The one thing that we have consistently noticed as a consumer products consulting firm is how mismatched a company’s objectives and its social media marketing might be. Everyone knows that deeper customer engagement is key to effective social media marketing. But not everyone knows the right way to do it.
Using the same channels and investing in the same tactics may not be effective especially when your competitors optimize their digital games. To be effective in FMCG marketing, organizations need to be aware of these trends that will help them elevate their social media marketing.
FMCG trends for better social media marketing in 2022
Personalize every aspect of your messaging strategy
Broad messages aimed at categories won’t be effective anymore. Customers expect brands to treat them as individuals and not as groups. The good news is that social media offers several opportunities for brands to increase engagement through personalized content creation and delivery.
To do that, the first step is a demographic and psychographic segmentation of your followers. This will help you create relevant and specific content. The next step is to use retargeting to share content that users may have already shown an interest in. These alone can improve both the quantity and quality of leads and help with conversion.
Respond to and encourage brand mentions
Unlike traditional marketing platforms, social media is made for meaningful two-way conversations. Constantly tracking these platforms will reveal brand mentions. Whenever you find a positive mention of your brand, engage with those users by thanking them.
This will humanize the brand, improve its equity, and encourage others to consider it. If smartly used, every such mention can trigger crowd-sourced content creation. It’s also important to remember that some mentions might be negative. In these instances, find out the truth behind that customer experience and if it’s genuine, apologize publicly with a special offer or deal.
Collaborate with powerful influencers
Any consumer products consulting firm will tell you that influencer marketing is one of the fastest-growing trends in social media. The biggest advantage is that you don’t have to start from scratch. You will get an in-built audience with an influencer. Secondly, when done well, it can be a credible form of content.
The most important aspect is to find an influencer who’s relevant to your audience. Do keep in mind that they need not be celebrities but experts in their domain with an active audience base. Merely talking about a product may sound unappealing. The content you create should also be aligned with their equity and your objectives.
Tap into regionally relevant content
The brand may be global or local but its engagement with the audience should take into account regional cultural factors, nuances, and consumer insights. Generalized communication will fail to inspire if it can’t connect with the audience. This calls for a deeper analysis of regional customers, their preferences, and the kind of content they like.
The most obvious recommendation would to be use regional languages. But along with that, the user experience on digital platforms should also be rooted in regional behavioral patterns. Beyond that, brands should develop content calendars with events that would excite audiences in the region. The Football World Cup in Qatar, for example, offers an exciting world of opportunities for brands across the region.
Make products easily available through social platforms
Social commerce is here and first-mover brands in FMCG stand to gain a lot. By reducing the time between product discovery and purchase, this new avenue increases conversion and makes marketing more effective. Both Facebook and Instagram now allow users to click on a link and buy the product.
For social commerce to be effective, brands should identify what products have higher engagement. By actively refreshing their stores, launching new variants, removing non-performers, and offering time-bound deals, FMCG brands can make the most of this new platform.
Use videos to communicate your message more effectively
FMCG brands have always used videos for traditional channels. But video is also an excellent medium for social media platforms. Contrary to popular perception, videos can be cost-effective and significantly improve engagement. They also help humanize the brand and refresh the content.
So, what do you make videos on? It could be about the brand and its mission. It could be an explainer video about the product. You can make short-form videos celebrating the employees who work with you. It’s also an effective way to create crowd-sourced content.
Increase engagement through Instagram Stories
While it was started by Snap, temporary content took off in the form of Instagram Stories. It allows brands to engage with their followers by telling a story and promoting their products in imaginative ways.
One of the reasons why brands should consider it is that you can tag and link to pages through Instagram Stories. This allows you to direct traffic to your website or online marketplaces. Stories can also be used for contests, polls, and crowd-sourced content.
Take a stand on current issues
Gone are the days when brands had the luxury to be passive about current issues. Increasingly, consumers want brands to be aware of and respond to the larger issues in their ecosystem. You don’t have to be involved in every sociopolitical or environmental issue. But you do have to show that you are sensitive to the concerns of your consumers.
Even the smallest of acts can give you positive brand equity on social media. Opting for sustainable packaging or reusing marketing collaterals will show that you are willing to walk the talk.
In short
Marketers across categories have realized that the pandemic has fundamentally changed consumer behaviors. CPG consulting analyses reveal that from product discovery to reviews, everything is now happening digitally. For companies, digital acceleration isn’t a luxury anymore. To be relevant, digital transformation is a necessity. But for that, brands need to make use of these FMCG trends.
Consumer Goods Consulting
At Ollen Group, our strategy consultancy services are up to date with consumer shifts in the Middle East, and the necessary steps needed to find success in the future. Whether you work in FMCG, food and beverage, beauty and cosmetics, or appliances and electronics, among others, Ollen Group consumer goods consultancy services offer turnkey solutions from strategy to execution, as well as design, development, and deployment.
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