Social media marketing, like much of digital marketing in New Zealand, is still painfully underutilised as we move into 2019. The main issue lies with a lack of proper understanding on how to effectively engage with customers – and importantly, potential customers – on the appropriate platform.
This is so often the result of either over-complicating a social strategy or not undertaking the required level of research during the initial planning stage. Fortunately, social media marketing doesn’t need to be over-complicated or difficult; it just requires an informed and considered approach, one we’ll discuss in detail below.
Social media marketing in New Zealand
Social media is so prevalent in our lives that it almost no longer requires statistics or data to display its reach.
Recent figures from 2018, such as 3.5 million active social media users in New Zealand spending an average of nearly two hours each day on social sites (Hootsuite/We Are Social), no longer drive home the image of a goldmine waiting to be tapped, but instead an ever-expanding digital space which is growing equally impenetrable.
The excitement of ‘how do I reach those 3.5 million people?’ can quickly turn to ‘why am I not even reaching 3.5 people?’ if any one of the platform, strategy, target audience or message are poorly thought through. Mostly, however, the main reason social media marketing hasn’t seen its full potential in New Zealand is that so many businesses are following a strictly U.S. model of marketing strategy and advice, forgetting that we’re a unique nation with a unique view on life.
Marketing to Kiwis using social media in New Zealand
We love being Kiwi. It’s such a cemented part of our cultural identity that when you read ‘we’ just now you immediately thought of New Zealand as a single entity rather than a displaced group of over 4.7 million individuals.
Our nation is also unique in the way we approach life, friendships, the Internet, and what we share. We like a fair game and a good, honest chat, and we can all spot a dodgy lemon of a deal from a mile away. We’re wary, but welcoming, we’re cautious, but trusting – ultimately, we want to welcome everything good into our lives but don’t like being taken advantage of.
This is where so many come unstuck with social media marketing; we forget who we are and who we are talking to. Providing Kiwis with quality marketing, that enhances their lives instead of driving home a blatant advert, is part of how we strive to differ from other social media marketers – and something notably absent from much of today’s social marketing.
Making the most of social media marketing: making a difference
Now that we understand the scope of our audience and the similarities they possess, we can look at how to use individual social platforms to their full potential.
Facebook is by far the most well-known and widely used social platform today, with Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, and – controversially – YouTube included to form the big six. We include YouTube here because, while it’s not technically a social media platform, it functions in almost the exact same way.
If you don’t believe us, just take a moment to consider how often you use YouTube in a passive sense. YouTube videos permeate Google search results, are the primary embed for video on websites and – much to the disappointment of Soundcloud, Spotify and Vimeo – is often where we first search for music or video, now almost as a subconscious reflex.
What’s important to understand here is that we are social people, and a social culture. We share, and make connections, nowadays largely through social media. We’ve all felt the exclusion of being the last one to see a popular viral video, and there won’t be a person reading this who hasn’t seen an emoji, meme, or reaction gif in the last few days.
This is the crux of what is missing from social media marketing, and what we are committed to helping our clients achieve: sharing their business and passion with Kiwis, connecting with individuals, and making a genuine difference in a digital space clogged with impersonal advertising.
Social media marketing in New Zealand with Media Giant
If you’re interested in social media marketing for your business, you’ve come to the right place. We at Media Giant are always happy to discuss how we can assist in your social strategy, and offer advice on the best approach and platform for your message.
Primarily, we focus on Facebook and LinkedIn, with both platforms together providing a diverse range of B2C and B2B connection. Complementing this is our approach to other, niche platforms and their specific audiences – artists are more likely to spend those two hours mentioned earlier browsing through images and liking or sharing them, while a CEO is more likely to spend those two hours reading thought-leadership pieces on LinkedIn.
Knowing your audience is the first step. Understanding how best to reach them is the next.
If you’re cautious about stepping into the world of social media marketing, give our team a call today. We’ll be happy to help you create a path to success and show you that, even with 3.5 million daily users, the world of digital is a lot less scary and imposing than you’ve been led to believe.
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