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John Danenbarger
General Motors might be struggling but when it comes to social media, at least, its Cadillac brand seems to know exactly what it is doing. Reach the marque’s Facebook page and the first thing you will see is a beautiful shot of the “All-New Cadillac XTS.”
That is tempting enough but what you will also see is a good example of the range of skills that any social media marketer now has to master.
The area above the fold, on the screen before you have to scroll, looks like a magazine ad. The car is properly photographed, and beneath it are a few lines of copy describing its features.
So we already know that behind this social media page lies the work of a professional photographer and the work of a professional copywriter. But that is not all. You can also see more images of the car, not just by clicking the Photos tab on the left of the page (as you would expect) but by pressing the dots on the image itself.
In addition to the photographer and the copywriter then, you can add a developer because someone has gone to the trouble of creating an app for the company’s Facebook page. And a film-maker because as you shift down the page, you will find a pair of videos that can be chosen by selecting a little screen-like widget.
That is just the landing page. Move across to take a look at the Cadillac ATS, and you get more of the same… with one interesting addition. At the top of the page is a big red banner urging viewers to “Click the Like button to unlock NEW photos of the ATS below.”
That is a cheeky bit of social media marketing. Cadillac relies on the like button to spread its message virally and withholds some of the most tempting goodies until visitors have paid by sharing with their friends.
It is all complicated stuff which is what you would expect from a firm with the kind of advertising budget that is more usually used to pay for national television ads.
But none of these things represent the meat of the Cadillac’s Facebook presence. That happens when you press the first menu item on the left of the page — and reach the Wall. Most of the posts here read like news items from the company’s PR department. One fairly typical post says:
Each of our past and present creations has inspired the chic design and performance of our latest model. Introducing the XTS, Cadillac’s all new luxury sedan
But even those posts are capable of almost a thousand likes and 175 comments each. Where the page really comes alive though — and where it start to build a meaningful connection with its readers — is when the company thanks its “dedicated community” for picking up half a million fans and rewards them with a new album of images.
What you can find on the Cadillac Facebook page then is more than a piece of corporate social media real estate. It is a combination of all the elements that any professional social media presence has to contain, from the professional images, copy and development of the landing page, through the blatant pitching for viral sharing, to the personal gratitude for the engagement.
Some of those skills will be familiar to anyone with hands-on experience of marketing. Others will be learned through management and outsourcing. But they all make a professional Facebook presence that builds a community and keeps it close.
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