Marseille edit
If it is a digital tendency that we can only notice lately, it is the recent time of brands in the digital social networks. The term "digital social networks" is moreover important in this issue, because a social network is a gathering of common interests, a social emulsion which existed well before actors' invention such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Here is only the issue of digital social networks.
At first, now the timid aggressive brands knew how to develop very strongly their presence in the social networks. Some use animation strategies of particularly effective social networks (community management). Facebook updated its algorithm recently (Facebook a mis à jour son algorithme), bringing some changes so that a brand can be visible in a News feed.
At first, we could say that it is not new. However, last years, certain actors knew how to work with important elements of marketing which they are interested in clarifying: the sense of community and the viral marketing.
The sense of community and marketing tribal as a strategy
The sense of community is the attachment of a person to a brand. In the social networks, this sense is likened to the attachment in the brand page which is placed before the brand. Facebook algorithm allows, better and better, to see the appearance in the News feeds which the publications of broadcasters succeed to captivate us. At the time of information, why do certain brands manage to appear regularly, without sponsored publications, in the News feeds?
It is a good quality of communication, the targeting that allows this effect. The people who follow a page are potential clients, and the popularity of Facebook advertising company demonstrates it well. Advertising products, in a precise domain, the brand manages to be appreciated, concern Internet users and thus develop the sense of community. However, it seems to go farther with the use of codes, which are verbal, clothing, visual, etc.
The use of the codes in marketing, the communication targeted at this level of the tribal marketing. Exactly, the tribal marketing consists of handling the social behavior of certain groups of individuals to love, make brand or a product popular. The tribalization intervenes here, in the sense of the tribe. A tribe is determined by social codes, language, pictures, etc. It is the communication which exactly moves in this direction with the brands.
The most well-known example in marketing is probably Apple. The Apple brand succeeded to push the sense of community, the tribalization at a very high level. We easily find fans absolved from Apple products, strong supporters of the brand. What is the weapon of the brand seduction? Products advertising in the passion, the top of the range. Rites structure the tribe with Apple Store, with what we call "gurus", or intellectual guides of the tribe as Steve Jobs. Apple, is thus "fans’" community that are sensitive to the speech of the brand, history thanks to social codes which were able to convince them.
LDLC and Materiel.net case
At a quite different level, on Web, they are diverse pages such as LDLC, Materiel.net, sellers of computer hardware that we are going to study. What about the common point of these sites? The universe geek (strong attraction for the technology, the digital, video games, cinema, mangas, etc.) and gamers (video games, computer hardware).
At first, by visiting their sites, it is a multitude of computer hardware described. We find cameras, computers (private individuals and pros), smartphone, etc. We could observe a light orientation, a targeting, but it is not the obvious fact.
However, when we visit their Facebook page and other social networks, the speech is not the same any more! The difference is blatant and we perceive a clear will to seduce the community geek in the broader sense, gamers. LDLC and Materiel.net shares a very informed and expert contents in this domain. We find many of the same, trolls (funny multimedia even sarcastic contents such as gifs, videos, images). These contents which often deal with the current events of the domain are very appreciated, searched for by this community. Pages, sites are moreover specialized for a long time in the relay of these contents (Troll of Geek, 9Gag). The Internet users are so appreciated to see a company specialized in high-tech materials to have a speech about this type in social networks. The Internet users recognize themselves in these speeches, learn to appreciate the brand thanks to social codes, linguistic codes and common interests. This develops the effect of tribe with leading brands of opinion, helped by their position in the market.
But where these two brands are even stronger, they set up shares of community management, effective marketing programs which develop loyalty of their audience. More than that, these shares attract Internet users to their site and in a sense, improving the purchase. The used way: quizzes.
In fact, both pages developed a strategy of social networks based on quizzes (in addition to the same). These quizzes address exclusively gamers and geeks, and thanks to well-thought codes: the latest games released, retro-gaming games, the popular gamer material involved in other high-end products. For LDLC, we can particularly talk about "LDLC hood", the Christmas event having attracted thousands of people to participate.
On the pictures of quizzes, we assist simple but effective assemblies: they list products to gain as well as diverse peculiar elements to the culture geek (the same faces, funny images, popular characters, etc.). We recognize here a quiz made for a public private individual who recognizes himself in the event thanks to the codes appreciated. Therefore, the Internet user is tempted to participate! Furthermore, Materiel.net and LDLC makes an important teasing event, proposing videos to show in the fur with measure presents added to quizzes. Multi-channel, these quizzes are released in various social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
The rules of participation vary but remain simple: comment, liker, retweet, love a page. But where the quiz becomes interesting, the pages ask their fans to indicate their comments on the product which they like most in the site (or to some extent of price). Hence, the Internet user leaves the social network, enters the e-commerce site and visit numerous pages. It is an achievement of traffic, a progress in the course of which the Internet user is subjected to the brand marketing, allowed to try and sometimes give in to the compulsive purchase. Therefore, all this process of commitment has only positive effects: The generally known increase (the idea to tag a friend in the publication), the work of brand image with a speech which pleases the target, the tribalization by using the proper codes in a precise community, the sense of feeling of community with recurring participations.
The last point is important, because LDLC and Materiel.net identified particularly well the utility of this model of quiz which seems to be very effective. Every week, we perceive diverse publications of quizzes resulting from these brands. The calendar is infernal, we see of jackpot falling regularly and the brands hold the hope of victory, create the dream about popular products and sector referents . Hence, the multitude of games renews the attraction and remains profitable.
What it is necessary to hold
The animation of the community connected with others to the sponsoring event management (e-sport manifestation, conventions, etc.) forms a success of important communication for these two brands. We perceive here the power of the social networks in the acquisition of Internet traffic, potential clients and thus benefits.
On a given sector, a niche or simply a center of powerful interest of which the target uses social networks, we understand well a well and truly existed webmarketing opportunity. So, for your brands, products, why don’t you think of the tribal webmarketing? To liven up a community (job of community manager), it is sometimes to create it, maintain with social, linguistic codes, etc. Thus developing a tribal community is interesting to work, a quiz can be a powerful tool, a stimulant of motivation.
In your digital strategy, think of basic items, reach your target. As in referencing, it is necessary to have some empathy and put yourselves into the consumer. What does he want to see or understand? What occupies on these days? What are his wishes? The traditional and old models are used up to the end, place in the innovation!
Article written by Stéphane Petit