Ep 17 The Power of Creativity: Elevating Your Brand's Social Media Presence
The focal point of this podcast episode is the profound impact of creativity and intentionality in social media marketing. Larry Aldrich, Maddie Dudley, and guest Lexi engage in an enlightening discourse on how innovative storytelling and authentic engagement can elevate brand presence and foster genuine connections with audiences. Through a detailed examination of successful case studies, including Chewy's remarkable customer engagement strategies and the creative campaigns developed for Daytona Beach International Airport, we explore the essential elements that drive effective social media communication. The discussion further delves into the significance of crafting content with purpose, thereby avoiding the pitfalls of hasty posting. Ultimately, this episode serves as a comprehensive guide for marketers seeking to harness the transformative power of creative social media strategies.
IN THIS EPSIODE:
- 00:07 - Introduction to Aqua Talks
- 01:07 - The Power of Creative and Social Media
- 07:13 - Avoiding Social Media Pitfalls
- 11:18 - Creative Campaign Strategy for Social Media
- 14:35 - Creative Approaches in Social Media Marketing
- 18:13 - Embracing Creativity in Social Media Marketing
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Aqua Talks emphasizes the importance of creativity in marketing to capture audience attention.
- The podcast discusses the significance of intentional posting on social media to achieve marketing goals.
- Authenticity and storytelling are vital in building meaningful connections with customers in marketing.
- Engaging campaigns, like those involving mascots or unique storytelling, can significantly enhance brand visibility.
- Successful social media strategies require collaboration between creative and social media teams for optimal results.
- The discussion highlights that experimenting with unconventional ideas can lead to remarkable marketing outcomes.
Aqua Talks, marketing strategies, social media marketing, creative marketing, destination marketing, audience engagement, storytelling in marketing, brand authenticity, customer service in marketing, marketing trends, innovative marketing ideas, marketing don’ts, social media don’ts, creative content creation, marketing campaigns, social media trends, effective social media strategies, marketing insights, digital marketing, emotional marketing
Transcript
Welcome to Aqua Talks, where marketing meets bold game changing ideas.
Speaker A:Join your hosts, Larry Aldrich and Maddie Dudley as they explore the art and science of cutting through the noise, capturing attention and fostering meaningful connections with your audience.
Speaker A:Whether you're a destination marketer, government contractor, or simply passionate about the transformative power of marketing, Aqua Talks offers engaging discussions, fresh insights and actionable strategies designed to inspire and inform.
Speaker B:Hi, and welcome back to Aqua Talks, the podcast for marketers.
Speaker B:Whether you're just getting started or you're a pro in marketing, we dive deep into all of the marketing subjects.
Speaker B:My name is Maddie.
Speaker B:I am the PR director of Aqua.
Speaker B:I am joined by my co host Larry Aldrich today.
Speaker C:Hi, I'm Larry Aldrich, President CEO of Brensis and Aqua Marketing and Communications.
Speaker C:This session is powered by Brensis and today we're here with Lexi, our social media director and we're going to talk a little bit or actually a lot about the power of creative and social media.
Speaker D:Yeah, excited.
Speaker D:Thanks for coming back.
Speaker D:Yeah, thanks for having me again.
Speaker D:I love joining you guys on the pod.
Speaker C:Oh, thank you.
Speaker C:Thanks for being with us.
Speaker C:It's that short notice.
Speaker D:You're welcome.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker B:So you recently went to a conference.
Speaker B:It was Reagan something.
Speaker D:Yeah, it was the Reagan Social Media conference in Orlando and that was back.
Speaker B:In March and I loved hearing all the different stories about all of the brands that we're representing there.
Speaker B:So tell us some of your favorite.
Speaker D:Yeah, there was a lot a huge brand representation and what I really appreciate about this conference is just it was very diverse.
Speaker D:So, you know, lots of big brands, lots of different representations across the board.
Speaker D:The one brand that really stuck out to me was Chewy.
Speaker D:So one of the speakers was there from Chewy and she helps, you know, navigate, manage their social media and she was really talking about how they tie in authenticity and storytelling and make every experience really personable and at Chewy.
Speaker D:And so they were sharing how a lot of their feed is Chewy customers.
Speaker D:So it's their pet parents, it's the featured pets that actually use their products.
Speaker D:But how they really take it a step further to if a pet has a birthday or some type of milestone event that they'll send a card or the sad moments where they lose a pet, they'll send condolences and things like that.
Speaker D:So I thought it was just a great example of how they do a really great job of sharing those authentic stories of their real life customers in a really creative way.
Speaker B:I think that's one of the best examples of you can't really Fake good customer service or like a good culture within your company.
Speaker B:They're starting from the ground up of initiating these types of services for their clients and showing that they really do care.
Speaker B:And then as a result, like someone like me who I don't.
Speaker B:I mean, I have my family dog, but I'm not buying dog food from Chewy consistently.
Speaker B:But I know that they're who I would want to go to because I've seen viral moments of Chewy sending flowers or cards when pets pass.
Speaker B:It's so sad, but it's so sweet.
Speaker D:Yeah, I actually, I am a Chewy pet parent.
Speaker D:I do get my cat Luna's food from Chewy and it is a great, you know, not only is it great from on the consumer side of their shipping is fast, they have great customer service, but they take it one step beyond when it comes to customer service.
Speaker D:And you see that in their stories on social.
Speaker D:The presenter and I can't remember her position at Chewy, but she was actually a pet parent too.
Speaker D:And she just talked about how a lot of colleagues within Chewy, actually their pets are, you know, kind of like the ambassadors for the brand.
Speaker D:And they're all consumers, they all use the products, they love the products, they give real reviews on the products.
Speaker D:So it was really great.
Speaker B:Lexi has been trying to convince our clients to use a mascot for their brands because mascots and dogs and babies, they do very well on social media.
Speaker D:Right?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Duolingo is an example of that.
Speaker D:I'm sure you've all seen the green owl on social that has gone viral in a lot of different instances.
Speaker D:And it's.
Speaker D:People want to know what the owl's doing next.
Speaker D:They're either filming him in the middle of doing something really crazy or he's up to some kind of mischief.
Speaker D:And you know, you just, you get people really intrigued and you get your audience interested in what's happening, what the storyline is.
Speaker D:So I'm very pro mascot when it comes to social media presence.
Speaker C:What's.
Speaker C:What's up with green?
Speaker C:If you remember the green couch from the cell phone commercial and it was always just, I know someone else understands what I'm talking about because they've been around that green couch.
Speaker C:What was that cell phone or that wireless commercial where the mascot was basically that green couch, Everyone came in and sat on that green.
Speaker D:Was it like a Nokia commercial?
Speaker C:No, it wasn't Nokia.
Speaker C:It was, it was the pay per minutes.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:So was it like a phone service provider?
Speaker C:It was a phone service provider and their mascot was the green Couch.
Speaker D:Interesting.
Speaker D:I'm not.
Speaker D:I don't know that one, do you?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:But what I was thinking about with Duolingo, a recent viral moment was when he died.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:What is, what is up with mascots being killed off?
Speaker B:Because it's not just Duolingo.
Speaker B:It was also Mr.
Speaker B:Peanut was killed.
Speaker C:Yeah, Mr.
Speaker C:Peanut was killed.
Speaker B:And like a bunch of other.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Mascots were killed.
Speaker B:So there's just pulling on our hearts.
Speaker D:But then they come back.
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker D:There was another good.
Speaker D:Another really strong brand presence at the conference was Life is Good.
Speaker D:And I think that one ties in nicely a little bit to the world of travel and tourism because it's all about shared, mostly outdoor experiences.
Speaker D:And what I loved about their social media presence was they do a lot of unboxing.
Speaker D:So they'll send, you know, if they find someone, say, who comments and they're like, oh, I love your products, or I really want to try this shirt, they'll get their address, they'll send it to them and just ask them to record it while they're opening it.
Speaker D:And you can see these pure moments of just joy of people being like, oh, I love this.
Speaker D:And they're trying it on and they talk about, you know, how much they love the material and they can't wait to wear it on their next trip to go kayaking or some kind of adventure.
Speaker D:So I think they did.
Speaker D:They do a great job too, of brand representation and really just, you know, being creative when it comes to storytelling.
Speaker C:Speaking of marketing, travel, tourism, or just marketing per se, because we're marketing experts, we usually go into a segment and we talk about trends.
Speaker C:We're going to do something a little different this time.
Speaker C:We're going to talk about don'ts, like, not do's and don'ts, just don'ts.
Speaker C:And I think that you and I have had some really good conversations about don'ts.
Speaker C:Like, Larry, don't stop.
Speaker C:So let's talk about some social media.
Speaker D:Okay, so the first thing that comes to mind and what I think you're referencing is if you have a thought, don't just immediately post it.
Speaker D:So make sure that all of your posts have some type of intention.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:We're trying to achieve something.
Speaker D:We're trying to reach some type of goal.
Speaker D:Now when that thought might have really good foundation, we want to harness that, but we need to do it in the appropriate way.
Speaker D:So think that would be my first don't.
Speaker D:Is don't just post the first thing that comes to mind?
Speaker D:Let it stew for a little bit.
Speaker D:Think about it and make sure that you're, you're posting it in a strategic way.
Speaker C:What if you see some really cool images and you're like, okay, I'm going to post this.
Speaker C:And while you're trying to post it, you're thinking about what you want to say and then you're like, oh, that sounds cool.
Speaker C:And then you just click send.
Speaker D:Yeah, well, here's the thing.
Speaker D:You can't unsend it.
Speaker D:You can delete stuff, but then there's some backlash with that too.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:So there are consequences, right?
Speaker D:There are consequences.
Speaker D:If you post something and then you delete it, the algorithms do frown upon that.
Speaker D:So they see you as posting content, but you took it down for whatever reason.
Speaker D:Not a good thing for the algorithms.
Speaker D:So that's why I would say don't.
Speaker D:Now if you're questioning it and you're like, this might be really great to Maddie's point, maybe screenshot it, maybe save it for later, maybe make a note.
Speaker D:And then when you're working on your strategy in the future or you have some extra space in your calendar to post things, maybe then you want to share it then.
Speaker C:So don't randomly post before you think without intention.
Speaker C:Without intention.
Speaker C:Don't pose late at night when you're bored, possibly drinking.
Speaker D:That's my number one rule for Larry.
Speaker C:Okay, I don't drink that much, but there's some don'ts that I have some issues with.
Speaker C:Yeah, okay, that's very helpful.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker D:You're welcome.
Speaker B:So a big do in social media is that you need to really hyper focus on creative because they're mostly visual platforms.
Speaker B:So get into a little bit of why it's so important that creative is thought of and you're not.
Speaker B:Just like having AI generated everything when you're posting.
Speaker B:And why the human element's important too.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:So creativity essentially with social is the right creative stops the scroll.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:So when you get on a social platform, you're being bombarded with all of these things.
Speaker D:If you find the right thing that catches your eye, you're going to stop.
Speaker D:And that's the key for creativity in my experience, is what is going to stop the scroll?
Speaker D:What's going to make someone take a minute to pause and want to learn more and dive a little bit deeper into this.
Speaker D:And I think one of the experiences that I've had at least working with DMOs is there's so many ways to be creative.
Speaker D:And I think in the DMO space, a lot of clients or destinations or airports will think, oh, we need to post visuals that are just photos or just videos of real life things, which, yeah, that's super important.
Speaker D:But I think there's that missing element of creative from a creative team in our instance of really creating graphics and imagery and video that isn't just necessarily that authentic content that we think of right away of things that we capture with our phone, but things that we can create through Canva or through Photoshop or Illustrator that can also be really successful.
Speaker D:So I would say when it comes to creativity and social, it's just not limiting yourself to what that has to look like, but being creative.
Speaker D:And I think we do a really good job at Aqua as far as we're really good about integrating all of our departments.
Speaker D:So Maddie and I work really well together with PR and social.
Speaker D:Social team also works really well with the creative team.
Speaker D:And an example of that would be.
Speaker D:So recently we had a campaign for dab, Daytona Beach International Airport.
Speaker D:So they're one of our clients.
Speaker D:Yeah, they're one of our clients.
Speaker D:Shout out to dab.
Speaker D:And so last year they got their newest airline carrier, Breeze Airways.
Speaker D:And so we had a big project to promote the new nonstop routes.
Speaker D:And this was a really big deal for the airport because this was the first time they introduced four nonstop routes at the same time.
Speaker D:So what we did is from the social side, I was thinking, how can we really harness this to get the most out of it?
Speaker D:What can we do to create a sense of urgency, but also have our audience keep coming back to want more?
Speaker D:So I went and collabed with our creative team and we came up with a seven day countdown series.
Speaker D:And instead of doing just regular photos and videos like I was talking about that we capture with our phones, we ended up creating templates.
Speaker D:You normally wouldn't see that in destination marketing, social media, but if you do it the right way, it can be really successful.
Speaker D:So what we did is we did a seven day countdown and each post was really intentional on promoting the perks of flying breeze.
Speaker D:Whether it was their spacious seating or the different fare packages that they offer, the different bundles that you can get.
Speaker D:We were very deliberate in what type of information we were sharing with them.
Speaker D:So they were curious to keep coming back for day six, for day five, for day four.
Speaker D:And so building that all encompassing campaign of using both.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:We did incorporate real life graphics of the breeze airplanes, for example, but they were created on templates that weren't something you just would traditionally capture and share.
Speaker D:So we saw a lot of success with that campaign.
Speaker D:We had really great Engagement and metrics across the board.
Speaker D:And then two months later when we came back, we did something similar with our giveaway campaign.
Speaker D:We did a similar style graphic that incorporated art that was created on Canva, including real life photography.
Speaker D:And we saw double the results in our roi.
Speaker D:So we saw double the engagement, double the shares.
Speaker D:Yeah, it was great.
Speaker B:One of my favorite campaigns and maybe like one of the followers favorite campaigns too is the one that you did for Dab as well.
Speaker B:But it was our April Fools campaign.
Speaker D:Oh yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:And that used the creative team as well because we literally superimposed the director of the airport onto the tarmac.
Speaker B:I'll let you explain it a little bit because you can explain it better.
Speaker D:Yeah, I love that one too.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:So yeah, the idea for that one is the thought was, and the goal was how can we get really creative and sort of bring some wittiness and humor to this platform and to this audience?
Speaker D:It tends to be a little more serious.
Speaker D:And so yeah, we took the airport director and we placed her on the tarmac.
Speaker D:We put her car right there and we're like, hey, we have a new parking lot.
Speaker D:Look how close it is to the, to getting on the plane.
Speaker D:And the humor in that was that Dab takes a lot of pride in, you know, they're a smaller airport, they're stress free, hassle free experience.
Speaker D:And so their parking is five minutes from the gate.
Speaker D:I mean, you literally, you park your car and you're inside in less than five minutes.
Speaker D:So the humor in that was we really can't get our parking any closer than it already is.
Speaker D:And what I loved about that is it really just turned into this spiral of never ending humor.
Speaker D:People were commenting, oh great, you know, if I park here, can I also get a jet fuel scented air freshener for my car?
Speaker D:And just all these really funny things that show that they were playing into it and really appreciating it and getting on board with it.
Speaker D:So yeah, I love that one too.
Speaker C:You mentioned posting, and then there's posting with intent.
Speaker C:So how does that factor into algorithms and building your working.
Speaker C:Building followers?
Speaker D:So how the algorithms work is essentially it will reward content that does well and engagements.
Speaker D:And you see this through the types of creative that's shared.
Speaker D:So an example of this would be we have another client who we took a little more aggressive approach on their social media strategy for a month and we posted every day for them.
Speaker D:And because we had really strong call to actions that drove action within our audience.
Speaker D:And the call to actions were Share this post Click on this link.
Speaker D:Comment on this.
Speaker D:We saw a 400% increase in clicks alone just from this because we had such a positive audience response to it.
Speaker C:That's impressive.
Speaker B:That's huge.
Speaker B:So are there other ways to think about creative when it comes to social?
Speaker D:I think there's a lot of ways to think about creative.
Speaker D:So I think my favorite thing with creative and social is to really think outside of the box.
Speaker D:It's not just the images that you're showing.
Speaker D:It's not just the graphics, it's not just the videos.
Speaker D:It's also the captions.
Speaker D:Right?
Speaker D:What are you saying in the captions?
Speaker D:Are you truly being authentic or are you using words like authentic?
Speaker D:So it's.
Speaker D:It's really.
Speaker D:It's not being afraid to go against the norm.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:Something that we see that's really popular, I think, in traditional marketing for destination specifically, is we see the same types of people, we hear the same types of music, we see the same types of images that come to mind.
Speaker D:So think out of the box a little bit.
Speaker D:Right?
Speaker D:Capture shots that are in the middle of a story.
Speaker D:What's happening?
Speaker D:Use diverse groups of people.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:I know we've talked about inclusivity.
Speaker D:Think of trending audio.
Speaker D:This is a great place where you can find music or, you know, sounds that you might not hear traditionally in another space.
Speaker D:So get creative with that too.
Speaker D:But I would say the biggest thing is to not be afraid to just play around and experiment.
Speaker D:Social is a great space for that.
Speaker D:As long as you're being intentional, as long as you are sticking true to the foundational content and post and strategy that works for your brand.
Speaker D:I say there's no boundaries when it comes to creativity.
Speaker D:I say if you have an idea like Larry, maybe not post it right away, but maybe come back to it later and see if you can build off of that and what you can really do to enhance that and make it truly your own for your own brand.
Speaker B:Yeah, I have been before trips or if I just see a sound that I like or if I'm inspired by something, I'll always just hit the little bookmark save button.
Speaker D:I do that too.
Speaker B:Maybe it's my ocd, but I have, like categoried sounds and outfits and trips.
Speaker B:It's cool to go back and reference them and then be able to bring them into the mix later on.
Speaker D:I think experimenting is the name of the game when it comes to social.
Speaker D:If everybody's doing the exact same thing, posting same sounds, showcasing the same people, you're not going to get the results.
Speaker D:The Biggest thing is when we share content, we're trying to provoke some type of emotion and that emotion is essentially going to drive action.
Speaker D:Right?
Speaker D:That's what we want.
Speaker D:We want our audience to do something, whether it's to visit a website or to book something or to share something or to tune into something like the pod.
Speaker D:We need to make sure that our stories are creative in a way that is, you know, speaks truly to who we are and that we're not afraid to test the limits and what we're sharing.
Speaker C:So if you wanted to give a takeaway from this, what would be one point you'd like to give to everyone that wants to start or do or are doing a social media campaign for their brand?
Speaker C:What would be one good takeaway?
Speaker D:I would say a good takeaway would be to not be afraid to think outside of the box, not be afraid of your ideas.
Speaker D:Some of the craziest ideas I think are some of the best ones.
Speaker D:And that translates into the social space.
Speaker B:I got lots of don't tell him that.
Speaker D:That translates into the social space.
Speaker D:It's all about showing up as yourself and your brand in the social space.
Speaker D:People.
Speaker D:And I said this before and I'll keep saying it is people want to do business with people that they identify with.
Speaker D:They want to be able to see themselves using your product or being in your destination or flying through your airport.
Speaker D:And so don't be afraid of your crazy big ideas.
Speaker D:That's usually where a lot of the magic happens.
Speaker D:Just expand on that.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Thank you for sitting with us today.
Speaker D:Yeah, thanks for having me.
Speaker C:Everything you do, every day.
Speaker D:Thank you.
Speaker D:Thanks for having me.
Speaker D:Happy to be here.
Speaker B:If you want to learn more about our guests, Lexi, Floyd and I, or more about Aqua Marketing, please go to aquataks.com and please also subscribe to our podcast and give us a follow on our socials.
Speaker B:Thanks for joining.
Speaker D:Today.
Speaker A:You'Ve been listening to Aqua Talks where marketing innovation takes center stage with bold ideas and actionable insights ready to take your strategies to the next level.
Speaker A:Visit aquatacs.com to book your free consultation and explore resources that empower you to to thrive in today's fast paced marketing world.
Speaker A:Until next time, stay bold, stay inspired, stay imaginative.
