If you spend just one day on social media, you’ll likely see just how fast everything moves. Trends come and go in the blink of an eye, and opinions form and evolve rapidly. This can cause headaches for Social Media Strategists — how can I plan my brand content without it becoming irrelevant by the time I post it? How can my brand be a part of the online conversation when the topic changes before we can get a word in? This is where real-time marketing comes in to save the day.
As you may assume from its name, real-time marketing is marketing that happens… in real-time. This can take several forms, like creating content that reflects current events or engaging directly with your audience online. The importance of this strategy is staying informed and responding quickly to lead the conversation.
Take a look around your social media bubble and ask the following three questions: What are your customers saying? What are your competitors saying? What is going on in the news?
1. What are your customers saying?
If you are looking for real-time, there is almost no better place to start than X, formerly Twitter. Uber took advantage of instant reviews of their company by retweeting these customer reviews. Their strategy, as they put it, was to “Listen. Write. Retweet. Repeat.” They searched the platform for tweets about Uber experiences from accounts of all sizes. By elevating smaller accounts, it showed that their service was relevant to the average person and that they were listening to their customers.
Soon, several celebrities joined in on the fun, and the campaign took off in earnest. This real-time strategy helped to frame Uber’s reputation in a positive light. It uplifted all the optimistic tweets while keeping the negative ones largely out of the conversation. Whether or not your experiences with Uber have been good ones, it’s hard to deny that this campaign polished their public image.
2. What are your competitors saying?
Coca-Cola versus Pepsi is a rivalry for the ages. The two companies have been picking on each other since the beginning. One particular jab at Coca-Cola happened when Pepsi released an ad in time for Halloween. The graphic shows a Pepsi can wearing a cape with the words “Cola-Coca” (to avoid infringement). The ad read, “We wish you a scary Halloween”, signifying that Coca-Cola is right there next to other scary costumes like Dracula or a zombie.
While this response came from a fan of Coca-Cola instead of the company itself, it still shows a path that marketers can take when responding to competitors in real-time. The new ad takes the same image but replaces the text to read, “Everybody wants to be a hero.”
The dig from a competitor can be completely turned on its head to make Coca-Cola go from a monster to a superhero. This also shows the risk of going after your competitors online. While you do have the opportunity to expose a weakness of the opposition, it can backfire and make you worse off than if you hadn’t said anything in the first place.
3. What is going on in the news?
A tried and true way to incorporate real-time marketing is to capitalize off of popular events. The momentum from big moments is there for you to ride the wave toward higher engagement.
The Royal Wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle drew attention in the weeks leading up to it and even after. On the wedding day, IKEA released an ad for one of their furniture pieces, ironically called the Harry. The caption put everyone at ease that, while one Harry was off the market, their chair was still available.
These moments can be used for levity but be careful attaching your brands to current events. Moments in time can be happy, like the Royal Wedding, or they can be tragic. In sad times, many brands release statements expressing their sorrow. Other brands decide to reschedule social media posts immediately following a tragedy. This decision not to market is itself an example of real-time marketing. Our content doesn’t exist in a bubble, and our social media can be shaped by the world around us, for better or for worse.
These are a few questions to ask yourself when coming up with real-time marketing. Being a part of the dialogue comes with its own considerations, but staying up to date on social media is one of the best ways to draw engagement.
Author: Ben Rosenstiel
Ben joined the NISM team as a Social Media Strategist in June of 2024. He graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Media & Broadcasting in 2022 and with a Master of Business Administration in 2023. Ben enjoys making content as a Social Media Associate for the Kenton County Public Library. In his free time, he enjoys playing live music in the Cincinnati area, writing music with his band, and spending time with his amazing girlfriend either reading or watching TV (usually Vampire Diaries).
0 Comments