Social Media Case Study: Beef Council
Objectives
While this client valued several goals based in educating the public about, the primary aim goal was to increase audience engagement by 150%, year-over-year, in a six-month span. The platforms included were Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Other objectives included:
Educate Coloradans about the sustainability, safety, and preferability of beef.
Encourage beef consumption in Colorado.
Connect producers of beef with consumers and stakeholders.
Demonstrate the value of the Beef Couincil’s initiaitves.
Post Category: Recipes
Regular posts direct viewers to the client’s repository of “delicious and nutritious” recipes.
Target Audience
The client sought to reach potential consumers potentially concerned about how beef is raised. Posts tailored for this audience compared benefits to alternative products with messages designed to change their perceptions and manage social pressures.
Other targets included health influencers who may offer partner opportunities, such as medical professionals and diet and health experts, or engage in cross-promotion. The producers the client serves were another focus of many posts.
Post Category: Tours and Activations
With a presence not only in Colorado but around the world, the client wished to use social media to show its producers and administrators in the field. In this post, that meant a “field trip” to South Korea.
Strategy
A primary focus of the campaign was to enhance the client’s former strategies by targeting distinct audiences on each of its platforms: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Drafts for Facebook primarily addressed potential consumers, especially those most likely to use it to cook for families. Language in LinkedIn posts was tailored to address industry partners with more businesslike diction. For Instagram audiences, messages were similar to Facebook but often with shorter copy, and video “reels” were used more often for visual content.
The messaging campaign revolved around five primary pillars:
Leverage the P.E.S.O. Model: Implement paid, earned, shared, and owned media channels to maximize reach and impact.
Enhance Transparency and Trust: Promote sustainable, humane, and environmentally sound practices in the beef industry.
Engage Through Seasonal Campaigns: Align messaging and activities with relevant seasonal events to maximize relevance and resonance.
Highlight Producers and Communities: Showcase personal stories and contributions of local producers to connect with consumers on a personal level.
Prioritize Educational Outreach: Use engaging and factual content to improve consumer knowledge about beef’s benefits and production processes.
Post Category: Holidays and Celebrations
In addition to typical holidays, the client prioritized posts celebrating beef-related recognitions such as National Heart Health Month and National Taco Day.
Results
The campaign resulted in nearly double its intended increase in audience engagement of 150% in six months, year over year, in several metrics.
The following data incorporate performance on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram:
• 293% increase in engagement
• 259% increase in impressions
• 600% increase in link clicks
• 23% increase in total posts
Post Tactic: Boosting
With paid promotions, strategic posts’ metrics skyrocketed. Implementation of this tactic was often reserved for media placements and sponsorship activations at sporting and other events.
Takeaways
The campaign was successful due to effective, platform-specific messaging and interesting content. Each month followed a different theme, which tied into sponsorship activations, tours, and media placements that made for effective leading content that was spurred by paid boosts. The client enjoyed significantly more engagement with stakeholders and click-throughs by potential customers.
Despite the success, there was room for improvement in quality of visual content. By sourcing photos and videos from partners around the state, the composition, sharpness, and color of images are variables, and some posts left room for improvement. To continue to improve in this area would likely yield even stronger improvements.
