18 Successful Social Media Campaigns You Can Learn From

In the vast realm of social media, where millions of users are constantly scrolling and engaging, brands must create campaigns that stand out from the crowd. But let’s face it, not all campaigns hit the mark. To make an impact, you must know what is the most effective one.

This blog will explore 18 highly successful social media campaigns that have captured users’ attention, sparked conversations, and achieved remarkable results.

Social Media Campaign Goals: How to Define Objectives that Drive Results

Setting clear objectives for your social media marketing campaigns is crucial to achieve meaningful results and maximize their impact.

Establishing Goals for Your Social Media Campaign

A successful social media campaign revolves around a clear business goal, whether it’s on Facebook or Instagram. Common campaign goals include:

• Obtaining user feedback
• Building email lists
• Boosting website traffic
• Enhancing brand engagement
• Driving direct sales

You must establish discrete and measurable goals, baselining targeted metrics to track campaign performance.

Creating an Effective Social Media Campaign

Prepare for your campaign by setting up essential metric trackings tools, such as free social media marketing apps like HootSuite, Social Mention, and Addictomatic, to monitor engagement indicators like shares, retweets, likes, and brand-related keywords.

Once you establish a baseline, define your goals and create a clear timeline with specific start and end dates to control costs, prevent mission creep, and effectively evaluate pre- and post-campaign performance.

Key Best Practices for Social Media Campaigns

Some of the best practices below apply to all types of campaigns, regardless of the platform:

• Encourage users to engage with social media posts by inviting them to participate in various activities such as:
  • Asking questions
  • Taking polls
  • Giving reviews
  • Entering contests 
  • Subscribing to mailing lists 
• Provide incentives such as prizes, discounts, and exclusive content to encourage users to share their information with you.
• Respond promptly to criticism and acknowledge the feedback with a friendly and personalized approach.
• Share the campaign on all your social media profiles, even if it’s primarily aimed at one platform like Facebook.
• Adjust all your online platforms’ appearance and communication style to uphold the campaign’s message and brand.

What is a Social Media Campaign?

A social media campaign strengthens and complements your marketing strategy by executing coordinated actions to achieve your goals. It is focused, time-bound, and allows for measurable outcomes.

This campaign can be tailored to a particular platform or across multiple social media channels, often centered around a specific theme like “Black Friday” or “Fashion Week.”

The Importance of Social Media Campaigns

Social media campaigns have become indispensable for businesses and individuals seeking to expand their online presence and connect with their audience. Here are some reasons why:

Increased Brand Visibility

Using social media campaigns, you can enhance your brand’s visibility, expanding your reach to a broader audience and drawing in potential customers.

Improved Customer Engagement

Provide the best opportunity to engage with your audience and build strong relationships with them.

Cost-effective Marketing

Social media campaigns can be cost-effective compared to traditional marketing methods, allowing businesses to reach their target audience without breaking the bank.

Real-time Feedback

Allow businesses to receive real-time feedback from their audience, helping them improve their products or services.

Enhanced Customer Loyalty

Help businesses strengthen their relationship with existing customers and encourage them to become loyal brand advocates.

Social media campaigns are a potent marketing tool that empowers businesses to accomplish their objectives and enhance their online presence.

How To Do Social Media Campaigns Work: A Step-by-Step Guide

Social media campaigns are integral to a broader social media content marketing strategy. Here’s a concise step-by-step guide on how they work:

1. Define Your Purpose

Start by identifying the specific goal of your campaign, such as increasing brand awareness or promoting a new product.

2. Create Targeted Content

Develop content that directly relates to your campaign’s objective, ensuring it aligns with the different layers of social media.

3. Generate Engaging Post Ideas

Create compelling social media post ideas, including custom images, quotes from company leaders, research-based facts or stats, or intriguing ad copy.

4. Determine Posting Details

Decide which platforms to use and plan when and how frequently you post your content. Consider the optimal timing for reaching your target audience.

5. Implement The Campaign

Start posting your content according to the planned schedule, utilizing the chosen social media platforms effectively.

6. Monitor And Analyze Results

Regularly track the performance of your campaign, monitoring metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversions. Adjust your strategy if needed.

By following these steps, social media campaigns can effectively support your marketing objectives and help you reach and engage your target audience.

18 Examples of Successful Social Media Campaigns

Here are 18 real-world social media campaign examples that demonstrate the power and potential of this powerful digital marketing tool:

1. Twitter’s ‘If You Can Dream It, Tweet It’ Campaign

Twitter’s If You Can Dream It, Tweet It campaign utilized an omnichannel format to promote brand awareness and inspire its users to share their dreams and aspirations. The campaign featured inspirational billboards showcasing celebrity and user tweets and made those dreams come true.

Twitter’s emotionally driven campaign successfully engaged users and drove action without pressuring them to join or spend money on ads. This approach made the campaign impactful and long-lasting, particularly during a financial struggle for Twitter.

2. KFC’s Hashtag Mornings Campaign

This campaign aims to shift perceptions about the restaurant’s breakfast offerings. Through quirky videos and contests, such as commuting to work in a sidecar, KFC creates an extraordinary and memorable experience. With unique food items like KFC Chizza, they strive to kickstart your day with an exciting twist.

3. Firehouse Subs’ Rewards Week Campaign

Firehouse Subs conducted a social media Rewards Week to boost customer loyalty, support fire rescue teams, and encourage app signups and redemptions.

Each day, the brand shared hints for users to find bonus points that could be added through the app. The interactive posts highlighted popular sandwiches and drove website traffic as fans searched for bonus points.

4. Reddit’s Super Bowl ‘Blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ Campaign

During the Super Bowl, where 30-second ad spots were priced at $6.5 million, Reddit stood out by opting for a brief, attention-grabbing brand awareness ad. It began like a typical car commercial but quickly shifted to the Reddit logo and galloping horses in a field.

This unique approach sparked curiosity and drove users to social media for discussion. A follow-up Tweet explaining the ad garnered over 464,000 views, generating further engagement.

5. The Return of the #Barbiecore Campaign

The upcoming Barbie movie has sparked a resurgence of the #Barbiecore trend, influencing high fashion campaigns by brands like Valentino and Jimmy Choo. Celebrities and influencers are embracing the film and its iconic star on social media.

As the movie’s release in July 2023 approaches, expect to see more sequins, tulle, glitter, high heels, and neon on social media to sustain the buzz and excitement.

6. McDonald’s Menu Hacks Campaign

McDonald’s embraced this trend in their social media content strategy, introducing their menu hacks that combined multiple favorites into unique meals.

These unconventional offerings, such as chicken nugget burgers and mashups of Big Mac, McChicken, and Filet-o-Fish, were inspired by data gathered directly from devoted social media fans. While the ad campaign received positive press, the unusual food combinations received mixed reviews.

7. Oscar Meyer’s Bologna Face Masks

Oscar Meyer delved into uncharted territory by introducing meat-themed face masks, but don’t worry, they aren’t made with real bologna.

Inspired by the nostalgia of the 80s and 90s, when bologna sandwiches were a childhood delicacy, these masks pay homage to the trend of using bologna slices as makeshift face masks. However, it’s important to clarify that the Oscar Meyer masks are not edible.

8. Spotify’s Wrapped Campaign

Spotify’s Wrapped campaign personalized playlists based on users’ streaming habits, showcasing their favorite artists, songs, and podcasts from the past year.

With a colorful collection of slides, the campaign garnered 60 million shares from 90 million users, becoming an eagerly anticipated annual tradition for Spotify’s dedicated fanbase.

9. Folklor’s Weekly Product Drops

Folklor, a secondhand jewelry brand, engages jewelry enthusiasts with an ongoing treasure hunt. They curate the best pre-loved pieces from vintage stores and other sources, and to showcase their ever-changing selection; they use Instagram for weekly product drops.

This effective social media campaign keeps their audience hooked and maintains the excitement of the treasure hunt concept.

10. Scent & Fire’s ‘Twosday’ Campaign

Eco-conscious candle company Scent & Fire showcased their on-brand social media marketing skills with a campaign centered around the unique date of 2/2/2022.

They strategically promoted their Manifest and Abundance candles to an audience that appreciates the significance of this once-in-a-lifetime date.

11. Starbucks’ The Unicorn Frappuccino Campaign

Starbucks launched a one-week campaign featuring a magical and vibrant creation: the Unicorn Frappuccino to stand out in the coffee world. This blended crème beverage starts as purple with blue swirls and a sweet, fruity taste.

However, a stir reveals its transformation into pink with tangy, tart flavors. By tapping into people’s existing conversations about coffee and offering a limited-time, fun experience, Starbucks provided free content props and captivated audiences.

12. Gillette’s The Best A Man Can Be Campaign

Gillette ignited intense discussions with their campaign #thebestamancanbe, which addressed toxic masculinity in response to the #metoo movement. While the ad faced criticism, it also garnered praise for its bold social stance.

Within the first 24 hours, it generated over a million mentions, demonstrating the campaign’s success in tackling a challenging social issue and emphasizing Gillette’s brand values.

13. REI’s #optoutside Campaign

In 2015, REI boldly launched #optoutside, giving their entire company the day off on Black Friday—an unprecedented action in the retail industry. While other companies encouraged shopping and long work hours, REI prioritized a campaign centered around the people.

To this day, REI continues to rock this campaign by promoting products alongside user-generated content posts, effectively expanding its reach and engaging with its audience.

14. The IHOP to IHOb Campaign

International House of Pancakes, popularly known as IHOP, generated excitement by hinting at a new logo through the cryptic “IHOb.” This sparked speculation among followers about what the “b” could stand for.

Eventually, IHOP revealed that it stood for burgers, although they continued making pancakes. This clever move boosted sales and generated conversations about the brand, ensuring it remained on top of customers’ minds.

15. Dove & Getty Images’#ShowUs Campaign

Dove, a long-standing advocate for social causes, joined forces with Getty Images to launch the empowering #ShowUs campaign. With a collection of 5,000 photos featuring women from 39 countries, the campaign aims to promote body positivity and acceptance.

The partnership with Getty, which noticed a significant increase in searches for terms like ‘female leaders’ (up 306%) and ‘female empowerment’ (up 591%), underscores the importance of their involvement in this impactful initiative.

16. Apple’s Share Your Gift’ Campaign

Apple’s holiday campaign encourages creators to share their gifts with the world, celebrating the power of creativity. The “Share Your Gifts” theme features a girl who shares her music with others after her dog lets it into the world.

The campaign targets Mac and iPad users, inspiring them to share their creativity with others. Apple’s products are commonly used by creative people, making movies, music, designs, and illustrations.

17. Charmin’s Bears on Hashtags Campaign

Toilet paper companies may not seem exciting, but even they have social media needs. Charmin brings its brand to life with cute bears who jump on trending hashtags and topics.

The consistency of the bears’ appearances and brand colors creates visual consistency, making the brand recognizable without seeing the name. Their campaigns consistently trend on Twitter, proving that even the most mundane products can be made relevant on social media.

18. Nike’s Dream Crazier Campaign

In 2019, Nike released the powerful and inspiring “Dream Crazier” commercial featuring numerous female athletes. The advertisement showcased trailblazing women like Serena Williams, who defied conventions, inspired others, and paved the path for a fresh wave of athletes.

The spot also famously featured the words: “If we show emotion, we’re called dramatic. If we dream, we’re delusional.

These examples just scrape the surface of successful social media campaigns.

10 Key Strategies for Creating a Winning Social Media Campaign

Creating an impactful social media marketing campaign necessitates meticulous planning and execution. Implementing these ten essential strategies can serve as a roadmap to help you accomplish your objectives.

1. Define your campaign objective.

Ensure your campaign’s end goal is clear and actionable, focusing on creating engaging, shareable content while establishing metrics to measure its success.

2. Establish the marketing approach for each social media platform.

Customize your content for every social media channel by designing tailored visuals like videos, event banners, and images that align precisely with the purpose and specifications of each platform.

3. Create a schedule of content for the specified timeframe.

Make a content calendar to schedule your social media posts, determining the days, times, messaging, and creative copy for each promotion period.

4. Create captivating visual content to enhance the campaign.

Create visuals that draw attention and engage viewers, such as videos, images, GIFs, infographics, etc.

5. Plan and schedule posts in advance for consistent delivery.

Schedule your social media content using tools like Hootsuite, HubSpot, or Buffer, making sure to utilize your plan, calendar, and awesome content.

6. Monitor audience engagement and respond promptly to interactions.

Check your social media accounts regularly for followers’ feedback, questions, and interactions.

7. Take necessary follow-up actions after events or promotions.

After the campaign, analyze its performance and consider potential follow-up actions such as additional engagement incentives or more targeted content.

8. Analyze campaign performance and make essential adjustments.

Review the data gathered from the campaign and use it to make informed decisions on future campaigns. This will help you refine your approach and achieve superior outcomes in the future.

9. Discover productivity-boosting tools for streamlined operations.

Look for ways to enhance your workflow and explore tools like Zapier, IFTTT, or Buffer that can automate tasks and save time.

10. Establish a tracking system to measure and monitor campaign performance.

Utilize tracking tools like Google Analytics or social media analytics platforms to assess the performance of your campaigns. This will enable you to identify successful strategies and areas that require improvement.

By following these key strategies, you can create a successful social media campaign that will engage your target audience and lead to long-term success.

How to Pitch a Social Media Campaign?

First, to pitch a social media campaign, identify your audience and goals. Then create a plan with these steps:

• Make a Research
• Define Your Goals
• Get inspired by competitors
• Develop a Content
• Estimate how much it will cost

After completing the steps, present your campaign plan to your client or manager. Be open to feedback and expect questions. Pitching a campaign idea can spark brainstorming for an even better idea.

Key Takeaways

Below are the essential factors to keep in mind while crafting a successful media campaign:

1. Study successful campaigns: By examining and learning from past successful social media campaigns, you can gain valuable insights into effective strategies, creative ideas, and audience engagement techniques.
2. Adapt to your brand: While studying successful campaigns, remember to tailor the strategies and ideas to fit your brand’s unique identity, target audience, and marketing objectives. Adaptation is key to creating impactful campaigns.
3. Continual learning and improvement: social media is a dynamic and ever-changing landscape. Stay updated with the latest trends, algorithm changes, and consumer behavior to improve your campaigns and stay ahead of the competition continuously.

Begin Creating Your Campaign with BrandLume: Comprehensive Social Media Services for Businesses.

You must have clear objectives and goals when creating a social media campaign. A well-defined strategy considering the platform, audience, content, budget, and timeframe is key to success.

At BrandLume, we offer comprehensive social media services tailored to meet the needs of businesses like yours. Whether you’re just starting or looking to revamp your existing social media strategy, we’ll guide you every step of the way.

We possess an in-depth comprehension of various social media platforms, which empowers us to assist you in creating captivating and influential campaigns that connect with your intended audience. Contact us now!