Social media use has skyrocketed over the past decade. I can guarantee that you will be hard-pressed to find an acquaintance, friend, or family member who does not have any social media presence. Sure they exist, but they are few and far between. In 2019 alone, an estimated 2.95 billion people were using at least one social media platform.
Have you heard of Influencer Marketing? If you haven’t, you’ve probably had at least some subconscious exposure to it. Essentially, Influencer Marketing uses individuals (aka Influencers) with a hefty following on a social media platform (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc) to promote products for a fee. Some of the world’s biggest influencers (think Kendall Jenner) rake in as much as $100,000 per post!
So why is this important? A few years ago (think 2014 and earlier), social media was a burgeoning wild child. People, predominantly between the ages of 18 and 40 had it, used it to take selfies and connect with that long lost friend from elementary school. Flash forward to 2020 and it is everywhere. Premiating almost all aspects of our lives, giving us our news, selling us stuff. Social media has quickly surpassed traditional print advertising in traffic and therefore ROI. Trust me when I say, do not overlook this.
Here’s the thing, if you’ve got a smaller biz and a multi-million marketing budget is not in your immediate future, there are some ways to incorporate the elements of Influencer Marketing without the price tag.
Here’s our quick and dirty guide to using social media as a tool in your packaging design:
1. Get on Social Media!
If you’re not already on there, get on Instagram or Facebook! Both platforms offer brilliant ways to market your product and link to ecommerce sites.
2. Add Social Media Icon and Handles on Your Packaging
Is your brand on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest? Make it known! If someone is excited about your product or packaging, this is your opportunity to foster brand loyalty, gain a following, and promote more of your products via social media platforms.
3. Start a Hashtag
Developing and using a hashtag that is unique to your brand or product, makes it easy for people to share images of your product or service and is 100% free advertising for you. Start growing hashtag feeds through your own network, get friends to use it, and monitor its use. Place your hashtag on your packaging so people know.
4. Foster Conversations
Monitor your comments, and respond to people! Ask followers if they like your product, get a conversation started. Social media is about engaging with others, so make sure you’re responsive!
Kirsten Crisostomo is a freelance copy and content writer based in Vancouver, BC.
Have your say!