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Posted on by Ruby Lowe

3 Examples of Disruptive Brands on Social

Time to chuck out those traditional marketing techniques & learn from some of today’s most innovative marketers.

WHO: Buffer, a social media scheduling tool.

WHERE: Across digital, namely Twitter, Instagram & their blog.

HOW? Buffer use one-on-one social interaction to boost brand loyalty & gain new customers. And it works. They’re also incredibly transparent.

Buffer has shaken up the way companies work – they pride themselves on transparency, a great team & honesty and this shines through in their social media.

If you’re looking for an example of sickeningly great customer service, then check out Buffer’s Twitter feed. With a global team working around the clock, anything you send over to them will get a response within an hour. Each tweet is then signed off by whomever is sending the tweet, which works to craft a one-on-one relationship with Buffer’s existing & potential customers.

When it comes to transparency, Buffer work hard to be open & honest with their customers. One of my all time favourite blog posts by Buffer is titled ‘We’ve Lost Nearly Half Our Social Referral Traffic in the Last 12 Months’ I think it’s pretty cool they can take a step back and say ‘hey, this hasn’t been working. But this is how we’re going to change it up’.

They’ve also published a blog post, which lists the salaries of everyone who works at Buffer. You can’t get more transparent than that. Find Buffer on Twitter here.

 

WHO: Netflix

WHERE: Twitter

HOW? Truly understanding their target audience

Netflix needs no explanation. It’s almost an integral part of modern pop culture. Where 10 years ago we might have been queuing up to go to the movies or splashing out on a new Blu-ray, these days it’s all about pajamas & pretending you’ve not been watching Orange is The New Black for the past 4 and a half hours (guilty!)

And this new wave of binge-watching series & ‘Netflix & chill’, has meant that the brand itself has had to keep up in terms of its online presence. Typically, viewers are on tenterhooks each week for traditional TV shows, but because Netflix usually releases an entire series at once they have to place special effort into engaging and entertaining their customers for a prolonged amount of time. Netflix are seriously awesome on Twitter. They know their target audience, and they clearly know their behaviors. On top of the slick video content & cheeky teasers, Netflix have won us all over with their relaxed, authentic tone of voice. Scrolling through their timeline I could almost believe it was one of my friends doing the tweeting.  Their recognizable humour and wit make it an account worth following.

 

 

WHO: AirBnB

WHERE: Social media & digital

HOW? Awesome content & unafraid to speak up

AirBnB, a truly disruptive brand from its foundation back in 2008, founded by 3 guys who simply wanted to shake up the way we travel.

AirBnB have also used some pretty awesome tactics to get them noticed in the digital world, too. First off lets focus on their content. What strikes me about ALL of their content is that it’s showing off a dream lifestyle that we all want. The second thing that strikes me is that it’s actually attainable. No one wants to stay in The Ritz anymore…it’s all about a trendy apartment downtown.

Their Instagram feed is a scrapbook of dreamy holiday destinations & artistic shots of AirBnB locations around the world. Appealing to both customers & those who appreciate a good photograph, they’ve been smart as to not include any branding on their feed.

The brand has also been unafraid to voice its political and ethical views. It recently launched its #weaccept campaign during the Super bowl. Not only was it shot rather last minute, but everyone who features in the ad is an AirBnB employee. It’s a stunning campaign which challenges some of the on going problems in the US and wider world today.

 

How can you channel Buffer, Netflix & AirBnB into your brand?

  • Have a voice & a personality – Netflix style humour doesn’t work for all brands – but having a personality does. Inject some real personality into your social/digital work & you’ll engage a hell of a lot more people.
  • Don’t be afraid to be honest – Sometimes, things don’t work. And that’s okay. Don’t be ashamed of failure – embrace it and use it as a springboard to success.
  • Put the ‘social’ back into ‘social media’, and interact with your customers – social media was originally created as a peer-to-peer platform for family & friends. Get back to basics & interact with your customers as if they’re friendly acquaintances.

By Ruby Lowe

@rubyl0ve

Join the conversation #TheFutureOfMarketing

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