A brand can build an engaged social audience, but what happens if/when networks dissolve for the next thing? What happens to those relationships?
While it’s been a while since we’ve seen a monumental shift in one platform to the next (MySpace to Facebook), it’s safe to say that the outcome usually isn’t that great for brands.
So, what to do about it?
We set out to determine a plan for one of our most active social clients, RELAX Wines.
Initial ideas focused around an email-only based program to engage fans outside social networks. However, we knew we needed something more.
We had to find something that would make sense with RELAX’s core millennial audience. Plus, it had to be hassle free, of value and social enough to align with their existing digital habits. The perfect solution would reside in a mixture of all the above.
The Sipsters were born
Launched in September of 2014, RELAX Sipsters combines email, web and social in order to activate brand advocates, reward loyalty and encourage word-of-mouth power.
RELAX Fans are encouraged to enroll in Sipsters. Then – one to two times per week – Sipsters receive exclusive content delivered to their inbox from TheRELAXNation, RELAX’s updated blog. In addition, they have the opportunity to win monthly merchandise giveaways and other prizes through social sharing, recruitment, Instagram challenges and more.
For content inspiration, the social media team looks to lifestyle topics trending within the audience. They then craft recipes, DIY projects, event how-tos and other content aligned with the RELAX lifestyle.
The results are impressive
Since the launch, RELAX Wines has experienced a significant online brand lift with a 577% increase in online mentions (public Facebook posts, Tweets, blogs) vs. previous quarter, and reached an additional 184,854 people on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
There have also been more than 34,000 page views on TheRelaxNation.com, which equates to a 75% increase in views of content vs. previous quarter and a 211% increase over the same period previous year.
The careful content curation and gaming mechanisms have resulted in an active community of Superfans that resonates with RELAX consumers. This has increased the online reach of the product, helped build brand loyalty and – ultimately – impacted sales.
