8 Finest Social Media Campaigns To Encourage You in 2023

A social media marketing campaign is a advertising strategy manufacturers use to advertise their services and products on social media platforms.

Profitable social media campaigns enhance model consciousness, categorical your organization’s character, and encourage loyalty. They are often one-off or long-term advertising efforts.

On this article, we’ll cowl eight of the very best social media campaigns from latest years. Together with takeaways for small companies with out big budgets and countless assets.

1. Warner Bros. Barbie

Selection reported that Warner Bros. spent $150 million on advertising for the studio’s 2023 Barbie film. Though this quantity is staggering (and greater than the $145 million price range used to supply the film itself), any model can use the studio’s “breadcrumb technique” to stimulate dialog on social media.

Merely stagger your content material to entice individuals over an extended time period.

The Barbie film’s first teaser trailer was launched greater than a yr upfront, and generated round 4 million engagements on social networks.

Picture supply: Comscore

However the second trailer shot to #28 on YouTube’s Trending movies in below 24 hours and generated 18 million social media engagements.

Whereas the second trailer continued to climb in views, the Barbie advertising crew created a free AI-powered selfie-generator instrument. Customers might create personalised variations of the film posters. Then share them on social media for extra free word-of-mouth advertising.

Even celebrities like Zooey Deschanel bought concerned.

This picture generator gave the studio the identical advantages of influencer advertising for no additional effort. Individuals had been seeing large names successfully promote the film.

The ensuing memes, film stills, and user-generated content material (UGC) from the general public who noticed the crew filming scenes additionally created a buzz on social channels. Each bit of content material grew to become a “breadcrumb”.

For instance, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling had been noticed filming in Los Angeles and social media customers had been certain to publish the new gossip. This behind-the-scenes stream of content material solely added to the intrigue of the storyline.

Warner Bros. President of World Advertising and marketing Josh Goldstine joked, “Somebody took an image of a pink sundown and thanked the work of the Warner Bros. advertising division.”

By way of their breadcrumb technique, Barbie’s crew created a protracted, highly-impactful social media marketing campaign.

What you are able to do: Stimulate curiosity and dialog by dropping content material breadcrumbs forward of your subsequent social media marketing campaign. Use Semrush’s Social Poster instrument which options drafting, scheduling, and posting of content material throughout a number of social media platforms. You’ll be able to schedule content material weeks upfront on the easy-to-use calender interface. 

2. Dove’s Actual Magnificence

Again in 2004, Dove launched the Dove Marketing campaign for Actual Magnificence, a first-ever marketing campaign to publish a various vary of standard girls on its advertising supplies as a substitute of fashions. Many years later, this technique continues to be holding sturdy and has helped the model develop their social following.

Utilizing actual our bodies elicits an emotional response, advocating the message that true magnificence comes from inside. Dove now runs instructional packages like The Self-Esteem Challenge by social media with the hashtag #DoveSelfEsteemProject.

The goal of this social media campign is to assist 1 / 4 of a billion younger individuals worldwide really feel extra assured about themselves by 2030 (and naturally to promote extra cleaning soap).

Earlier hashtags from the marketing campaign (some nonetheless in use) embody:

• #ShowUs: A group of selfies and UGC from girls and non-binary customers.
• #NoDigitalDistortion: Posted below photos to show Dove hasn’t altered our bodies and pores and skin in any method.
• #NoLikesNeeded: Goals to indicate youthful social media customers that liking themselves is the one “Like” that counts.
• #PassTheCROWN: A marketing campaign to finish race-based hair discrimination.

Dove highlights its overarching values on its Instagram account bio saying, “Let’s change magnificence collectively and assist increase self-worth within the subsequent era.” Since 2004, the sweetness model has showcased solely pure girls and our bodies. And guarantees by no means to distort our bodies in photos.

What you are able to do: Discover out what your audience values and create campaigns round these messages. Semrush’s Viewers Intelligence instrument means that you can phase your viewers and supply an in depth abstract of every group.

This breakdown can embody key phrases from person bios, high influencers, most used hashtags, and general demographic tendencies. Phase your viewers as a lot as attainable to focus on completely different demographics with every social media marketing campaign.

3. Apple’s #ShotOniPhone

Apple’s #ShotOniPhone is a long-running marketing campaign that mixes UGC with out-of-home promoting. iPhone customers can hashtag social media content material for the possibility to have their picture featured on an Apple billboard.

Under was one of many billboards for Apple’s summer season marketing campaign. As a substitute of highlighting the system individuals use to take photos, Apple makes use of the pictures themselves.

Picture Supply: Adverts of the World

In 2022, the model requested customers to share their finest macro pictures for that yr’s problem. The social marketing campaign celebrated three issues that made 2 cm macros attainable: new lens design, autofocus functionality within the Extremely Broad format, and extra superior software program.

The marketing campaign demonstrated the standard of the latest iPhone with out being overly promotional. It additionally used gamification by turning the request for photographs right into a problem and inspiring participation. 

There are presently simply over 29 million Instagram posts with the #shotoniphone tag.

To use, customers are requested to tag the picture on Instagram or submit on Twitter, Weibo, and even by electronic mail. In addition they must have the unique shot (to show they took the picture) and easy-to-find contact particulars so Apple’s promoting company can get in contact.

The billboards solely spotlight photographs from the latest iPhone, creating extra demand for gross sales.

What you are able to do: Have interaction audiences with a UGC-inspired competitors, problem, or sport. Create a enjoyable hashtag across the content material so it’s simple for you and others to trace and monitor Need assistance understanding what key phrases to focus on? Use Semrush’s Key phrase Magic instrument to realize entry to an intensive database of over 24.6 billion key phrases for international analysis.

4. Spotify Wrapped

Spotify Wrapped is an annual wrap-up of customers’ most-listened-to music and podcasts. It’s personalised, in-app knowledge constructed for sharing as an Instagram Story.

Picture Supply: Newsroom Spotify

Yearly, the classes and designs are completely different. However the construction stays the identical.

Most years, the interactive roundup contains:

• Whole time spent listening
• Most-played artists, songs, and genres
• Favourite podcasts
• New artists and genres

Instagram Tales solely final 24 hours (until you save them as a Spotlight). X (previously Twitter) customers additionally prefer to share their Wrapped screenshots on the platform.

However this dialog isn’t restricted to the primary week of December when the brand new Wrapped drops. Customers speak in regards to the knowledge tales all yr spherical utilizing key phrases “Wrapped” or “Spotify Wrapped” or the official hashtag #SpotifyWrapped.

Spotify designs these inner metrics to be tremendous shareable. With the push of a button, Instagram customers can share their highlights with out resizing or reformatting.

It’s additionally turn into an ongoing sport for customers, who take heed to extra of the artists and playlists they love so they seem on subsequent yr’s Wrapped.

What you are able to do: Provide personalised, shareable content material that encourages extra use of your services or products. Attain out to influencers to take part in your content material creation. Use Semrush’s Influencer Analytics instrument to establish the right ambassador to your model and see what the competitors is doing. 

5. Patagonia Mission-Led Content material

Patagonia doesn’t use its social media advertising technique to advertise its merchandise. As a substitute, it focuses on content material that drives consciousness of related social causes and environmental points.

For instance, right here is certainly one of its TikTok movies that includes a clip from a brief movie on the significance of recycling.

This Instagram publish is a shot from a latest March to Finish Fossil Fuels protest. It endorses the trigger and features a hyperlink to a related petition in its bio.

This X publish is one other clip from a brief movie in regards to the impact of dams on greenhouse fuel emissions.

Patagonia has been targeted on UGC and standing up for its beliefs for a very long time. The model does talk about matters like its manufacturing course of on social media, nevertheless it doesn’t push gross sales. Or make merchandise the main target of any posts.

As a substitute, all messages and calls to motion (CTAs) are about defending the setting and rethinking consumerism. The model isn’t afraid to talk out about points it believes to be vital.

For instance, this assertion defined why Patagonia boycotted Fb adverts beginning in 2020:

It’s a daring technique that won’t work for all manufacturers. However it highlights the affect of prioritizing your mission over merchandise.

What you are able to do: Push the worth of your product (not the product itself). Advocate for international social causes or nonprofits that relate to your mission. Check out Semrush’s AI Writing Assistant instrument to generate numerous sorts of content material in 28 completely different languages although 75 AI-driven content material creation instruments. 

6. Starbucks Seasonality

Starbucks adapts its social media channels and the kind of content material it posts to match that season’s menu choices. It enhances this seasonality by creating a way of neighborhood and belonging with different clients.

For instance, almost each video on its TikTok feed incorporates a human. This mixture of TikTok customers, Starbucks workers, and celebrities visually represents its seasonal merchandise. And the user-generated content material feels extra actual and relatable.

Starbucks makes use of this human-led social media marketing campaign to drive extra engagement and gross sales. It’s constructed round two key psychological techniques: 

• Social proof: Individuals see others like them having fun with the model’s drinks, meals, and environment.
• Worry of lacking out (FOMO): Individuals turn into conscious that they could miss out on limited-time seasonal choices in the event that they don’t hurry right down to their native Starbucks.

Throughout October, you’ll be able to anticipate most of those movies to reference “pumpkin spice”, “fall”, or “Halloween.” 

The video under is an ideal instance. A buyer talks by every of the new fall menu objects with their very own private aptitude. It’s a publish constructed round Starbucks’ well-known pumpkin-flavored drinks and the wide range of people that take pleasure in them. 

It’s a year-round technique that adapts to that season’s particular gives and offers. The corporate gives offers on refreshers in summer season and peppermint mochas in winter. These campaigns lean closely into emotions of well-being and nostalgia.

Starbucks additionally varies its each day posts between Reels and nonetheless photos. This combine retains its viewers glad with eye-catching visuals whereas additionally catering to the algorithm.

The concentrate on seasonality additionally contains posts about cultural occasions. For instance, this Instagram publish celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month as a strategy to encourage the sense of neighborhood and heat that Starbucks pushes as a part of its values.

What you are able to do: Create a way of urgency by highlighting limited-time gives for occasions, seasons, and holidays. Make sure you carry your model values by campaigns and all social interactions. Use Semrush’s On the spot Banner Generator instrument to automate banner creation for seasonal advertising campaigns. This instrument helps a number of codecs (Fb, Instagram, LinkedIn, X) and eliminates the necessity for design expertise.

7. Airbnb’s Storytelling

Airbnb makes use of a story really feel and format to create an emotional reference to its viewers. It segments its social media posts, utilizing storytelling to spotlight the advantages of its service for each visitors and hosts. 

Lately, it ran two digital advertising campaigns concurrently. 

For one marketing campaign, Airbnb invited photographers to make use of the service as visitors and take pictures throughout their stays. 

Co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky launched the brand new social media promoting technique with a video on his X account:

Whereas Airbnb paid artists to take the journeys, what the viewers noticed had been seemingly candid moments of households and mates on trip.

Airbnb appealed to visitors with a financial institution of high-quality, user-generated footage—and the story of a tremendous getaway.

The corporate compiled the photographs into social posts and video adverts. This documentary-style content material from visitors’ views feels extra pure. It provides new audiences a sneak peek of what their journeys may very well be like.

Airbnb additionally appeals to hosts by telling a narrative by photos. It makes use of its Instagram content material to strategically showcase houses which can be obtainable on the platform. With over 5 million followers, this can be a good technique to present properties extra publicity and entice new hosts to enroll.

The model just lately started experimenting with documentary-style modifying for house photographs. The white border ties in with the photographers’ marketing campaign format and makes it seem like guests’ pictures. The idyllic photos evoke the sort of vibe visitors can anticipate to take pleasure in when staying at a property, and supply inspiration for what hosts can supply their visitors.

The technique of utilizing break up captions is supposed to cater to each audiences. 

For instance, “Shut sufficient to stroll to the touristy stuff, but far sufficient away to flee it” summarizes the expertise for visitors.

Whereas the underside half, “Every house on this class receives a 3D scan and detailed Accessibility Evaluate” outlines the advantages for potential hosts who could wish to checklist their house in the identical class inside Airbnb.

What you are able to do: Present your viewers a preview of what their expertise together with your model shall be like utilizing high-quality photos and movies. Use Semrush’s On the spot Video Creator instrument to hurry up the inventive course of. Convert any weblog publish to video, shortly customise and edit your current video content material, and translate your movies into 20+ languages. 

8. ASOS The Costume

ASOS capitalized on a social media publish that concerned a detrimental point out of one of many firm’s merchandise. The model turned it right into a constructive story that generated tons of free PR.

Thea Lauryn Chippendale posted a screenshot of a impolite Tinder message the place a person insulted a gown she was sporting in certainly one of her profile pictures. The gown occurred to be from ASOS.

The publish went viral. As different customers complimented the gown, asking the place she purchased it, ASOS determined to leap on the possibility to defend not solely this lady however her selection of clothes.

The British retailer requested Thea to test her direct messages (DMs). 

The gown she wore within the picture was nonetheless on sale on the time. The model requested for her permission to use the user-generated content material on its product web page.

Due to Thea’s capability to be weak on social media and ASOS’s social “listening”, the entire affair made fairly a splash on-line. Many information shops picked up the story and Thea grew to become the official mannequin for the gown on ASOS’s web site.

What you are able to do: Pay shut consideration on social media for any mentions of your model or merchandise. You by no means know what’s going to come of an off-the-cuff point out or overview. Use Semrush’s Matter Analysis instrument to establish the preferred subtopics and top-shared headlines round a specific matter. Use the Media Monitoring app by Brand24 to trace model mentions on TikTok, YouTube, Telegram, and Reddit.

An efficient social media marketing campaign begins with understanding your viewers. Begin your analysis with the Viewers Intelligence app, then transfer on to your rivals and analyze what they’re doing with Semrush’s Social Media Toolkit.

Get extra conversant in your viewers and your area of interest. Strive Semrush without cost at present!