Data-Driven Content Strategy Yields Sweet Results
SItuation
when I joined Gcc, the organization was on social media, but in a “keeping the lights on” mode. they didn’t have a channel or content strategy. they also didn’t have benchmarks, weren’t looking at metrics consistently & had no sense of whether their content was effective.
i did an audit: in the year prior to my arrival, the team used over 62 different metrics to report on social performance. our brand and project managers didn’t know what ‘good’ was, and needed a framework to operate within.
actions
to create the required rigor and bring data and discipline to our social efforts, i defined 4 focus areas for us to march towards:
maximizing paid social efficiency — adapted our buying and targeting strategy based on new social kpi’s and refined audience segmentation. introduced geo-targeted amplification for restaurant and retail content.
understanding performance — engaging a top tier media agency, we analyzed 2 years worth of social media performance data, defined key metrics and set clear and ambitious benchmarks. these learnings and standards were cascaded across the organization.
enhancing discoverability — expanded paid social footprint into new channels (Pinterest, instagram) and engaged a network of baking influencers to ensure gcc was the most discoverable chocolate brand on the internet.
compelling brand comms — from creative to copy to how/when/where our content reached customers. we implemented a stricter evaluation of assets and alignment to masterbrand visual style. focused on comprehensive brand stories across B2c and b2b in order to deliver a ‘one Ghirardelli’ message around key occasions vs. a one-off post approach.
results
efficient, targeted reach
media efficiency increased 25% yoy
reduced social CPMs by 32%
expanded organic social footprint to over 115M impressions
understanding performance
clear-cut guiding principles for content across 4 primary social channels.
“reach, resonance, reaction” framework for campaign measurement including and extending beyond social
enhance discoverability (influencers, instagram, Pinterest)
pinterest strategy resulted in a 1,000% increase in the number of times our brand appeared in home feeds during the OND window
tripled the number of users who saw and engaged with our pinterest content
compelling, brand-building comms
engagement rates increased 16% yoy and exceeded CPG industry benchmarks by 3.7%
actions taken as a result of our social content increase 141%
92% positive sentiment of social conversations
