Zara's strategy in the use of social media platforms include use of Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, as well as Pinterest, among others to remarkably accelerate their brand and create positive brand awareness (Zala Systems LLC). Zara has been highly active on Facebook about 16,657,330 people who have liked its page, and 82,650 individuals who are discussing about the company on the platform (Facebook, 2013). The company is also significantly active on the use of Pinterest, which is an online pinboard that connects and shares what inspires it to the target members (Pinterest). Also, the company has a substantial number of fans in the Google+. In addition, Zara is significantly conspicuous on Twitter and has about 183,737 followers (Twitter, 2013). Essentially, in these social media platforms, the company usually posts some highly quality and reputable pictures with a focus to accelerate their brand and create positive brand awareness.
Although social media are primarily earned media, many elements in social media are owned or paid. For example, Facebook pages are brands’ owned media whereas sponsored or promoted posts are paid media (Facebook, 2013). Essentially, each of the above outlined social media platforms used by the company, which include Facebook, Google+, Twitter, as well as Pinterest pages are brands’ owned media whereas sponsored or promoted posts are paid media. In this regard, the company has got pages or accounts on these social media, on which they post the advertising messages and images with little browsing charges. However, other sponsored or promoted posts are paid for to the respective social media.
The user engagement is highly effective on Facebook and Twitter more that any other social media. This can be defined by the number of likes and pins on a company’s post or picture on these social media platforms. When comparing the three major competitors in this industry, Zara is the best performing and most effective in its activities in the social media (Facebook, 2013). Notably, Zala is followed by H&M, and then the Mango.
Zala: Social Media Future Strategy
Based on the Zala’s brand market situation and the company’s objective, it is highly essential for the company to design a new future strategy so as to elevate the brand’s use of social media to a new height. In this regard, the company should thoroughly scrutinize the effectiveness and impact of a message, post, or picture prior to posting them to each of the social media platform used by the company. More specifically, besides scrutinize whether the pre-post message or picture would be ultimately relevant, it is also of high importance to ensure that all the company’s social media platforms remains frequently active. This would be through updating them more frequently with strategic marketing messages and images, as well as responding to customers’ or viewers’ messages, comments, or posts more instantly.
More importantly, in order to maximize the effectiveness of the company’s internet and social media marketing, it would be highly essential for Zala to integrate its social media with mobile websites and mobile apps. This would be through ensuring dissemination of similar messages in these three platforms, as well as inter-sharing their links among them to enhance their easier accessibility. Essentially, the most suitable metrics that can be used to assess the effective of the future strategy, include the followers increment rate to the social media platform, the number of comments, likes, or pins to a post update, the number of messages being received by the company through its social media platforms, and lastly, the nature of viewers’ response to a post, whether positive or negative.
References
Facebook. (2013). H&M. Retrieved from: http://www.facebook.com/hm
Facebook. (2013). Mango. Retrieved from: http://www.facebook.com/mango.com
Facebook. (2013). Zara. Retrieved from: http://www.facebook.com/Zara
Google+. (n.d). Zara Home. Retrieved from: https://plus.google.com/+ZaraHome/about
Pinterest. (n.d). Zara. Retrieved from: http://pinterest.com/zaraofficial/
Twitter. (2013). Zara. Retrieved from: https://twitter.com/ZARA
Zala Systems LLC. (n.d). Web marketing. Retrieved from: http://www.zalasystems.com/seo.html
