Embryo blog: 5 of the best social media campaigns
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So you’re wondering who smashed their social media campaigns? Well, I’m here to fill you in on the best social media campaign of the year. We’re talking about the crème de la crème, the ones that really took the biscuit, and the ones you probably saw plastered all over digital marketers’ LinkedIn feeds.
In this article, we’ll dive into what it takes to become the best social media campaign in a sea of competition, as well as the most used platforms for social media campaigns. Plus, if you’re looking for social media ideas, you’re in the right place, as we’ll be revealing all when it comes to what makes for a successful social media campaign.
While we’re on the topic of social media campaigns, let’s not forget the power of social media ads. Simply put, they are paid promotions displayed on social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram. They showcase a business’s content, products, or services to a particular target audience. They play a pretty big role in overall digital marketing strategies, enabling brands to extend their reach to a broader audience beyond their existing organic followers.
At Embryo, we know how important it is for businesses to utilise a well-thought-out strategy to succeed in their social media campaigns in 2024. If you’re unsure how to develop the perfect strategy for your business get in touch with us at 0161 327 2635 or email us at [email protected].
What Makes a Successful Social Media Campaign?
There are a tonne of key elements involved in ensuring social media campaigns are successful. It’s important to note that success can mean different things to each business. For instance, a traffic campaign that leads users to a website will be entirely different from a campaign optimised for sales.
In my experience as a Paid Social Executive, the best social media campaigns know exactly what they want to gain and who they want to target.
Let me break down a few points to keep in mind when constructing a successful social media campaign:
Clear Objectives
A campaign without clear and achievable KPIs is set to fail from the get-go. Define specific, measurable goals for your campaign, whether it’s to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, generate leads, or boost sales.
When establishing a strategy, ensure your social media campaigns are optimised to achieve your objectives while targeting your audience.
Understand Your Audience
Speaking of audiences, do you know who they are? Going into a strategy blind is not advised, so take the time to figure out who you want to target with your ads. Do you want to have broad appeal? Do you want to do interest-based targeting? Or do you want a bottom-of-funnel approach?
Make sure you understand your target audience’s demographics, interests, behaviours, and preferences to tailor your content and messaging effectively.
Compelling Content
The best social media campaign is nothing without compelling creative and copy. Using high-quality and engaging content is the difference between resounding success and a social media campaign flopping.
Creating high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your audience is a sure way to give a campaign a much-needed boost. This could include eye-catching visuals, entertaining and unique videos, informative infographics, or compelling storytelling.
Some of the best social media campaigns I’ve seen in recent years have shown out-of-the-box thinking, have targeted the audience’s pain points and have been relevant and relatable.
Most Used Platforms for Social Media Campaigns in 2023
In 2023, social media platforms continued to play a pivotal role in social media campaigns. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular…
There’s a phrase I keep hearing more and more, which is: “Do people even use Facebook anymore?” The answer is yes. A resounding yes too!
Facebook is the largest social media networking site, boasting over 3 million monthly users. That basically means 37% of the world’s population is on Facebook, which is a bit mad when you think about it.
A lot of people think of Facebook and Instagram as the same, but they’re still their own entities (even if Meta owns both). Instagram currently has 2.04 billion monthly active users and is one of the top favourites for brands promoting their business.
TikTok
TikTok was established in 2016 but it wasn’t until 2018 that the app rose to fame. It’s actually one of the fastest-growing apps in the world and even overtook Google as the most visited internet site.
It currently has 1.22 billion monthly active users with 47% of users aged between 10 and 29. No wonder 45% of brands are utilising TikTok in their social media campaigns.
Pinterest is a bit of a one-stop shop for inspiration and discovering new ideas as well as products. Currently, the app has 465 million monthly active users but I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a steady increase in that number this year.
Five of the Best Social Media Campaigns (Expert Approved!)
The year of 2023 saw trends galore! We saw everything from Barbenheimer, how often the men in our lives think about the Roman Empire as well as the rise of the girl dinner.
Here are some of our favourite social media campaigns, and why we love them so much.
1. Maybelline and Sky High Mascara Express
The Maybelline Sky High Mascara campaign has to be one of my favourites to come out of 2023. It was ingenious and got everyone talking; there were a lot of comments from users specifically guessing if it was real or fake. And people were simply blown away when it was revealed that it was made using CGI!
With over 3 million likes and nationwide press coverage it quickly became one of the most popular social media campaigns of 2023. The fact it looked so realistic sparked genuine conversation and interest and we’ve since seen other brands like Jacquemus jumping on the CGI bandwagon with their automobilised Bambino Bag campaign.
This is a perfect example of showcasing how being unique in marketing and playing on users’ desire for fun and interactive content can lead to a successful social media campaign.
Check out the Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cuaa3vgLI_k/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
2. Dove and The Selfie Talk
This was really just a wonderful and refreshing campaign to see on social media. We’re often bombarded with highly edited and unrealistic images online which can lead to people – especially younger users – feeling worse in their own bodies.
Dove was on a mission to disrupt this stigma and make people feel good about who they are. Enter: The Selfie Talk. This social media campaign introduced a ‘reverse selfie’ video that featured a 13-year-old girl drastically editing a picture of herself before posting it online, which went on to receive 2.3 million views.
This social media campaign received a tonne of positive feedback on Instagram, most likely due to the platform’s focus on sharing photos. Hashtags such as #TheSelfieTalk and #doveselfesteemproject encouraged users to join the campaign and post their own pictures. Big accounts like Lizzo even joined the trend.
See more of the campaign here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2T-Rh838GA
3. Bluefin SUP and Family Day Out
This wouldn’t be the best social media campaign article without mentioning some of Embryo’s very own clients. Bluefin SUP offers premium paddle boards and last summer we ran an extremely successful paid ads campaign.
The campaigns targeted families and promoted the idea of a family day out. With the seasonality, a tactful strategy, engaging copy and stunning creativity, we saw huge success. The creative promoted the colourful board range in graphics as well as showcasing a lifestyle angle with a carefully constructed video.
Overall, the campaign was a success and we recently gained a nomination at the 2024 UK Paid Media Awards for the Best Use of Facebook/Instagram ads. This campaign definitely contributed to this success!
To learn more about Bluefin, click here: https://www.instagram.com/bluefinsups/
4. Dowsing & Reynolds and Barbiecore
It’s no secret that Barbie took over the world in 2023! I loved seeing brands’ different take on introducing this trend into their strategy – the pink Tardis from Doctor Who definitely get an honourable mention.
But my favourite of all the Barbie campaigns has to be Dowsing & Reynold’s take on Barbiecore. Utilising Pinterest, the home of ideas and discovery for this aesthetic was a stroke of genius and let’s be honest who doesn’t want a pink kitchen?
This campaign showcased perfectly how brands can take a trending idea and utilise it within their niche. The social media campaign encouraged users to get their own Barbie dream house and with the help of some truly stunning visuals, they were able to achieve incredible results, from over 88k people seeing their ads and thousands of clicks.
5. Spotify and Spotify Wrapped
We see it every year, and every year we love it! Spotify Wrapped has become a bit of a pop-culture classic with millions of users excited to post about their musical year-in-reviews. And let’s be real, it’s become one of the best social media campaigns in the past decade.
I would struggle to think of another social media campaign that has this kind of hold over users, and you know it works because we’ve seen other brands like Playsation and Duolingo doing the exact same thing.
Last year’s Spotify Wrapped focused on “Me In 2023” and made the social media campaign as personal as ever. For anyone looking for new social media ideas, look to brands like Spotify and how they make reshares and organic engagement easy by making it all about the user.
Want Memorable Social Media Ads? Thought So. Get In Touch.
For years, we have created eye-catching social media ads that convert interested audiences into ones that convert.
To learn more, speak to our team today.
