Well-Rounded
After addressing the information surrounding social engagement for luxury brands, it makes sense to take a deeper look into what it is that brands need to create more engagement. Content. What attracts a consumer to an advertisement, a story, journal article, video, etc is the content. The goal is to generate engagement by provoking the consumer to think, What is this about? How do you motivate someone to share what you’re sharing? Good content. But is content enough? You don’t want your consumer following to get bored. If you are stuck posting the same type of content, all the time, you quickly lose the attention of those who are bored with the repetition. That being said, you have to incorporate different types of content, and lots of it.
Cartier is a great example of a company that would benefit from diversifying their social media content, in particular, their Instagram. If you take a glance at Cartier’s official Instagram, you will see that every single post is “Agency Content” or “Internal Content.” Simply put, their photos are all staged, professionally photographed, and impeccably edited snapshots of their products. Most likely the creation of a highly paid professional advertising or PR team.
Sure, the pictures are beautiful. But you can’t help but think “Where does real life play into this?”
With 35.1 million followers on Instagram, I would consider Kylie Jenner a pretty big name in the social media scope. The bonus? She owns a lot of Cartier. By simply sharing or reposting some of Kylie’s numerous posts, Cartier can take advantage of her reputation as a way to promote their product. Using popular people or network stars as a way to create content is known as Influencer Content. Cartier has a large following among celebrities and billionaires alike. Incorporating some of their personal posts would be a great way to integrate variety in their content.
Okay, Kylie has a lot of Facebook followers, but her life isn’t relative to my life.
For the consumer who wants a more relatable Instagram experience, User Generated Content may be more attractive. This is simply content that has been created by consumers of your brand. Sharing posts created by consumers not only makes the content more relatable, but also makes the consumer feel as if they are being noticed. UGC makes the consumer feel more involved, more appreciated.
Cartier might see a change in Instagram user engagement with more participative content. Participative content requires the audience to be proactive with their engagement. I created an example of an Instagram post that would encourage the audience to participate. Appealing to the consumer creatively and personally, and allowing them an opportunity to react and interact is again making them feel more involved and appreciated.
Creating a variety in your advertisement and media is important across all platforms. I chose to focus more on Instagram, but it is important everywhere. Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Linkedin, all should be venues for a company to create consumer engagement. This engagement can only be encouraged by being consistently inconsistent with your content, posting frequently, and ALWAYS keeping your consumer at the top of your priorities. Content isn’t about what you want, it is about what your consumer wants.
-CA
This post was created as part of the Global Luxury Management Program at the NC State Poole School of Management. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
