaluable insights into consumer preferences, trends, and sentiment. This will help you identify opportunities, address concerns, and optimize your strategy for user generated content on social media for maximum impact.
Ready to explore the possibilities of social listening and elevate your UGC game?
The advent of social media has undoubtedly opened up a world of opportunities for businesses across industries. Today, there are hundreds of brands that leverage social media as a key channel for product sales, brand awareness, customer engagement, and so much more.
However, this also means that there are a lot of businesses that closely compete with each other on social media and it has become quite challenging for brands to cut through all the noise by themselves.
This is where there is one key strategy that winning brands are using to stand out on social media and that is employee advocacy.
In this blog we elaborate on everything you need to know about employee advocacy on social media and why it’s important.
What is employee advocacy on social media?
Employee advocacy on social media is nothing but a strategy where individuals who work at a company promote it on social channels such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and others. This is often done through an employee’s personal social handles and includes content around company culture, job openings, industry news, and other company-related news and articles.
Types of employee advocacy
There are different types of employee advocacy on social media. Let’s take a look at some of them that you can include in your marketing strategy:
1. Promoting company merch
Most companies periodically send out company swag to employees. These can include tshirts, sweatshirts, stickers, mugs, notebooks, and several other useful, branded items that employees can use everyday. Not only are they a great way to promote your company but they are often a hit with employees.
Employees often put out posts about the swag and merch they receive on channels such as LinkedIn and Instagram and are a great example of employee advocacy on social media.
2. Advocating company culture
Another way to encourage employee advocacy on social media is by getting employees to post about the company’s culture. They can elaborate on initiatives taken by the company to empower employees and enable their well-being. A good example would be aspects such as mental health days, harboring a culture of innovation, transparency, inclusivity and more.
This brings attention to the organization’s values and their standards and how they are working towards creating a positive work environment for all employees.
3. Advocating internal rewards and recognitions
A happy employee is the most loyal brand advocate for a company. This is why it is essential to foster a culture of recognizing employees for their contributions and achievements. Some examples of recognition programs include celebrating work anniversaries, sending out gift cards and coupons, staff lunches, etc.
What are the benefits of employee advocacy?
Employee advocacy on social media has a positive impact on the company as well as on employees.
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of employee advocacy:
1. Improved brand sentiment
Employee advocacy on social media brings about a positive impact on how people view an organization. It brings about a sense of optimism and favorability towards a brand amongst the target audience.
Along with a better perception of the brand, employee advocacy increases brand awareness and is a great way to promote your company organically. Better brand reach also contributes to improved sales.
3. Better recruitment and sales leads
The positive word-of-mouth and employee advocacy on social media evokes favorable perceptions in the minds of both people looking for jobs as well as customers. This increases the possibility of getting better recruits into the company and also improves the quality of sales leads that come in.
4. Better employee retention
Employee advocacy programs encourage a high level of employee engagement simply because it strikes the emotional connection employees have towards their company. Improved employee engagement means employees are likely to stick around for longer at an organization thus reducing turnover.
5. Better handle on PR crises
Employee advocacy on social media is a great tool for getting a grip on issue management whenever a PR crisis emerges. The positive brand impact from advocacy builds a sense of trust in the company. This is especially true because audiences don’t place their trust in brands but rather in people. So, when an employee acts as a brand ambassador it goes a long way in influencing your audience.
6. Increased networking opportunities
When employees post on social media they also interact with other peers. This increases networking opportunities and is a great way to build strong professional connections.
How to build an employee advocacy program on social media?
There are several ways to build a strong employee advocacy program on social media. Here’s how you can do it at your organization:
1. Foster a positive company culture
The simple fact behind employee advocacy is that your employees need to be motivated to give their honest and unfiltered opinion about their company on social media. For this, they need to love working at their company.
This is only possible by creating a warm and positive environment for your employees. They need to feel empowered and happy at their workplace.
You can enable this by ensuring that all employees, across hierarchies, have a strong and robust relationship with the organization. This creates happier employees who are not only passionate about their work but are also enthusiastic to talk about their company.
Aside from this, ensure that internal communication is always smooth, straightforward, and transparent. Your employees need to know the importance of their role and how they contribute towards the company’s larger objectives. This motivates them and keeps them engaged at the workplace, leading to more productive employees.
2. Define the goals of your employee advocacy program
When implementing an employee advocacy program on social media, it is important to define ‘why’ it is important to your employees. You need to have clear-cut goals that elaborate on what exactly you hope to achieve through an employee advocacy program.
Some goals could be to attract better talent, improve the quality of leads, increase brand awareness, etc.
You can also set specific KPIs to measure the success of your employee advocacy program. Some of them include:
Brand reach: How many people have viewed the posts shared by your employees?
Traffic: Has the content shared by your employees driven traffic to your website? If so, by how much?
Engagement: Are people interacting and engaging with the posts shared by your employees on social media?
3. Identify leaders for your employee advocacy program
In order to promote your employee advocacy program on social media, you need to pick advocates who are already using the channel frequently. A good fit would be someone who uses social media for their personal branding and to share insights into the market and industry. Advocates would need to have a significant network on social media and it’s always great if they are enthusiastic about their job and the company they work for.
4. Define clear cut guidelines for employee social media
Advocating on social media can get slightly tricky when it comes to identifying what content needs to be shared and how. It is also important to understand the kind of language you need to use and how you should be responding to comments from the audience.
This is why it is important to set clear guidelines on the do’s and don’ts of employee social media.
Content guidelines: These include instructions on the kind of content that can be shared, the type of messaging and language that can be used. It can also be used to define the topics employees can talk about publicly and what they need to avoid.
Branding guidelines: These guidelines help employees to understand how they can design their social media posts, the correct usage of the company logo, the different terms they can use, and hashtags they need to include, etc.
Setting guidelines is an important step in avoiding any security risks or PR issues that can come up later.
5. Ask your employees for their inputs
When planning out your advocacy program, ensure that you ask employees for their inputs in every step. Get their opinion on what they think could constitute social media worthy content and plan your calendar accordingly.
Best practices for running employee advocacy programs on social media
While there are no rules of employee advocacy and it should be more natural, here are some best practices we recommend following:
Share engaging content: Ensure that the content you share is worthwhile and interesting to your audience.
Motivate your team: Try to incorporate strategies that will motivate your team to share about their experiences with the company. It can include incentives, prizes, the opportunity to build their reputation online, etc.
Harbor a positive workplace environment: Employees should feel compelled to share about their workplace and the only way to get them to do this is to provide an engaging and positive company culture.
Encourage employees to add their own touch: Instead of going for templatized content, encourage employees to customize the content they put out to add authenticity.
Measure success: Define multiple goals and corresponding KPIs to measure the success of your employee advocacy program on social media. This allows you to identify what’s working and what’s not.
How to measure the success of your employee advocacy program
There are several KPIs you can use to measure the success of employee advocacy on social media:
Adoption rate: A measure of the number of invites sent out, the number of active accounts, and the number of accounts created.
Active participation: How many users are actively using the account?
Top contributors: Who are the people sharing the most content and how are they engaging with the audience?
Organic reach: Is your content increasing your connections on social media channels?
Organic engagement: How are followers interacting with advocacy content?
Referrals: Is your employee advocacy program driving better sales leads and prospective hires to your company?
Employee advocacy on social media only works when you measure proactively and improve your strategy. This is where social listening comes in handy to see what conversations are being initiated and the impact advocacy has on your brand.
Want to know how you can make employee advocacy measurable?
