Introduction
In 1650 the first advertisement appeared in a London newspaper ”Mercurius and Politicus” promoting new books, medicines and coffee. This was the first instance of advertising we have seen in history and only reached a few thousand people. Fast forward to today, And with two clicks you could promote any product or service in the world to millions globally. This is the power of social media. In the last decade, social media has transformed from a casual sharing platform into a powerful business tool. Platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are now vital for brand building, customer engagement, and driving sales. Every day on our feeds we are bombarded with various influences with tens of millions of followers promoting the next big product. The unregulated power social media has in driving preferences and trends has led to the emergence of numerous brands that can attribute their success solely to clever marketing. This shift has opened new doors for consulting firms, enabling them to guide businesses through the complexities of the social media landscape, offering insights and strategies for success. Consultants have played a key role in helping businesses navigate the growing influence of social media. With data-driven strategies, creative content, and proactive reputation management, consulting firms have helped companies transform their social media presence, leading to meaningful growth and measurable results.
Building a Strong Online Brand: The Nike Case Study
One of the most important ways consultants assist businesses is by helping them establish a consistent and impactful online presence. Nike's Colin Kaepernick “Dream Crazy” campaign is an excellent example of how consultants can help manage opportunity and risk. In 2018, Nike, with the support of social media consultants, took a bold step by aligning its brand with social activism through Kaepernick, a polarising figure in the public discourse. The campaign sparked wide engagement across platforms like Instagram and Twitter, with the hashtag #JustDoIt generating millions of interactions. Despite the controversial nature of the campaign, Nike saw a 31% increase in sales in the days following the release, demonstrating the potential of an authentic, well-executed narrative on social media (Feloni, 2018). This success story highlights how consulting firms can help brands develop strong online identities by crafting narratives that resonate deeply with audiences. The lesson for businesses is that a robust, values-driven presence can significantly boost consumer loyalty and sales (Green, 2018).
Customer Engagement: Starbucks’ Social Media Success
In addition to brand building, fostering customer engagement is a major area where consultants make a difference. Starbucks’ "My Starbucks Idea” platform is a prime example of how social media can be used for two-way communication. By encouraging customers to submit ideas for product innovations and service improvements, Starbucks fostered a sense of community and made customers feel heard. The initiative, promoted through Twitter and Facebook, led to thousands of interactions and valuable feedback, resulting in new products like coconut milk and cake pops (Davis, 2018). Consultants played a key role in guiding this engagement process, helping Starbucks maintain consistent communication with its audience. (Ayres, 2018) This case illustrates the importance of using social media not only as a marketing tool but also as a platform for dialogue and relationship-building.
Driving Sales Growth: Glossier’s Organic Strategy
Consulting firms also assist brands in turning social media engagement into direct sales. Glossier, a beauty brand founded in 2014, is an excellent example. By adopting a social-first model, Glossier utilises Instagram as its primary channel for marketing and selling products (Patel, 2019). Rather than relying on traditional advertising, Glossier focused on user-generated content and influencer partnerships, driving sales through community engagement. Consultants helped Glossier capitalise on this approach by analysing user content and fostering a loyal community of brand advocates (Simmonds, 2020). Glossier’s success highlights the potential of building strong communities on social media, and consulting firms play a critical role in advising businesses on influencer marketing and content strategies that convert social engagement into sales.
Measuring ROI: L’Oréal’s Data-Driven Approach
Determining the return on investment (ROI) from social media can be a challenge, but data-driven tools and analytics can provide valuable insights. L’Oréal has excelled in this area, working with consultants to develop a sophisticated social media analytics framework. By using tools like Sprinklr and Socialbakers, L’Oréal tracks engagement, reach, and conversions across platforms, allowing them to optimise their campaigns in real time (Narayan, 2019). This data-driven approach helped L’Oréal refine its "Worth It” campaign to resonate with different demographics, resulting in higher engagement and conversions (Beltran, 2021).
The key takeaway is that data analytics can be crucial in continuously improving social media campaigns, and consultants are essential in helping businesses implement the right tools to track and interpret these metrics.
Navigating Online Reputational Risks: United Airlines
While social media provides growth opportunities, it also presents reputational risks. United Airlines’ 2017 public relations disaster, in which a passenger was forcibly removed from an overbooked flight, is a cautionary example. The incident was captured on video and quickly went viral on platforms like Twitter, leading to a public backlash. To manage the fallout, United Airlines worked with consultants who advised on damage control strategies, including public apologies and crisis communication (Carrington, 2017). Though damage limitation seemed successful, the long-term impact of such events can be catastrophic, with United Airlines becoming the symbol of poor customer service in US aviation. (Sweney, 2017). Similar scandals such as Pepsi and H&M’s racial advertising scandals have shifted strategy to prevention rather than damage limitation, with many conglomerates running their advertisements to focus groups before posting them. In the social media space, such scandals can no longer happen as within minutes these events are shared with thousands worldwide. These examples underscore the importance of having a robust crisis management plan in place. Consultants can help businesses navigate these risks by developing guidelines for swift and professional responses, preventing online incidents from spiralling out of control.
Conclusion
As social media continues to evolve, the role of consulting firms in this space will become even more critical. From brand building and customer engagement to driving sales and managing risks, consultants help businesses unlock the full potential of social media. The real-world success stories of Nike, Starbucks, Glossier, L’Oréal, and United Airlines demonstrate how consulting firms guide businesses through the complexities of the digital landscape. For businesses, embracing social media as a core part of their strategy is no longer optional, without embracing this change you will be left behind. With the right consulting guidance, social media can become a powerful engine for growth, innovation, and lasting customer relationships. But as with everything on the internet, there is a fine line between success and reputational disaster.
References
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2. Davis, D. (2018) ”Starbucks’ “My Starbucks Idea” – crowdsourcing to engage customers”. Available at:
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4. Beltran, L. (2021) L’Oréal on leveraging data to amplify its inclusive beauty mission. Available at:
5. Sweney, M. (2017) United Airlines' reputation nosedives after passenger's forcible removal. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/apr/11/united-airlines-reputation-nosedives-after-pa ssenger-dragging-incident
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7. Ayres, S. (2018) Starbucks crowdsources innovation through 'My Starbucks Idea'. Available at:
Patel, S. (2019) How Glossier built a billion-dollar brand through influencer marketing. Available at:
https://digiday.com/marketing/glossier-built-billion-dollar-brand-influencer-marketing/ [Accessed 7 Sep. 2024].
9. Narayan, A. (2019) How L'Oréal uses social listening to boost inclusivity and representation. Available at:
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11. Cobb, J. (2018). Behind Nike’s Decision to Stand by Colin Kaepernick. [online] The New Yorker. Available at:
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