Brief: Using generic social platform links degrades branding and disregards analytics
You’re all psyched about how integrated your next campaign is. You’ve got Facebook, Twitter, Mixi, V-Kontakte, and Tuenti campaigns that all support each other, build your primary contact list, and extend the reach of your paid broadcast efforts. There’s just one little detail missing.
You’re still paying to advertise for Facebook and other favorite platforms instead of your own campaign. How do I know this? Look at your links:
Your paid media includes mentions like Facebook.com/brandtryingveryhard in the copy. That’s great for the platforms, not so great for you.
Leading with something everybody knows about works pretty well for article headlines. “Starbucks Sexual Harassment Fiasco” will gain a lot more heat than, “Sexual Harassment Fiasco” as a headline because many people are already aware of Starbucks. But when it comes to links, we’re dealing with a very different situation.
In most cases, social platform call-outs are offered up as a tertiary call to action below big ideas and major action. In simple terms, that means your audience is seeing the call-out on their way out the door. You’ve only got a bit of their attention and for only a moment.
Giving that attention to a social platform is a mistake you no longer need to make.
Transform “Facebook.com/brandtryingveryhard” which includes your brand in the secondary position without tracking to “Brandtryingveryhard.com/Facebook” which places your brand first while allowing click-through tracking.
Tracking leads to benchmarking which leads to accountability and possibly the realization that parts of your campaign are rubbish. But that’s something you want to know, right?
