Scoring a one hit wonder on social media is a big thing. It’ll launch your brand into the spotlight for five glorious minutes, nab more than a few likes and give you a major dopamine hit.
But, as “I’m too sexy” Right Said Fred will tell you, maintaining popularity is another thing. And it calls for much more than a lucky break. Attracting legions of fans – and keeping them – requires a long-term social media strategy. One that’s well planned, cleverly strategised and brilliantly executed: with a target audience in mind.
Here, we take a look at finance brands around the world that are killing it on social media.
Purpose, not money: Vitality (UK)
Vitality is a UK-based insurance company. But, on glancing at its Facebook page, you wouldn’t necessarily know it was in the money game.
Rather than focusing on finance, the content focuses on the company’s deeper purpose – to help customers lead long, healthy lives. Recent posts include a blog titled ‘Got a sedentary job? Master the art of ‘active sitting’’, a series of simple vegetarian recipes by guest chef and author Rukmini Lyer and an interview with GP and personal trainer Dr Hazel Wallace.
Rather than focusing on finance, the content focuses on the company’s deeper purpose – to help customers lead long, healthy lives.
The Vitality UK YouTube channel follows suit thematically. But, here the videos are sorted into categories, such as recipes, fitness and how-tos, providing consumers with a handy suite of health-related content. Meanwhile, the LinkedIn account concentrates on wellbeing in the workplace, through interactive quizzes and easy-to-read listicles, like ‘How to spot the signs of stress’.
Action, action, action: Future Super (AUS)
It’s fair to say that the single-minded approach of Future Super, an Australian superannuation fund dedicated to ethical investment, makes social media a no-brainer. But, what perhaps sets Future Super’s strategy apart is its lack of subtlety. This is a company that doesn’t just move money around. It stands for something – and acts on it.
The Facebook page begins with a call to action in the hero image: “Every dollar out of fossil fuels makes a difference: it’s time to take back your super power”. And the content follows suit, with its focus on action rather than information. There are live videos, links to events and campaigns, including ‘This Is Not Business As Usual’, an alliance of businesses that encouraged their workers to join the Global Climate Strike on September 20.
In turn, Future Super’s Instagram account leverages this strategy, but zooms in. The page features close-up portraits of individuals in action, holding up protest signs, as well as snappy statements and stats, like “14% national gender pay gap”, published on Equal Pay Day 2019.
Social media that’s all about the members: Navy Federal Credit Union (US)
With a whopping 1.1million followers, the Navy Federal Credit Union, which is headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, is doing something right on Facebook. In keeping with the organisation’s motto, “Our members are the mission”, the content is all about people – a bit like a personal account.
More specifically, the focus is on people contributing to the community, be it through photographs of participants in the Navy Federal Credit Union’s 35-year-old fun run, a simple question post asking followers of their favourite fall activities or an invitation to a local party, celebrating the credit union’s birthday.
The YouTube channel includes footage of such events but adds to it an educational mission. The home page offers handy guides to a range of financial topics, from mortgages to student loans to preventing small business fraud.
Is your social media strategy serving you as well as it should? We can help you design a social strategy that will ensure you consistently hit the right notes on social. Get in touch.
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