What’s in this article:
- Four of the best social media strategies for telecom brands across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- Who you should be paying attention to for marketing best practices in the telecom space
- The specific challenges and opportunities facing telecom marketers
Every brand needs to find creative ways to engage customers across social platforms – and the telecom space is no different. Whether it’s to build brand awareness or respond to disgruntled customers (an unfortunate but common reality in the telecom world), a solid social strategy is essential as a companion to larger, traditional media campaigns.
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Here are four telecom social accounts that have adapted their broader brand strategies to the social sphere.
1. Verizon’s TikTok account
When we think of Verizon, many of us immediately jump to their star-studded television campaigns – so you wouldn’t necessarily think they’d be major players on the most low-budget of platforms. And yet, Verizon’s TikTok account has been impressive at nailing the TikTok ethos.
As of this writing, the #VerizonUp hashtag has over 1.3 million views after only five organic posts from their official account. Here they combine a traditional approach – #VerizonUp First Access offers early access tickets to concerts and music festivals, partnering with traditional media brands like KIIS FM – but also uses influencer partnerships and a distinctly TikTok feel. The campaign creates hype and offers followers an easy incentive to download the MyVerizon app and flow further into their digital ecosystem. They do this with videos that look and feel like TikToks: They don’t come across as advertisements and flow seamlessly in a user’s feed.
2. AT&T’s Instagram Account
For a brand as ubiquitous as AT&T, driving simple brand awareness with your average Instagram post isn’t going to move the needle much. So AT&T got creative.
The #LifeatAT&T hashtag is featured in the first slot on their page highlights, showcasing stories of, well, life at AT&T. It’s a great strategy for a company as large and multifaceted as AT&T, showing the real faces that make up this otherwise faceless corporation.
Again we have an example of a large brand nailing the aesthetic of their platform: Stories show everyday workplace (or remote-life) moments, capturing the personality of employees (and their dogs) while also showing off the workspaces, opportunities, and communities that working at AT&T creates.
3. T-Mobile’s Facebook Account
The truth is that many of us love to hate our phone companies – and some of us even take our frustrations to the internet. T-Mobile’s Facebook account is a masterclass in how to engage with comments, both positive and negative, while maintaining a consistent voice that’s both platform-specific and on-brand.
Replies to customer comments are always signed by an individual representative with offers to send private messages, links, and a voice that’s personal, conversational, and even a bit funny. “I’ve got your back, send me a note” is not what the average internet troll expects, and yet T-Mobile consistently delivers help and engagement.
4. US Cellular’s YouTube Account
While not quite as ubiquitous as the Verizons and AT&Ts of the world, US Cellular actually turns a weakness into an advantage, capitalizing on their less-national name brand to tout their more local, community-oriented appeal.
Featuring short videos with titles like “The Show Will Go On” and “What’s On The Line,” US Cellular’s YouTube channel has garnered millions of views while showcasing key brand values including their closeness to your community, their responsiveness to your needs, and their hardworking get-the-job-done mentality..
As marketers, especially in large, entrenched industries, it can often feel like a perfunctory social strategy is all that’s required. But following along as these large telecom brands engage customers where they are and hit strategic notes in the process will set a great example for how to differentiate in a crowded internet ecosystem.