There exist several different unofficial classifications of social media users and internet users in general. The most practical, for the purpose of market segmentation, is provided by WebGeekly.com where social media users are divided into six groups, namely: creators, critics, collectors, joiners, spectators and the inactive (Von Brockdorff, 2013). The names of the groups define the characteristics of its members. The target group for the strategy outlined below is the spectators. They are the most numerous and contribute heavily toward reviews and ratings. The focus of the plan is on longevity and viability.
The first step in this strategy is establishing a physical presence in the real world, online. Helmets are physical sports equipment which means that the social media presence of the brand should communicate an accurate depiction of the real world nature of the brand. Sales already made should be followed up with free social media coverage of sporting events where branded merchandise can be offered including t-shirts and armbands (Middleton, 2011). The importance of this is maintaining a grounded picture of the brand where representatives of the brand are seen to be everyday people promoting a practical product.
Images play a huge role in creating the brand’s image. This provides the second item of focus: photography. Picture sharing is an integral part of most of the popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. While any photograph featuring the brand logo will, in theory, promote the brand, the best course of action is to hire a professional who will be able to create the increasingly popular picture stories. These can of course be accompanied by relevant captions but would be best left open to interpretation. Spectators, the group of internet users mentioned previously, appreciate professional quality work and thus social media posts of the brands pictures will earn the coveted “like” which provides the web 3.0 servers of today with the much needed incentive to raise the post from obscurity and expose it to more spectators.
Web 3.0 is an extension of the interactive web 2.0 with computers and other internet enabled devices generate data that enables them to interact intuitively with people. To this end, the third stage of social media promotion strategy involves connecting with similar brands that market other sporting equipment. The purpose of this is to expand the audience since any post featured by these “partners” gives the brand access to their audience. These partnerships are not contractually and are essentially based on adherence to fair market practices. At the end of the day, the goal for all digital marketers is to reach a wider audience. This is the same strategy employed by YouTube content creators (YouTubers) who are able to cooperate to bring their audiences together with the aim of growing their subscriber numbers.
The Cooperation among YouTubers (specifically the content creators) provides an incredible opportunity for a growing brand that wishes to expand its marketing. Popular YouTubers are often paid to provide sponsored content where a particular brand is showcased at the start and/or end of the sponsored video (Middleton, 2011). With the daisy-chaining happening with YouTubers’ subscriber lists, sponsoring just one video can provide a brand with exposure to the audiences of content creators they never had to pay to be featured by. This is the final step of the promotion plan.
In conclusion, the nature of the internet can be taken advantage of by one possessing the right know-how. Understanding how the different algorithms that govern not just how computers operate but how people operate is key in establishing a concise strategy for marketing any brand or product on social media. This understanding, however, is not one that is shared widely and requires careful attention to the details of the prevailing internet trends and how they influence and are influenced by people who are in the end, the target of marketing.
References
Von Brockdorff M. (2013). The 6 Different Types of Social Media Users – Which one are you? WebGeekly.com. N.d. N.p.
Middleton. R. (2011). Social Media Marketing Plan. ActionPlan.com. N.d. N.p.
