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5 outstanding social media marketing case studies

Do you read social media marketing case studies for inspiration? It’s always a good idea to benchmark against your competitors or pinch ideas from them, but it’s also worth looking at success stories from the biggest brands out there. You might not have their budget, but you can always gain inspiration from their campaigns.

Here are five of the best brands on social and what I think you can learn from them:

1.Mercedes Benz – Repeated, successful social media marketing campaigns

Mercedes Benz seem to win every time with their social media campaigns.  The one that stands out to me was back in 2013 when they created what I still believe to be one of the best Instagram marketing campaigns to date. Mercedes wanted to reach out to the younger audience so they hired five top Instagram photographers to each take the wheel of a new Mercedes CLA. Whoever got the most likes got to keep the car – so they all really worked at it!

By the end of the campaign, Mercedes has received:

• 87,000,000 organic Instagram impressions
• 2,000,000 Instagram likes
• 150 new marketing assets (stunning photos)

What lessons can you learn from this? Could you put your followers up for a challenge and make it into a competition or campaign?

• Can you do a competition that gets people trying out your product first?
• Think about your target audience. What is a prize they would value?
• Like Mercedes you could recruit bloggers/influencers via social media and get them blogging about your service or product. Whoever receives the most engagement wins .

2. Dove – Connecting with their target audience

Is it just me or do all the Dove marketing campaigns make you cry? If you’ve seen their Real Beauty sketches campaign, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Dove’s goal is to make women feel good about themselves. They know their target market and create content that tells a story that women can relate to.

Today I am… pic.twitter.com/VoAf2wRdwa — Dove UK & Ireland (@DoveUK) February 19, 2016

Dove did some research and found that 80 percent of women came across negative chatter on social media. Dove’s goal was to change that and make social media a more positive experience. As a result, Dove teamed up with Twitter and built a tool to launch the #SpeakBeautiful Effect, that breaks down which body- related words people use the most and when negative chatter appears during the day.

According to Dove, women were inspired by their message.

• #SpeakBeautiful was used more than 168,000 times
• Drove 800 million social media impressions of the campaign

Dove know their audience. Knowing your audience is the only way you will engage with them. The best way for this is creating personas. Knowing what life stage they are in, if they’re employed, what their interests are etc. will certainly help you when creating content. Then think about linking your audience to your brand values in order to create something just as successful as Dove’s campaign.

3. Nutella – Incredible content that makes you salivate

Each post makes you want to eat Nutella. There are a lot of people (including me) who take photos of their food before they eat it. Nutella does the same and it works. Nutella isn’t afraid to be fun and creative with different ingredients. Nutella is just a chocolate spread yet they manage to have fun with it. Do you, or could you, have a bit more fun with your brand?

Here are some ideas for having fun with your brand:

• Are you on different social media channels? If you’re B2B you might not think that Instagram is for you, but it can be a great way to demonstrate your brand values by telling a story. Fedex is a great example of this, showing images of their trucks always on the move. This tells a story that they are always delivering and that is the key message we take away.
• Key influencers/bloggers can be a great way to  different types of content and to see how they have fun with your brand (if this is new to you, read our post on the rise of the social media influencer ).
• Instead of posting behind-the-scenes photos at your head office, can you encourage your followers to share their experiences with your brand? Maybe host an event or go out and meet them.

Take your #breakfast bread pudding to the next level with #Nutella ! 😉 pic.twitter.com/k0ko5Nm9iX — Nutella (@NutellaGlobal) May 5, 2016

4. Oreo – Smart content planning and timely delivery

Oreo is another brand that is known for their creative social media marketing. They must have a big design team to produce their content, but it works! They are consistent with their branding and manage to catch onto real time events. We all remember when the lights went out at the Super Bowl and during the half hour blackout Oreo tweeted out:

Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC — OREO Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013

This was retweeted over 15,000 times.  Are you thinking outside the box about your brand? Plan ahead for events coming up that you might be able to jump on to.

Do you plan your social media content out? If you’re in B2B and don’t currently create content read here for some B2B content marketing tips to help you get started, or check out our B2B marketing strategy tips ebook for 2021.

It’s always a good idea to prepare content ahead of time. If you can schedule content on a monthly basis – perfect, but if not bi-weekly is great. That way you can check what events are coming up and plan content around them. This gives you time for any ad hoc creative to be done, such as jumping on real-time events like the Oreo blackout example above.

5. Airbnb – Stunning imagery and UGC

What might look like a visual travel blog,  Airbnb ’ s content attracts fans with their visually compelling posts. On Instagram, they post user-generated photos from its hosts and guests. The content embraces their new campaign of ‘Don’t just go there, Live there’ which is captured through real photography. Each post receives high engagement, between 3,000 and 14,000 Instagram likes.

This is a great example of thinking slightly outside the box. Airbnb is all about accommodation. They don’t just post images of the inside of people’s homes. Seeing the culture and images of places all over the world comes with the experience of where you stay and that’s what connects with people. Think about your brand: are you just posting about the product/ service itself? Why not tell your followers a story instead?

Thanks for reading. I hope by reading these five social media marketing case studies it has spiked some inspiration! If you need any help with your social media advertising , influencer marketing , or other aspects of your social media strategy, feel free to contact us .

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In this social media management case study, you’re going to see how we helped boost brand awareness for 3 unique businesses.  

The first example comes from a brand with a line of all-natural beauty products.

We generated 54,874 total fans.

In 11 only months.

Pretty good, right?

It all started with this email we received from another marketing agency:  

“Hey Taliah, Would you like me to connect you with a social media specialist who I know could really help you? […] I have copied our partner Sherman on this e-mail. He owns a phenomenal social media marketing company here in town and I know he can help you with all things digital!”  

As you can see, we are widely known for our social media marketing services .

So much, in fact, other marketing agencies often refer business owners to us who are looking for great social media campaigns.

After a few initial meetings and careful thought, Taliah decided to proceed forward with us.

Today, we’re going to share how we helped Taliah, and other clients, build brand awareness through social media management.

But first (for the newbies) let’s take a look at the benefits of social media management.

Why use social media for business?

In 2017, Statista reported that 81% of the US population (2.34 billion) actively use a social network. According to Adweek, people tend to spend nearly 2 hours a day on social media platforms.

This means it is likely your customers or target audiences are on a popular social media platform.

And your business is able to reach them… potentially every day.

For any savvy business owner or marketer, this alone would be enough reason to use social media marketing for business.

But here’s the icing on the cake.

In 2017, social media is the most cost-effective marketing channels available today.  

You can target by age, gender, location (including zip code):

You can target by demographics:

You can target by interests:

You can even target based on behaviors:

Today, it is possible to reach, fan and engage the exact person within your target audience for as little as $1 in ads (live examples of this later).  

That’s right, $1. The same cost of a burger off the dollar menu.

Think about that.

Now imagine if you had 1,000 people (fans) that followed your business, trusted you and took strong interests in your products/services.

What if you had 2,000 fans?

Or what if you had 54,874 fans like Taliah.

That is a recipe for massive brand awareness…

And that is what this social media marketing case study is all about.

What is the difference between social media management and social media advertising?

Here’s the truth.

Every marketing agency has their own opinion and thoughts of the difference between social media management and advertising.

And honestly, there’s no right or wrong way to describe the two.

We like to break it down like this:

Social media management is centered around a long-term strategy to generate more brand awareness. Typically, this means building up strong relationships with fans or potential customers over 6 – 12 months.

The main KPIs (key performance indicators) for a social media management campaign are:

• Cost per fan
• Cost per engagement
• Response times

Whereas social media advertising is centered around a short-term strategy to generate leads and sales. Typically, this means doing a direct response (click and buy) advertising campaign over 3 – 6 months. Check out our case study on how social media increase sales for a deeper understanding.

The main KPIs for a social media advertising campaign are:

• Conversions
• Cost per conversions
• Cost per click

We often get asked:

“Which approach works best?”

The simple answer is both.

However, the social media management approach is the most effective as you will develop a stronger connection with your audience.

Social media management is like a long term relationship.

Social media advertising is like a one night stand (with potential for more). 

Case Study 1: Social Media Management for Natural Beauty Products

Now let’s take a dive into results of Taliah’s social media management case study.

Between October 1, 2015 – August 31, 2016 we generated:

• 25,468 Facebook Fans
• $0.16 per Facebook Fan
• 20,961 Instagram Followers
• 3,752 Twitter Followers
• 4,693 YouTube Subscribers
• 263,052 Total Engagements
• $0.004 per Engagement
• 146,585 Video views
• $.01 Cost per view

Taliah was able to reach and engage her exact target audience for less than $1.

Actually, less than .20 cents on average. (Cost per fan + cost per engagement + cost per view)

Which is ridiculously good.  

Here’s a screenshot from their ads manager showing 0.16 per fan.

Here’s a look at the $.01 cost per view.

(The cost per view is a lot more effective and cost efficient than traditional TV network advertising).  

Here’s a look at the $.004 engagement cost.

Here are some of the posts with engagement:

Here is a review that their brand manager left for us:

It is safe to say that whatever we did worked, right?

It’s not as simple as many people may think.

This is was the result of careful planning and past experiences.

A proven social media management strategy

It’s true.  

Every business is different and targets a different audience.

The core principles of social media marketing… grabbing a prospect’s attention and building a relationship… remains the same.

We know this because we’ve implemented the same successful approach for more than 278 clients.

Here’s at peek at one of our strategy decks:

As you can see, we break our strategy down into 5 phases:

1: Research of Competitors and Customers

2: Development of Content and Growth Strategy

3: Implementation of Content and Follower Strategy

4: Measure and Reporting

5: Optimization Lifecycle

Let’s dive into the first phase

There are two things we are 99% sure of:

• Your competitors are using social media for business
• Your customers are already on social media

And the 1% chance they’re not…

Would give you a golden opportunity to be there first.   

Otherwise, it makes strategic sense to study the behaviors of your competitors and customers prior to launching any social media campaign.

A careful look at competitors social media posts, growth and ads is good starting point to see what is working and what is not working.

When researching customers we put together a customer avatar.

The purpose of the customer avatar is to have a framework for the ideal customer’s goals, values, pain points, challenges, sources of information, objections and more.

Here’s a screenshot of how we organize the customer avatar:

• Goals and values: What does the customer want from himself? Family? Friends?
• Pain points and challenges: What is the customer frustrated with? What prevents the customer from reaching their goals?
• Sources of information : This is info about where your ideal customer is hanging out online. What blogs are they reading? What conferences do they attend?
• Objections to the sale: Why would the target audience say no to your product? Is it time? Cost? Difficulty to use? Lack of perceived value?

This information allows us to put together a content strategy that will speak directly to that audience.

This is key to grabbing and keep the target audience’s attention.

2. Development of Content and Growth Strategy

Usually, once the research is done amateurs dive straight into managing their social media campaign.  

Don’t make this mistake.

Here’s what we do..

After research, we begin to work on a content calendar.

This content will shed light on what posts we are creating, on what days and why.

It helps make the process transparent for everyone and works towards a consistent model of social media publishing.

In addition, we begin to map out a growth strategy. This usually explains which tactics we will employ in order to build the fans and followers of the brand.

3. Implementation of Content and Growth Strategy

This is what our clients like the most.

The idea of not having to worry about creating posts, building fans, responding to every message and so on…

Here’s an example of our typical timeline:

After contract signed…

• Week 1: Team Kickoff Call and Setup.
• Week 2: LYFE Works on Research, Strategy, and Deliverables (posts and ads)
• Week 3: Edits, Review, and Approval of Deliverables (potentially launch)
• Week 4: Launch Social Media Campaign
• Week 5: Early Checkup and Status
• Week 8: First Monthly Review Call

4: Measurement and Reporting

Many people try social media…

Then say something like:

“Social media marketing does not work for my business.”

Usually.. this is not true.

Most people give up too quickly or don’t know how to measure their progress.

Even if the business is in a narrow lane, you can still create advantages with social retargeting audiences (pro tip).

Therefore, the major key to success in digital marketing is tracking and measurement!

Social media is a very complex marketing channel.

This is because there are so many strategies you can employ on each platform like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google Plus and so on

That is why you MUST track your results against your goals.

In addition, we give our client’s access to a custom social media system that allows them to keep up with the progress 24/7… with the ability tracking every single interaction point.

Here are some screenshots of our tracking and reporting system…

Audience Growth: 

Instagram Activity (Channel Specific Dashboard): 

Best Times To Post (Optimization Analytics): 

5. Optimization Lifecycle

LYFE strives to improve results month over month.

Every team member is dedicated to generating results to help our clients grow.

We study the report and look for ways to optimize/improve for the next month.

For example, if find that educational posts are performing the best then we will spend more time to create educational posts.

The goal of this phase is to make sure we are aware of what’s working and to optimize towards those things to improve results.

Case Study 2: Social Media Management for Forever Diamonds

Forever Diamonds is a jewelry company located in Georgia’s Lenox Mall. The owner, Malik, was looking for ways to grow his store’s awareness in the huge mall.

After only one call, Malik identified that LYFE was the company he trusted and we launched his social media management campaign.

During the period of April 1, 2016 to April 1, 2017 we generated:

• 10,422 Facebook Fans
• $0.34 per Facebook Fan
• 7,656 Instagram Followers
• 45,743 Total Engagements
• $0.03 per Engagement
• 39 Pre-Owned Rolex Watch Offer Claims

As you can see again, Malik was able to reach and engage his fans for less than $1.

But what Malik was really happy about was the 39 Pre-Owned Rolex Watch Offer Claims.

This basically means 39 people set up an appointment and made a commitment to visit the store to buy a pre-owned Rolex..

Here’s a screenshot of Malik’s total fans:

Take a look at the people engaged:

Here’s a glimpse of the content we posted on Facebook to engage his audience:

Here’s a glimpse of the content we posted on Instagram to engage his audience:

In 2017, Forever Diamonds continues to grow their brand awareness that ultimately drives more foot traffic and new customers.

Case Study 3: Social Media Management for Snow Company

Some of you heard about Jacob’s sales success in our SEO results case study.

If not, here’s the quick summary…

Jacob helps run an automotive snow company. He used all our services in generated over 98K in sales within a 5 month period.

A big part of Jacob’s success was the social media marketing component.

Between the period of August 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016 we generated:

• 49,377 Facebook Fans
• $0.19 per Facebook Fan
• 2,826 new instagram followers  
• 205,584 video views
• $.001 per view
• 303,378 people engaged
• $.01 per engagement
• 1,718 Leads
• $2 per Lead

Extremely good, right?

As you can see again, Jacob was able to reach his fans for under $1.

In fact, under $.25 cents!

The best part is…

Jacob was able to achieve these results in under 5 months with our services!

The big key here is their advertising budget. During these 5 months, Jacob spent over $18,241.55.

Which equates to a little bit over $3,000 per month in advertising spend.

A price they were more than happy with considering the revenue generated.

Here’s a look at screenshots that back up our results:

Social media management is a long-term business decision (6-12 months).

The core benefit of social media management is building up awareness and engagement.

Which ultimately builds strong relationships with fans which influence their buying decisions.

Of course, we recommend hiring us if you want to use an experienced team with a proven strategy that works.

If  this sounds good to you then here’s what to do next:

• Go to our contact page
• Fill out all the basic information
• Shortly after you will be prompted to schedule an appointment, pick a time/date that works for you
• Show up for your “get to know you” call with one of our sales consultants.

We’ve driven over 983,287 leads for clients through digital marketing.

Fill in the form below to schedule a call with us., or talk to an expert right now, 404-596-7925.

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Top 3 Social Media Case Studies to Inspire You in 2024

Discover three successful case studies on social media marketing from top brands and learn how to create one. Benefit from their strategies and mistakes to ensure the success of your next campaign.

Social media is every marketer’s safe haven for branding and marketing.

And why not?

More than 50% of the population is active on social media, and more are signing up with every passing second.

In a recent poll by HubSpot, 79% of the respondents have made a purchase after seeing a paid advertisement on social media .

This isn’t just a happenstance.

It’s the constant efforts that these brands put behind their dynamic presence on social media, that counts.

But how do they captivate their customers’ attention for this long despite the budding competitors?

Well, that’s something that we’ll reveal in this blog.

We shall assess 3 different case studies on social media marketing by top brands who are best in their niches. Their game is simple yet effective.

How effective? Let’s take a look.

Social Media Case Study 1: Starbucks

Starbucks and social media are a match made in heaven. Being one of the sensational brands online, they are stirring the social media world with their strong presence.

They brew the right content to elevate the experiences of their coffee lovers. But how do they nail marketing with perfection every single time? Let’s find out.

Starbucks in Numbers

Starbucks mastered the advertising transition from offline fame to online undertaking. They use each social media with a varied goal to target pitch-perfect reach. Drawing in more customers than ever before, they strike the right balance in content across multiple platforms.

Key Takeaways

Though not every company has a Starbucks budget to promote and spend lavishly on social media marketing, here are some quick takeaways that will undoubtedly help.

1. Chasing Trends

Be it any event, brands must take the advantage to showcase their viewpoints and opinions. Successful brands like Starbucks jump into the bandwagon and leave no stone unturned to make their voice count in the trending list.

Here’s one such social media campaign example from Starbucks.

Starbucks is a firm believer in LGBTQ+ rights. When the pride wave surged, Starbucks came forward and reinstated its belief through the #ExtraShotOfPride campaign.

Starbucks joined hands with the Born This Way Foundation to raise $250K to support the LGBTQ+ community. Throughout the social media campaign, they shared quotes and stories of various Starbucks employees cherishing the pride spirit.

2. Less is More

Social media is not about quantity but quality. Starbucks follows the “less is more” principle to maintain the quality standards, even in the caption. Spamming followers’ feeds with constant posting is a big no-no. Starbucks shares 5-6 posts per week on Instagram and 3-4 weekly posts on Facebook .

Creative and crisp! That’s what defines a Starbucks caption. This post with 111+k likes is no exception. Nothing is better than a minimalist post with a strong caption.

3. User Generated Content is the King

Ditch the worry of creating content every day when you can make use of user generated content. Starbucks makes sure to retweet or post its loyal customers’ content. User generated content postings starkly improve brand credibility.

Look at this Facebook post made out of customers’ tweets. The new Oatmilk drink got the appreciation shower by some, and Starbucks couldn’t resist but share it with others. It saved them efforts on content brainstorming, plus they got free PR.

4. Building Rapport

Building rapport with the audience is an unsaid rule to brand fame. Social media has now taken the onus of dispensing quality service by aiding brands in prompting faster replies .

Starbucks is always on its toe to respond to customers actively solving concerns, expressing gratitude, or reposting. That kind of proactive service definitely deserves love and adoration.

5. Loads of campaigns

Starbucks is known for its innovative social media campaigns. Be it a new product launch or any festivity around the corner, Starbucks always turns up with a rewarding campaign.

In this social media campaign example, Starbucks introduced #RedCupContest with prizes worth $4500 during Christmas of 2016. A new entry came every 14 seconds.

The grand total of entries was a whopping 40,000 in just two days. Indeed Starbucks knows how to get the most out of the festive fever.

6. Content mix

Last but not least, the content mix of Starbucks is inspiring. They create tailored content for every platform.

The official youtube channel of Starbucks comprises content in varied hues. From recipes to even series, Starbucks is the ultimate pioneer of experimenting.

Even on Instagram, they use all the features like Guides, Reels, and IGTV without affecting their eye-popping feed. Starbucks also follows the design consistency for its aesthetic content mix.

Starbucks has proved time and again to be a customer-centric brand with their unrelenting efforts.

Social Media Case Study 2: Ogilvy & Mather

Ogilvy & Mather needs no introduction. Founded by David Ogilvy, the ‘Father of Advertising’ in 1948, the agency continues the legacy of revolutionizing marketing long before the advent of social media.

The iconic agency helps several Fortune 500 companies and more make a massive impact on their audiences worldwide.

Ogilvy & Mather knows its game too well and never fails to astonish. Not just high-profile clients, Ogilvy nails its marketing with perfection every single time.

Keep on reading.

Ogilvy & Mather in Numbers

They use social media to target pitch-perfect reach. Drawing in more hype than ever before, they know how to strike the right balance and bring out emotions with their heart-warming campaigns.

Not every company has David Ogilvy’s legacy or even affluent clients to boast of, but here are some quick takeaways that will undoubtedly help you become a pro marketer.

1. Integrating Values

Ogilvy stands apart from the crowd, creating trends. They leave no stone unturned to communicate values.

Proud Whopper is one such social media campaign by Ogilvy that was an instant hit on the internet. People were offered whoppers in rainbow-colored wrappers, with a note that said, “Everyone’s the same on the inside.” This was to reinstate the importance of LGTQ+ rights.

The campaign got 1.1 billion impressions, $21 million of earned media, 450,000 blog mentions, 7 million views, and became the #1 trending topic on Facebook and Twitter.

Ogilvy made a remarkable #Tbt video to honor this momentous event showcasing their supremacy in creating impactful campaigns.

2. Quality over Quantity

Ogilvy believes in the “ Quality supremacy ” to maintain their high standards, even in post captions.

Arbitrary posting isn’t a part of their agenda. They share 5-7 posts on Instagram and Facebook weekly.

Direct and very precise. That’s what defines an Ogilvy caption. This post is no exception. They have exhibited the success of their client work by describing the motive behind the campaign and sharing the ad they created for raising awareness.

3. Adding Credibility

Won awards? It’s time to boast! Because that’s the most authentic way of establishing trust among your clients. It bears proof of your excellence.

Look at this pinned Twitter post. Ogilvy won the Global Network of the Year by the very prestigious London International Awards. It also earned Regional Network of the year for Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.

What better than this to give its audience an idea about Ogilvy’s roaring success and undoubted potential?

4. Being Innovative

Building rapport with the audience is an unsaid rule to brand fame. And that’s why you need to tell stories. Social media has become an indispensable medium to spread your stories far and wide.

Ogilvy shares its historical tale of existence and how it has adapted to the challenges of the changing world. The team extensively talks about their adaptation to the latest trends to stay on top always.

5. Brainstorming Uniqueness

Being unique is what propels you on social media. People are always looking for brands that do something different from the herd. So your task each day is undeniably brainstorming unique content.

KFC wanted more of its customers to use its app. Well, Ogilvy and KFC decided to hide a secret menu in the app, which was a mass invitation for the download without being salesy at all. Results? Downloads up by 111% at launch!

6. Inspire Your Peeps

Inspiration is everywhere. But how do you channelize and mold it as per your brand guidelines? The renowned brands move their audience, filling them with a sense of realization. Who doesn’t seek validation? We all need quotes and inspiration to live by.

Ogilvy has dedicated its entire Pinterest profile to inspiration. The profile has numerous insightful infographics that encourage you to pursue marketing when your spirits run low. And that’s how it brings out the very essence of being the marketing leader: by inspiring its followers.

Got some good ideas for your branding? We have created templates and tools to help you execute them hassle-free. Tread on further and download the Trending Hashtag Kit for 2024 to get into action.

Social Media Case Study 3: PewDiePie

YouTube king with 111 Million subscribers on PewDiePie Channel, Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, has defied all norms. One of the most prolific content creators of the decade, Felix was on the list of World’s 100 Most Influential People by Time Magazine in 2016.

Needless to say, he is still relevant to this day and has a massive following on social media. Not just for branding, the Swedish YouTuber leveraged social media to give himself a new identity and opened doors to fame and a successful career.

What was the cause of this extraordinary trajectory?

Let’s find out.

PewDiePie in Numbers

PewDiePie likes to keep his social media raw and unfiltered. That’s why subscribers love to have a glimpse of his everyday life and follow him on other social media platforms as well. Here’s a quick snapshot of that.

Felix took the early bird advantage and started creating content when it wasn’t even popular practice. We can’t go back in time, but we can definitely learn a lot from his social media success.

1. Start Now

If you are still skeptical about making the first move, then don’t. Stop waiting and experiment. It’s better late than never.

Social media is in favor of those who start early because then you create surplus content to hold your audience . You quench their thirst for more quality content.

PewDiePie started creating videos in 2011 and live-streamed his gaming sessions with commentaries. It was something new and completely original. Ever since, he has continued to make thousands of videos that entertain his audience.

2. Gather Your Tribe

Being a content creator, PewDiePie knows his act of engaging his audience very well. He strives to build lasting connections and encourages two-way communication. As a result, his followers like to jump onto his exciting challenges.

Felix treasures his gaming community. He frequently asks his followers to take screenshots and turn them into funny memes . He gives them tasks to keep them engaged and amused .

3. Collaboration and Fundraising

Once you reach the stage and gain popularity, people want to see more of you with their favorite personalities. That’s what Felix does.

He collaborates with multiple YouTubers and brands and puts out exclusive content for his followers. He also goes for multiple fundraising campaigns to support vital causes and social wellbeing.

Here’s one such social media campaign example. PewDiePie supported the CRY foundation and raised $239000 in just one day to bring a positive impact for children in India. He thanked all for their contribution and taking active participation towards a noble cause.

4. Keep it Real

Felix likes to keep his content fluff-free. You get to witness raw emotions from an unfiltered life. This instantly appeals to the audience and makes the posts more relatable .

Apart from that, he also uses storytelling techniques to narrate his experiences, adding a very personalized touch to each of the videos.

Here’s a video of Felix where he and Ken from CinnamonToastKen discuss what can be possibly done with a million dollars around the world. The topic is quite intriguing.

More than 3.8M people have watched it and 216K of them liked it as well, proving that you need not always sweat to create complex content. Even the simplest ones can make the cut.

How to Write a Social Media Marketing Case Study

Many small businesses struggle when it comes to social media marketing. But guess what? Small businesses can slay the competition with a powerful tool: A case study on social media.

These social media case studies are success stories that prove your hustle is paying off. Here’s how to weave a case study that showcases your small business wins:

Building Your Brag Book

• Pick Your Perfect Project:  Did a specific social media campaign drive a surge in sales? Highlight a product launch that went viral. Choose a project with impressive results you can showcase.
• DIY Interview:  Don’t have a fancy marketing team? No worries! Record yourself talking about your challenges, goals, and the strategies that made a difference.
• Data Dive:  Track down social media analytics! Look for growth in followers, website traffic driven by social media, or engagement metrics that show your efforts are working.

Now that you have all the ingredients, it’s time to cook a brilliant case study

Crafting Your Case Study

• Headline Hunt:  Grab attention with a clear and concise headline. Mention your business name and a key achievement (e.g., “From 100 to 10,000 Followers: How We Grew Our Bakery’s Social Buzz”).
• Subheading Scoop:  Briefly summarize your success story in a subheading, piquing the reader’s interest and highlighting key takeaways.
• The Business Struggle:  Be honest about the challenges you faced before tackling social media. This will build trust and allow other small businesses to connect.
• DIY Social Strategies:  Share the social media tactics you used, such as engaging content formats, community-building strategies, or influencer collaborations.
• Numbers Don’t Lie:  Integrate data and visuals to support your story. Include charts showcasing follower growth or screenshots of top-performing posts.
• Simple & Straightforward:  Use clear, concise language that’s easy to understand. Bullet points and short paragraphs make your case study digestible and showcase your professionalism.

Remember: Your social media marketing case studies are a chance to celebrate your achievements and build businesses. So, tell your story with pride, showcase your data-driven results, and watch your brand recognition soar

Social media campaigns are winning hearts on every platform. However, their success rates largely depend on your year-round presence. That’s why being consistent really does the trick.

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• Start the campaign
• Track the performance

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Different types of social media campaigns are:

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Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Marketing Jungle

7 Creative Social Media Marketing Mini Case Studies

Look no further.

This article highlights seven mini case studies of businesses that have stood out by implementing innovative social media marketing practices.

You'll find inspiration for your social media marketing efforts here.

So let's dive in!

#1: Sharpie

Sharpie is the permanent marker company. Through social media and other marketing efforts, this company has taken an ordinary commodity and turned it into a common noun.

Sharpie excels on Twitter, but they also make good use of their blog and Instagram and have even formed their own community. Here are some things to learn:

#2: HubSpot

HubSpot is a leading B2B company that provides inbound marketing tools for small businesses. A key to their explosive growth comes through a strategic content creation plan.

HubSpot knows what their audience wants. They write about hot topics (like the post on Pinterest pictured below), they tag their articles based on experience level (see “Introductory” in the illustration above) and they provide a way to listen to their posts through a service called Vocalyze .

It would be easy to overlook this, but HubSpot also does a great job providing easy access to a variety of social sharing buttons. Notice how prominently those display next to both of the above images .

HubSpot excels at making their brand personal. On their Facebook page, they do this by featuring their employees.

#3: Weapons Plus Martial Arts Supplies

Weapons Plus Martial Arts Supplies is an early adopter of Google+ and has found many creative ways to take advantage of Google's power .

One of their most compelling elements comes through their use of animated profile graphics.

Like any good content strategy, Weapons Plus understands that their audience likes to read reviews of martial arts movies and get how-to instruction on making and using martial arts weapons. They also want to show their love.

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Another ninja trick (forgive the pun) exercised by Weapons Plus is to take full advantage of the “About” page to get lots of Google juice . The Recommendations links are a perfect way to tie your Google+ page to your other online properties.

Evian is the bottled-water company. They have developed a highly sophisticated YouTube page that is worth studying.

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One of the smart things they've done is create a pervasive campaign with the “Live Young” motif. All of their images and products reinforce this through the idea of fueling the Evian baby inside (which, of course, needs to drink Evian water).

Another excellent idea implemented on Evian's YouTube channel is a user-generated video. The goal is to create the world's longest user-generated video. They do this by allowing users to create short video clips that tie into the theme. The technology required to accommodate this can't be cheap, but all businesses can look for ways to get fans to create content on their behalf.

#5: Openview Partners

Openview Partners is a B2B venture capital firm that helps emerging growth technology companies with startup funding. They have added 10,000 new subscribers through their social media strategies on their blog.

The authors of Openview's blog understand that good content draws new readers. That's why they make it really easy and compelling to sign up for their newsletter.

In addition to the ubiquitous sign-up sheet found next to every blog post, the site provides a pop-up invitation to new site visitors who haven't signed up before.

Openview employs another smart tactic by making their posts readily available for mobile readers. They do this through a service called Google Currents .

A venture capital firm could portray a stiff, conservative image to clients. Certainly they need to convey confidence and stability , but that doesn't mean they can't be personable and fun . Openview strikes this balance well by allowing staff to show a professional and a fun-loving photo on their “Meet the Authors” page.

#6: Sammy's Woodfired Pizza

Sammy's Woodfired Pizza is a regional chain based in San Diego. They have effectively used social media to grow their audience.

On Twitter, Sammy's will regularly publish coupons , promote causes and share info for their partners or about important topics.

For restaurants, it's important to present your food favorably. Sammy's takes advantage of photos on Twitter and videos on Facebook to do this.

#7: Small Biz Nation

Small Biz Nation is a partnership between HP and Intel , providing a LinkedIn community for small business owners and marketers. This joint venture demonstrates the powerful potential of LinkedIn groups.

Some advantages of creating a LinkedIn group :

• You can advertise directly to the audience once a week, with a high open rate.

Key Takeaways

These seven businesses are using social media in different ways, yet each one is seeing demonstrable growth through smart social media marketing.

Here are a few lessons we can all learn:

• Social media is highly visual— take advantage of photos and videos .
• Showcase your customers —this greatly increases engagement.
• Enable social sharing on all of your content.
• Google+ will impact search results—are you realizing these benefits?
• YouTube is far more advanced than you may realize— check out the recent changes and consider making this a social destination for your business.
• Don't overlook mobile users— optimize your content for mobile readers .
• Give people a reason to engage —coupons, causes and videos work well.
• Think about starting a LinkedIn group for your industry or niche.

Now It's Your Turn

What do you take away from these examples? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.

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How to write a social media case study (with template)

Written by by Jenn Chen

Published on  October 10, 2019

Reading time  8 minutes

You’ve got a good number of social media clients under your belt and you feel fairly confident in your own service or product content marketing strategy. To attract new clients, you’ll tell them how you’ve tripled someone else’s engagement rates but how do they know this is true? Enter the case study.

Social media case studies are often used as part of a sales funnel: the potential client sees themselves in the case study and signs up because they want the same or better results. At Sprout, we use this strategy with our own case studies highlighting our customer’s successes.

Writing and publishing case studies is time intensive but straight forward. This guide will walk through how to create a social media case study for your business and highlight some examples.

What is a social media case study?

A case study is basically a long testimonial or review. Case studies commonly highlight what a business has achieved by using a social media service or strategy, and they illustrate how your company’s offerings help clients in a specific situation. Some case studies are written just to examine how a problem was solved or performance was improved from a general perspective. For this guide, we’ll be examining case studies that are focused on highlighting a company’s own products and services.

Case studies come in all content formats: long-form article, downloadable PDF, video and infographic. A single case study can be recycled into different formats as long as the information is still relevant.

At their core, case studies serve to inform a current or potential customer about a real-life scenario where your service or product was applied. There’s often a set date range for the campaign and accompanying, real-life statistics. The idea is to help the reader get a clearer understanding of how to use your product and why it could help.

Broad selling points like “our service will cut down your response time” are nice but a sentence like “After three months of using the software for responses, the company decreased their response time by 52%” works even better. It’s no longer a dream that you’ll help them decrease the response time because you already have with another company.

So now that you understand what a case study is, let’s get started on how to create one that’s effective and will help attract new clients.

How to write a social marketing case study

Writing an effective case study is all about the prep work. You’ve got to get all of the questions and set up ready so you can minimize lots of back and forth between you and the client.

1. Prepare your questions

Depending on how the case study will be presented and how familiar you are with the client to be featured, you may want to send some preliminary questions before the interview. It’s important to not only get permission from the company to use their logo, quotes and graphs but also to make sure they know they’ll be going into a public case study.

Your preliminary questions should cover background information about the company and ask about campaigns they are interested in discussing. Be sure to also identify which of your products and services they used. You can go into the details in the interview.

Once you receive the preliminary answers back, it’s time to prepare your questions for the interview. This is where you’ll get more information about how they used your products and how they contributed to the campaign’s success.

2. Interview

When you conduct your interview, think ahead on how you want it to be done. Whether it’s a phone call, video meeting or in-person meeting, you want to make sure it’s recorded. You can use tools like Google Meet, Zoom or UberConference to host and record calls (with your client’s permission, of course). This ensures that your quotes are accurate and you can play it back in case you miss any information. Tip: test out your recording device and process before the interview. You don’t want to go through the interview only to find out the recording didn’t save.

Ask open-ended questions to invite good quotes. You may need to use follow-up questions if the answers are too vague. Here are some examples.

• Explain how you use (your product or service) in general and for the campaign. Please name specific features.
• Describe how the feature helped your campaign achieve success.
• What were the campaign outcomes?
• What did you learn from the campaign?

Since we’re focused on creating a social media case study in this case, you can dive more deeply into social strategies and tactics too:

• Tell me about your approach to social media. How has it changed over time, if at all? What role does it play for the organization? How do you use it? What are you hoping to achieve?
• Are there specific social channels you prioritize? If so, why?
• How do you make sure your social efforts are reaching the right audience?
• What specific challenges do organizations like yours face when it comes to social?
• How do you measure the ROI of using social ? Are there certain outcomes that prove the value of social for your organization? What metrics are you using to determine how effective social is for you?

As the conversation continues, you can ask more leading questions if you need to to make sure you get quotes that tie these strategic insights directly back to the services, products or strategies your company has delivered to the client to help them achieve success. Here are just a couple of examples.

• Are there specific features that stick out to you as particularly helpful or especially beneficial for you and your objectives?
• How are you using (product/service) to support your social strategy? What’s a typical day like for your team using it?

The above quote was inserted into the Sprout Lake Metroparks case study . It’s an example of identifying a quote from an interview that helps make the impact of the product tangible in a client’s day to day.

At the end of the interview, be sure to thank the company and request relevant assets.

Afterwards, you may want to transcribe the interview to increase the ease of reviewing the material and writing the case study. You can DIY or use a paid service like Rev to speed up this part of the process.

3. Request assets and graphics

This is another important prep step because you want to make sure you get everything you need out of one request and avoid back and forth that takes up both you and your customer’s time. Be very clear on what you need and the file formats you need them in.

Some common assets include:

• Logo in .png format
• Logo guidelines so you know how to use them correctly
• Links to social media posts that were used during the campaign
• Headshots of people you interviewed
• Social media analytics reports. Make sure you name them and provide the requested date range, so that if you’re using a tool like Sprout, clients know which one to export.

4. Write the copy

Now that the information has been collected, it’s time to dissect it all and assemble it. At the end of this guide, we have an example outline template for you to follow. When writing a case study, you want to write to the audience that you’re trying to attract . In this case, it’ll be a potential customer that’s similar to the one you’re highlighting.

Use a mix of sentences and bullet points to attract different kinds of readers. The tone should be uplifting because you’re highlighting a success story. When identifying quotes to use, remove any fillers (“um”) and cut out unnecessary info.

5. Pay attention to formatting

And finally, depending on the content type, enlist the help of a graphic designer to make it look presentable. You may also want to include call-to-action buttons or links inside of your article. If you offer free trials, case studies are a great place to promote them.

Social media case study template

Writing a case study is a lot like writing a story or presenting a research paper (but less dry). This is a general outline to follow but you are welcome to enhance to fit your needs.

Headline Attention-grabbing and effective. Example: “ How Benefit turns cosmetics into connection using Sprout Social ” Summary A few sentences long with a basic overview of the brand’s story. Give the who, what, where, why and how. Which service and/or product did they use? Introduce the company Give background on who you’re highlighting. Include pertinent information like how big their social media team is, information about who you interviewed and how they run their social media. Describe the problem or campaign What were they trying to solve? Why was this a problem for them? What were the goals of the campaign? Present the solution and end results Describe what was done to achieve success. Include relevant social media statistics (graphics are encouraged). Conclusion Wrap it up with a reflection from the company spokesperson. How did they think the campaign went? What would they change to build on this success for the future? How did using the service compare to other services used in a similar situation?

Case studies are essential marketing and sales tools for any business that offer robust services or products. They help the customer reading them to picture their own company using the product in a similar fashion. Like a testimonial, words from the case study’s company carry more weight than sales points from the company.

When creating your first case study, keep in mind that preparation is the key to success. You want to find a company that is more than happy to sing your praises and share details about their social media campaign.

Once you’ve started developing case studies, find out the best ways to promote them alongside all your other content with our free social media content mix tool .

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Inspiring Social Media Case Studies from Reputable Brands and Digital Agencies

Brands are more than their products in today’s digital world. Memorable brands are the ones who know how to engage with their target audience effectively through their social media channels. In this article, we have curated the best social media case studies of all time.

Being on all social media platforms is not necessary; however, it is important to be successful if you exist in one. There are a lot of brands inspiring us with their effective social media strategies. They are powerful enough to start a movement, raise awareness, and change the way people think or buy.

Almost 4 billion people are using social media today worldwide. That fact clearly shows how huge potential there is to reach out to your buyer persona.

Social media marketing services comprise organic social media, paid social media, community management, social listening, feed-based / dynamic ads, Facebook ads, Twitter ads, LinkedIn ads, Snapchat ads, TikTok ads, Reddit ads, Quora ads, and so on.

Effective social media case studies come from either an experienced social media marketing agency or a very successful in-house social media team of famous brands. So, if you don’t have an in-house option, you should find the right marketing agency . Making a shortlist of agencies that appeal to your business needs is not easy, but if you have a digital marketing marketplace to refer to, you’re one of the lucky ones.

In this article, we have gathered the best social media marketing case studies by both brands and digital marketing companies to inspire your upcoming work.

Top Social Media Marketing Agencies with Effective Case Studies (in the DAN Ecosystem)

• Fenty Marketing

The Good Marketer

Social media 55, spark social agency, emote digital.

• Hallam Agency

The LOOKOUT Sri Lanka is the top Luxury Private Villa in Sri Lanka. CEEK Worked closely with the brand and the project consisted of Website Development, SEO, Social Media Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Content Creation and Paid Targeting services. The LOOKOUT social media was created by CEEK to showcase the beauty of the country and the villa itself in light of the increase in tourism around Sri Lanka and the country’s strong domestic growth in the use of social media. It has been established as a site that people enviously desire to stay at just for the aesthetics without taking into account the high level of service thanks to high-quality content and a highly active social media marketing strategy. Below you can find an example of the influencer marketing campaign:

Did you know that one of DAN’s member agencies has earned a prestigious social media award?

Favoured, well-known digital marketing agency, has been shortlisted for the UK TikTok Ad Awards . This recognition celebrating excellence in creativity and performance on social media platforms praises the agency’s ability to craft campaigns that resonate with audiences on TikTok.

DAN member agency, Favoured’s award-nominated campaign was designed for a leading beauty brand, aiming to enhance visibility and engagement on the popular social media platform. The campaign is powered by in-depth audience research, the creation of an engaging storyline, and strategic collaborations with TikTok influencers. By creating high-quality content production and a branded hashtag challenge, Favoured captured the attention of its target demographic while carrying out significant user interaction and brand awareness.

The results of Favoured’s campaign were outstanding, with a substantial increase in likes, shares, and comments. Additionally, they achieved a notable rise in user-generated content through the hashtag challenge.

Fenti Marketing 

The social media approach that Fenti Marketing created for a neighborhood bakery is evidence of their skill in strategy and creativity. By leveraging humor and excellent content, Fenti Marketing improved the bakery’s brand on social media and produced measurable financial gains. 

Let’s go back to the beginning:

The bakery, known for its artisanal biscuits, faced stiff competition and needed a campaign to highlight its unique products and engage and captivate its target audience. The DAFenti Marketing worked closely with the bakery to refine its brand message, focusing on the artisanal quality plus unique flavors of its biscuits. The messaging emphasized the playful and quirky nature of the brand, aiming to create a distinct identity on social media. 

Fenti’s campaign centered on humorous and visually appealing social media posts, featuring the biscuits in unexpected and amusing scenarios. The digital agency focused on high-quality photography and witty captions to create content that resonated with the target audience and encouraged social sharing. The result? Check it out.

The Good Marketer is another agency that has demonstrated its expertise by implementing a comprehensive social media strategy for one of its clients, The House Outfit . 

The client, an e-commerce business specializing sustainably, sought to enhance brand awareness, engagement, and sales through social media platforms. The Good Marketer crafted a tailored social media strategy focusing on key platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. They produced high-quality, visually appealing content aligned with the brand’s sustainable values, including product photos, lifestyle images, infographics, and video content. At the same time, influencer partnerships played a pivotal role in expanding the brand’s reach and credibility.

The Good Marketer planned to engage directly with followers through comments, messages, and interactive stories and yes, fostered a strong community spirit and increased traffic to the client’s website.

@thehouseoutfit #fyp #interior #interiordesign #art #home #homedecor ♬ original sound – theoriginaltiktoktrends

Since working with The House Outfit, the DAN-member agency has:

• Achieved an average Facebook ROAS of 5.45 over 3 months,
• Increased sales value by 791.10%,
• Generated 1065 purchases,
• Got a 52% increase in online store sessions, 
• Achieved a 13% increase in overall sales in less than 3 months.

Want to hear the full story of The Good Marketer works for The House Outfit? Head out this way . 

When it comes to developing a comprehensive social media strategy tailored to the brand & target audience, Social Media 55 is a well-known name in the DAN ecosystem. 

Studio Cody Caissie faced the challenge of increasing their online visibility and improving their search engine rankings, partnered with Social Media 55. 

Social Media 55 developed a comprehensive social media strategy that included sharing high-quality content across various platforms. These efforts were designed to build a loyal community, increase brand visibility, and drive more traffic to Studio Cody Caissie’s website, enhancing its SEO performance at the end of the day.

Social Media 55 X Studio Cody Caissie highlights the critical role of social media in boosting SEO performance &  the importance of integrating social media strategies into overall digital marketing efforts.

Spark Social Agency works with a variety of well-known brands from a selection of different industries, one of them being Johnson&Johnson. Spark is a boutique social media marketing agency. This enables Spark to provide J&J with fast turnaround and greater impact than larger agencies they’ve traditionally worked with.

When J&J collaborated with Spark, the brand needed to pivot social content to reach an updated audience for multiple J&J brands such as Band-Aid, Aveeno Baby, and Tylenol. Additionally, the company sought assistance so that J&J brands could be more active on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. For various J&J brands, Spark produces a monthly stream of captivating social content. Social posts on their monthly content calendar now feature short-form video, which has a significantly higher interaction rate than previous content.

All these efforts resulted as the following:

• 1,600% increase in engagement per post for Band-Aid
• 110% increase in engagement per post for Motrin
• Produced 40 assets for J&J baby brands in 3 weeks.

Since it might be difficult to convey complex ideas using social media advertising, Australian digital marketing agency Emote Digital believes that you need excellent and simple-to-read content as well as targeted audience marketing. Emote Digital ran campaigns for the Bakers Delight Franchise over the course of a year that included frequent content and creative improvements to prevent user fatigue. Utilizing a variety of advertising channels, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google, Youtube, and more, the agency developed a broad-reaching campaign to identify the relevant leads first. Emote Digital assisted Bakers Delight in growing its franchise network by using a variety of top and bottom of the funnel methods to improve the quality of the leads.

These are the outcomes:

• 45% Increase in conversions from social media,
• 29% increase in franchise enquiries over 12 months.

LOOP is a fully charged digital agency that explores the intersections between design, digital technology and content marketing for leading brands. They have offices in New York, Sydney, Berlin and Copenhagen.

LOOP has worked with a lot of famous brands through social media case studies. My favorite one between those is their influencer marketing campaign with PUMA . They actually have run more than one case study with them. We will be focusing on the one with PUMA and Usain Bolt.

As a human being, we can be attracted by the brands which are preferred by the people we admire, just like Usain Bolt. In LOOP’s social media case study with PUMA and Usain Bolt, they let Usain Bolt tell his story in his point of view. We can, of course, find a lot of articles explaining his background, achievements etc. However, they can never be as effective as Usain Bolt’s own words.

With this social media campaign, PUMA has reached 4.7 million views and 828,000 engagement with 41.2 million total reach . You can check LOOP’s website to see the full case study and get information to work with them for your social media campaigns.

Hallam is a UK-based social media marketing agency founded in 1999. Since then, they’ve they have combined strategic thinking, creativity, and technical know-how to develop integrated digital marketing strategies that produce the only outcome that matters: business success. Four of the eight gas distribution networks in the UK are owned and managed by their customer, Cadent Gas, who needed to develop their brand and raise awareness of this aspect. The goal of Hallam’s comprehensive video-based campaign was to promote the true stories of the “Cadent Heroes” across various service areas.

Three campaigns were created to provide Hallam the chance to plant positive seeds and take ownership of constructive topics. Their earned Media and Creative Teams worked together to create a landing page that served as the organization’s main hub of information. The 5 Campaigns attracted a significant number of views during the course of their 6-month run. The video showing a day in the life of a Cadent Gas Limited employee received over 4 million views . The campaigns generated nearly 15 million impressions overall, exceeding the initial goals and expectations.

Now, we all agree that the design crafted to be both eye-catching and shareable, encouraging followers to repost and engage means so much on social media management. 

Knowing that the DAN-member agency KOTA teamed up with Floan to ensure that every element of the brand – from their tone of voice to their visual aesthetics – reflected their mission. 

Inspired by boundless skies, KOTA meticulously crafted a cohesive digital experience that embodies Floan’s vision and values.

The comprehensive branding effort included designing Floan’s tone of voice and creating a seamless social media experience. Each detail was thoughtfully integrated to resonate with Floan’s audience, fostering a strong and consistent brand presence. 

Here is a quick glimpse of the brand’s Instagram profile: 

The Most Effective Social Media Marketing Case Studies by Reputable Brands

There are many brands that use social media in the best possible way. With the rise of social media platforms such as TikTok, brands have changed the world of social media marketing and became even more creative and popular online. Below you’ll find our all time favorite social media marketing case studies by the big names:

Tesla & Elon Musk

Apple – shot on iphone.

With no doubt, Apple is very fast and effective when it comes to social media marketing. Their case studies are leading the industry.

With their social media case study #ShotOnIphone, millions of pictures and videos are shared on social media platforms.

It clearly shows that people do not need other cameras to take pictures or videos as long as they have their iPhones with them.

This campaign is not only followed by the general public, but also by the famous singers and bands such as Selena Gomez and Florence + The Machine. Some singers took their videoclips with an iPhone whereas some of them have used an iPhone on their concert tours in the world.

This campaign has been used in all the social media platforms. However, as it is more related to taking pictures and videos, of course, the hashtags are more common on Instagram.

If you just scroll down your Instagram feed, we promise that you will see a lot of pictures with the hashtag #shotoniphone, which indicates this social media case study is known by the world. You can read our article on Apple’s digital marketing strategy , in which we explore how the company got to be one of the most well-known names in the world, to discover more about the brand’s worldwide success.

Starbucks – #WhatsYourName

Starbucks is remembered for its successful social media campaign to support transgender and gender-diverse youth on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and traditional advertising.

Brands will be memorable with where they stand for the social phenomena. In this social media case study, Starbucks UK partnered with Mermaids to understand the gender-diverse youth better and create a way to support them.

If you buy and post photos of your mermaid tail cookie with the campaign hashtag, you help to raise funds for Mermaids.

Disney – Share your ears

Disney’s digital marketing strategy is ever successful, making the company one of the leading media and entertainment brands in the world. Celebrating 90 years of Mickey Mouse, Disney created a social media campaign with the hashtag #ShareYourEars on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For every photo shared with the hashtag, Mickey Mouse donated $5 to Make-A-Wish®.

Make-A-Wish® is a nonprofit organization helping to fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness. At the end of the case study, Disney donated $2 million to the organization.

This has been one of the greatest social media case studies of all times with 1.77 million photos shared and 420 million social media impressions.

Always – #LikeAGirl

Equality of the sexes is another controversial phenomenon in the world. It has been placed in the cultures and languages so strongly that sometimes we don’t even realize how sexist we might sound.

“Like a girl” is a phrase in English and many more other languages, which is mostly used as an insult to women. Always definitely raised awareness for this subject with their social media case study #LikeAGirl. I promise if you watch the video below, you will be more careful with the expressions, idioms and phrases you say or hear in your daily life:

Airbnb | We accept

There are different ways to use social media effectively. It can depend on the brands, target audience, brand culture and identity. Some brands might prefer to speak up for a social phenomenon whereas some prefer to stay silent and unbiased.

There can be some situations where you are expected to explain something, for example, if your company or a branch of your brand is accused of something. What you say/share there is very critical which can affect the life of your business.

Airbnb was accused of discrimination in 2016, which they answered with their “Community Commitment”. After a few months, the US banned travel to some countries with a Muslim majority. That has created a chance for Airbnb to create a social media case study, #WeAccept. This successful campaign has reached over 87 million impressions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Doubtlessly, they handled this critical situation really well with their video below:

Nescafé – Really Friends?

You might not be using Facebook now as much as you used to do. However, Facebook can be still a powerful platform for your social media campaigns depending on your target audience. Certainly, Nescafe’s marketing strategy proves it right.

Our Facebook friends can be from our childhood, the neighbourhood we used to live 20-30 years ago, a friend circle who we are not in touch with any more, etc. Sometimes, when we scroll down in Facebook feed, we don’t feel so close to some of these old friends. Regardless of their age, I’m sure everyone feels the same way every now and then.

With this fact in mind, Nescafé France ran a successful social media case study on Facebook, which is their biggest platform.

This video is an example of emphasizing with your buyer persona and affecting them emotionally so that they feel attached to your brand:

Tesla is a leading brand for electric vehicles. We might not know the CEOs of similar companies; however, the CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk is known by people all around the world. Considering the way he is using social media, we can even say that he is an influencer. Despite the marketing methods of other major companies, Tesla’s marketing strategy is distinct, exactly like its social media marketing.

Tesla’s social media marketing way is going to be a little different from what we have discussed in the other examples above. The reason is below:

When there is a new product launch or an update regarding one of their services, Elon Musk shares some spoilers on his social media – before Tesla announces it officially. His followers are very interactive which also shows a successful social media engagement case study as a brand.

Tesla doesn’t even need to do influencer marketing as its CEO is already a powerful influencer who has dedicated followers for the brand.

If you feel like this wasn’t enough, make sure to check out social media campaign ideas for more inspiration.

Hope you have enjoyed reading our article. If you are interested in creating effective social media case studies for your business, you can check our list to partner with a social media marketing agency.

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How to Write a Social Media Case Study: A Handy Template for Agencies

When you’re talking to prospective clients during the sales process, they may want to see proof that you can achieve the results you’re promising them. So why not show them an example of your past achievements?

A social media marketing case study that’s full of persuasive data and client quotes is the perfect way to demonstrate the success customers can expect if they enlist your services.

Though it may take some time to produce, a well-put-together case study is worth the effort. In this article, we’ll explain how to create a social media success story, with some key things to include. And to help you get started, we’ll provide you with an example based on one of our own case studies.

Using quintly, you can automate the whole process of social media data collection , and use the data you’ve collected to create compelling marketing reports and case studies. Learn more about how to collect and analyze your clients’ social media data in a single platform.

What is a social media case study?

A social media case study is an in-depth exploration of one of your biggest client success stories. It describes how you helped them solve their problems and reach their goals.

Often, case studies focus on a specific campaign designed to achieve a certain result. Perhaps your clients wanted to improve ROI on social media by 20%. Or, maybe they were struggling to make an impact on Facebook and looking to improve performance on that channel.

The case study should be based on conversations with your clients and include lots of quotes from them throughout. It should also include evidence and data to back up the claims.

You can publish case studies on your company’s website or blog, and share them with leads as part of your sales funnel.

How to write a social media success story

A customer success story must be relatable, persuasive, and interesting enough to make sure that prospective leads will actually read it. Every marketing case study is different and will follow your client’s unique business and story. While there’s no one-size fits-all approach, there are some elements we think are important to include. If you’re not sure where to begin, here’s a few ideas to get you started.

1. Reach out to your client

First, you need to ask the right clients to participate in your case study. Choose a company that came to you with a specific problem or goal, and with your help has been able to overcome challenges and achieve great results.

Ideally, the featured business should be similar to the ideal clients you are hoping to attract , so that potential clients can relate to their problems and desires.

You’ll need to reach out and make sure they’re happy for you to feature them in the case study, and don’t mind investing some of their time. It may take a while for all the decision-makers to agree and sign off on the project, so allow plenty of time for this process. Once you have their agreement, you can start preparing to interview them.

2. Conduct an interview for your case study

The client interview is one of the most important steps because their feedback will become the backbone of the case study. 

You could send your client over a list of questions and ask them to respond by email. However, it’s better to set up a conversation with one or two representatives from the company , either by phone or video call, so you can have a more natural conversation and get deeper insights.

It’s important that you don’t go into a client interview cold. Being prepared means doing your research so that you won’t waste your or your client’s time.

Before the call, send over your questions so that they can start thinking about their answers. You should also request any assets or information you might need for the case study, such as the company logo and images you’ll want to use.

Ask lots of open-ended questions that elicit detailed responses. Try to cover every angle so you won’t have to go back and forth later for further clarification.

Here are a few example questions:

• Why does social media matter for your brand?
• What were your biggest challenges regarding social media marketing?
• How have our services helped you overcome those challenges?
• What’s changed in your social media and marketing strategy since we began working together?

Check that it’s ok to record the call so you can focus on the conversation and not have to worry about taking notes. A transcription software such as Otter.ai (available with a free plan) can help you record audio and transcribe it.

3. Compile data from social media analytics

Along with customer quotes, backing up your good work with social media data will go a long way. 

When it comes to persuading new clients that you’ve got what it takes to help them overcome their challenges and reach their objectives, there’s nothing more convincing than hard data.

It shows that your past campaigns have objectively performed well, and you’re not just interpreting your results as positive. And, it builds trust with prospective customers because it shows that you’re committed to tracking your own progress and keeping yourself accountable. 

Graphs and screenshots also help to make your case study more engaging. You can use them to break up big chunks of text with visuals.

Select the most eye-catching and impressive metrics to include in your case study. If you are using a social media platform such as quintly, you can take screenshots from your dashboards to illustrate the points you’re talking about.

You can include some data comparing your client’s performance with their competitors. 

For example, the graph below shows that even though Barcelona FC and Real Madrid shared roughly the same number of posts on Facebook in the selected period, the Catalan football club had a higher Interaction Rate than its rival:

You can also contrast the client’s current numbers against past results to show the improvement. 

For example, the following graphs show a month-to-month increase in FC Barcelona’s Interaction Rate on Instagram. 

Retrieving high-quality data and presenting it in an easy-to-understand format is essential for creating an effective case study. And, it can shape the way your case study is going to look, depending on what specific data points you decide to focus on. So make sure you have all the necessary metrics and dashboards set up before you begin writing your content. 

4. Write your case study

When you’ve got your client’s responses to your questions and you’ve picked out some key data points to include, it’s time to focus on the content of your case study.

To write an engaging case study, you must first grab the reader’s attention with a great headline that’s brief and clear. It can also mention the company name and a specific result they achieved.

Your headline could be something like: “Company A achieves X% increase in social media conversions with help from Y campaign”.

As a subheading, summarize the contents of the case study in a single sentence so that even those who don’t read the full article will get an idea of what you achieved.

Format your case study as a story with your customer  as the protagonist. This can help to grab the reader’s attention and take them on a journey with you.

When telling the story, remember to: 

• Describe where they began – the problems they were facing and the goals they wanted to achieve.
• Explain what tactics you used to help them, and why you decided on this strategy.
• Talk about how these tactics began to improve their results and bring them closer to hitting their social media KPIs and increasing ROI.
• Keep the focus on your customer , using their own words to describe the situation.

Style and formatting matter . Your case study should be informative yet easy-to-read. So use conversational language and make sure the tone of voice is in keeping with your brand and appealing to your target customer.

Bullet points, short paragraphs, and images are good to break up the text. Make sure quotes and impressive statistics stand out, and cut down unnecessary words from quotes to keep them on-topic.

Case study example

At quintly, we use case studies to highlight the outstanding results that our customers have achieved. 

For inspiration, you can read our social media case study on Benefit Cosmetics and how they increased their engagement by 50% using our platform.

Let’s go through this case study step by step so you can use it for creating your own.

1. Write a headline and a summary

The headline must attract people’s attention straight away. We did this by mentioning the company name, and a specific result achieved: 50% increase in engagement.

We’ve then summarized the case study in one sentence providing a key takeaway of what our client was able to achieve.

2. Provide background on the company

Who is your client? What do they do, and who is their target customer? Giving some background on your client will help readers relate to them.

Here, you can see that we provide some basic stats relating to the company and what the brand believes in.

3. Highlight key results

Select a few of your most impressive metrics and make them stand out. We’ve chosen three metrics here that clearly demonstrate the success of our campaign.

4. Describe the problem or challenge

What wasn’t working well for your client before they contracted your services?

In our case study, we used quotes from Toto Haba, Senior Vice President of Global Digital at Benefit to highlight the critical need for the company to produce great content and engage its audience through social channels.

We explained the problems they were facing, and how using quintly helped them overcome them.

In your case, it could be that your clients don’t have enough expertise in data tracking to effectively analyze their social media campaigns and create new strategies.

There may be various ways in which you've helped your client get better results, so don’t be afraid to talk about them here, using direct quotes as much as possible.

5. Conclusion

You can close your report by summarizing once again the benefit that your clients has achieved. 

Or, you can use another quote from your client’s team, as we have done in our case study:

Collect and track data for your success stories

Collecting and analyzing data for case studies doesn’t have to be a hassle.

With quintly, you can automate the whole process and access a wealth of high-quality metrics and dashboards. 

Our tailor-made analytics solution for agencies can help you get amazing results for your clients on social media and have everything you need to put together your client testimonials. 

So start automating your social media analytics now!

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Case Study: How Hilton uses social listening to win customers

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In this social listening case study, we explore how Hilton uses social listening to provide a perfect customer experience, make killer marketing campaigns and build relationships.

Hilton Case Study

Social customer support, social marketing insights.

Hilton is one of the most famous hospitality brands in the world. Hilton Worldwide owns twelve portfolio brands that include over 4,100 hotels and over 680,000 rooms in 91 countries. With that many customers scattered around the world, Hilton is challenged with providing the most convenient channels of communication.

In this social media case study, I wanted to explore how Hilton uses social listening. Unsurprisingly, more and more Hilton guests are heading to social media to voice their concerns, require customer support, ask for recommendations, or give a praise to the staff. Hilton had to find a way to follow their customers and decided to build a social listening strategy to always be on alert and respond whenever, wherever to whomever.

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On average, Hilton Hotels receives about 1.5 thousand Twitter mentions every day. Most of them are related to special offers promoted by tourist companies, advertising, news, and guests sharing pictures and tagging the location. As you see, most of these mentions do not require an immediate response.

The Positive Sentiment appears to be more common among social media users than Negative when talking about Hilton, which is good news for them!

And the most popular platform of discussion for them is, unsurprisingly, Twitter.

So let’s see if Hilton takes these insights into account when building its social media strategy.

Oftentimes people post about their positive experience in Hilton: they show their cosy room or a beautiful view, they thank the staff for their services publically or simply say how happy they are with their trip. This kind of mentions doesn’t require a response per se, but acknowledging positive experiences of your customers makes a brand seem more humane, genuine, and caring. Moreover, if your customer has some kind of social media following, chances are your response won’t go unnoticed. That’s why it’s a good idea to acknowledge your customers’ positive mentions. And Hilton does it perfectly!

But it’s not all roses and peaches: as with any big brand, there are occasional complaints. And in hospitality, complaints from clients are extremely important. You can deal with a broken toaster later, but if your living space is not in a satisfactory state, it becomes your top priority. That’s why time is extremely important here.

Messages like this one are not just a customer service issue — they can potentially damage the reputation of the brand. That’s why it’s extremely important to respond to them as soon as possible. The disappointed guests need an immediate answer — and if they don’t get one, they will be even harsher with their critique. The average response time for a brand to reply on social media is 10 hours, while the average user will only wait 4 hours.

On average, Hilton Hotels answers 3.3 tweets in one hour, and the average time between a tweet and a response equals 37.3 minutes (after analyzing 872 tweets during one month).

That’s the power of social listening. It enables Hilton’s social media team to react and engage in real time, depending only on manpower. Hilton made a decision to combine their social customer support with call centre and in-app support through Expion tool to make their customer service experience perfect.  

“We took a different approach than a lot of companies. We want to help our guests no matter how they come to us. No matter how they want help — in the app, at the front desk, or on Twitter. We are there where they want us,” Vanessa Sain-Dieguez, ‎Social Business Lead & Strategist for Hilton Worldwide notes.

Hilton’s guest service center is housed within their call center. Their social team monitors all Twitter mentions around the clock and aims to engage with guests within 30 minutes of a tweet being sent.

Hilton monitors all its brands and hotel level Twitter accounts and looks for what is being said and when to engage. Even if a guest tweets about Hilton, but doesn’t identify them by their handle, Hilton will pick up on the tweet and respond. Monitoring untagged mentions is extremely important. For example, here’s a comparison of the number of tagged and untagged mentions.

“We want to be available to the customer wherever they are. It just comes down to customer preference, whether they want to tweet our main account or one of our hotels, or don’t @ us at all — and monitoring it all,” remarks Sain-Dieguez.

From the very first response, Hilton aims to resolve all issues within 12 hours, which is an incredibly robust resolution timeframe given that Hilton’s customer service has to communicate with hotels around the globe.

“We recently had a guest who arrived in her hotel room and tweeted a picture of her closet that was not a standard size. Her dress was pooling on the ground, and she wanted it to remain wrinkle free for her meeting the following day. We saw that tweet come through, and within an hour had her in a new room with a full size closet,” Sain-Dieguez explains.

But it’s not just about one time reaction. Hilton uses social listening across different platforms to gather valuable insights for their overall brand strategy. They ensure that guest experience gets turned into actionable insight. All guest comments become part of their reporting. That feedback is then bubbled up to the brands who use it in their strategic planning.

The feedback Hilton gets from social media not only informs their managing strategy, but also enhances their marketing campaigns. For example, while I was working on this article, Hilton launched a new marketing campaign titled Expect Better which gathered a lot of buzz for the brand. But the mentions of the campaign don’t always include the official hashtag #ExpectBetter or Hilton’s twitter handle. By monitoring words associated with the campaign, for example, such combination as Hilton + Kendrick, their social media marketing team is able to observe and analyze conversations around the campaign and evaluate its success.

Hilton Suggests

Hilton Suggest is one of the favourite subjects for a social listening case study among marketers. Why? Because it's a unique ideas that successfully uses social listening in a creative way.

For Hilton, social listening is not just a helping hand to inform their marketing strategy, it is the core and essence of the social media marketing strategy. Thanks to social listening, they were able to create @HiltonSuggests.

Hilton Suggest campaign goes beyond reacting to someone else’s social posts and takes initiative. The main idea behind the campaign is to aid people without any ulterior motives to make a sale. Many marketing specialists say that brands today find themselves in the age of sincerity and authenticity. Millennials and generation Z who grew up with the Internet are no longer convinced by straightforward in-your-face advertising, they want to engage and build relationships. That’s exactly what Hilton Suggests does. But what is it exactly?

Hilton Suggests is a helpful concierge, available for everyone travelling to or around more than 115 cities worldwide. Launched in 2009, the Hilton Worldwide initiative is a collection of Hilton employees who volunteer their best local advice with the aim of surprising and delighting travelers on Twitter.

The unique service isn’t based on customers tweeting to @HiltonSuggests and asking for recommendations. Instead, the inquiries are found strictly through social listening for anyone who’s planning a trip to one of the participating cities, and not just Hilton guests. Based on thorough research powered by social listening, the team created specific listening rules to find and reach travelers who might never expect to hear from Hilton.

Sabrina Callahan, director of social media planning and integration at Hilton says that after years of social listening, Hilton developed a “travel excitement” layer of keywords in early 2017 based on past tweets and team member feedback. With that research, Hilton compiled “a rather lengthy list of words and phrases that people use while sharing excitement and anticipation for an upcoming trip.”

The unique quality behind Hilton Suggest is that the people writing recommendations are not a specially formed social media team — they are regular Hilton employees (who passed extensive training, of course) who are excited to share their love for the local attractions with others. And that adds to the authenticity of the program - you don’t simply google “top places to see” in Vienna, you get a personal touch and recommendations tailored to your interests.

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By making the first step and reaching out, Hilton is able to promote their brand to people who weren’t aware of it before. Callahan says, “Sometimes travelers will take photos and tag us to say thanks for the great recommendation, and that is a huge win.” Maybe next time a person will remember the hotel that helped them to experience their destination in the best way possible and will choose to stay there.

Hilton proves that social listening can help us to improve our routine activities but also create something new, which would never happen without the power of social media monitoring. What can be learned from this social listening case study?

Don’t ignore your customers. If you see that they are choosing social media as a channel for communication ( and they are ), you should give them the way to reach you.

Let social data help you. Social listening isn’t a one-time deal - the insights you get from social media can affect your company's strategy and marketing decisions.

Use social listening creatively. Remember, that the whole point of social media is engagement, and social listening can give you opportunities to engage. Don’t neglect them.

What about you? What did you learn from this social listening case study? Let’s discuss it in the comments!

Content Marketer at Awario 

When I'm not wasting my time on social media, I'm writing about them. My topics of interest are the effects of social media on our communication and the benefit it brings to marketing specialists. My motto is that you can never stop learning about social media marketing just as there can never be too many puppy gifs in a blog post.

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Create a cutting-edge demand generation social media campaign powered by proprietary ad delivery technology

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Sales of the new LG line lifted 11% and increased post-campaign conversion by 291%.

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Oreo’s Daily Twist: Analyzing an Innovative SMM Campaign

The power of native social media marketing.

The past decade has seen a major shift in the way businesses market their products and services, with social media playing an increasingly important role. One of the most successful examples of this is Oreo’s Daily Twist social media marketing campaign. The idea behind the campaign was to create 100 days of content that celebrated Oreo’s 100th birthday, which occurred in 2012. Through this campaign, Oreo sought to engage its fans around the world with creative and interactive digital experiences. In this report, a qualitative case study is presented that examines how successful the Daily Twist campaign was in achieving its goals.

Conducting a case study on Oreo's Daily Twist campaign is an excellent way to gain valuable insights into successful marketing strategies. This campaign was extremely successful in driving consumer engagement and brand loyalty, making it an ideal example to analyze.

The methodology used to conduct our research consisted of: (1) a review of the literature on social media marketing, corporate social responsibility, and brand loyalty; (2) an analysis of all 100 Daily Twist posts made by Oreo during the 100-day campaign; and (3) semi-structured interviews with a group of 3 participants who were selected to represent a cross-section of the U.S. population.

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Background Information

The Oreo cookie, first created in 1912, has a long and storied history. The original Oreo was developed by the National Biscuit Company (now known as Nabisco) in New York City. It was intended to be an imitation of the then-popular Hydrox cookie made by Sunshine Biscuits, which had debuted four years earlier.

The Oreo cookie quickly grew in popularity and is now one of the world’s most iconic snacks. It has been marketed with various flavors and fillings over the years, including mint, peanut butter, and strawberry. The classic design of two chocolate wafers sandwiching a creme filling has remained unchanged since its debut over a century ago.

Today, Oreos are produced by Mondelez International Inc., a company that owns many other snack brands such as Chips Ahoy! and Ritz Crackers.

Mission Statement

Oreo has a long history of cultural neutrality, which has served the brand well for over 100 years. On its 100th anniversary, Oreo decided to make a splash in the cultural dialogue by creating an interactive campaign that invited consumers to share their stories, memories, and photos related to Oreo cookies and notable pop culture moments.

Strategy & Implementation  

Oreo’s Daily Twist campaign designs featured on the cookies were iconic pop culture moments that had been reimagined as Oreos. This clever marketing strategy allowed customers to connect with the brand in a fun and meaningful way.

The campaign successfully resonated with Oreo’s target audience, as it provided an opportunity for them to interact with their favorite pop culture moments through a product they already enjoyed.

Oreo’s Daily Twists strategy was an innovative case of native social media marketing, leveraging the company’s awareness of platform-specific trends and preferences. This strategy employed visually distinctive designs to attract consumer attention, while simultaneously engaging in a dialogue with consumers through thought-provoking commentary. The unique dual approach of design and commentary allowed Oreo to effectively communicate their message in the digital space, ultimately enhancing their brand image and creating a lasting impact on customers.

Insights: Results & Analysis

Through this campaign, Oreo was able to engage with its customers in meaningful ways and create a strong connection between the brand and its fans. This campaign was successful in creating an emotional bond between Oreo and its customers, which helped to increase brand loyalty and recognition. By talking about culture on its 100th anniversary, Oreo showed that it is not only a classic that will last forever, but also a brand that is willing to change with the times and try new things.

Discussion: Reflections & Learnings 

The success of the Daily Twist campaign demonstrates the power of native advertising when done correctly. By creating content that is both relevant and engaging, companies can effectively reach their target audiences in an unobtrusive manner. Furthermore, by utilizing social media platforms, companies are able to quickly spread their message and create buzz around their brand.

Oreo’s Daily Twist campaign was a unique and innovative way to celebrate the brand’s 100th anniversary. The challenge was to create unique cookie designs that reflected current cultural conversations and events. This allowed Oreo to engage with their customers in an authentic way while also creating memorable experiences and celebrating their milestone anniversary.

The campaign was successful in that it created a dialogue between the brand and its customers, as well as providing an opportunity for creative expression. The designs were shared across social media platforms, giving Oreo an even larger reach. The campaign also helped foster a sense of community among Oreo fans, which has continued beyond the anniversary celebration.

Overall, Oreo’s Daily Twist campaign was a great success in engaging with customers, celebrating their anniversary, and getting involved in cultural dialogue. It is an example of how brands can use creative campaigns to build relationships with their customers and remain relevant within the cultural conversation.

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How to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy in 9 Easy Steps [Free Template]

Creating your social media marketing strategy doesn’t need to be painful. Create an effective plan for your business in 9 simple steps.

A social media marketing strategy is a summary of everything you plan to do and hope to achieve on social media. It guides your actions and lets you know whether you’re succeeding or failing.

The more specific your plan is, the more effective it will be. Keep it concise. Don’t make it so lofty and broad that it’s unattainable or impossible to measure.

In this post, we’ll walk you through a nine-step plan to create a winning social media strategy of your own. We’ve even got expert insights from Amanda Wood, Hootsuite’s Senior Manager of Social Marketing.

How to create a social media strategy:

Bonus: Get a free social media strategy template to quickly and easily plan your strategy, track results, and share with your boss, teammates, and clients.

What is a social media marketing strategy?

A social media strategy is a document outlining your social media goals, the tactics you will use to achieve them and the metrics you will track to measure your progress.

Your social media marketing strategy should also list all of your existing and planned social media accounts along with goals specific to each platform you’re active on. These goals should align with your business’s larger digital marketing strategy.

Finally, a good social media plan should define the roles and responsibilities within your team and outline your reporting cadence.

Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.

Creating your own social media marketing strategy (video guide)

No time to read the whole article? Let Amanda, Hootsuite’s own Senior Manager of Social Media Marketing, guide you through our free social media marketing strategy template in less than 10 minutes:

How to create a social media marketing strategy: A step-by-step guide

Step 1. align goals with business objectives, set s.m.a.r.t. goals.

The first step to creating a winning social media strategy is to establish clear objectives and goals. Without goals, you have no way to measure success and return on investment (ROI) .

Each of your social media marketing goals should be SMART : s pecific, m easurable, a ttainable, r elevant and t ime-bound.

Psst: Need help getting started? We’ve got social strategy guides for small businesses , financial services , government , higher education , healthcare , real estate , law firms , and non-profits .

Oh, and if you need examples of smart social media goals , we’ve got you covered there too.

Once you’ve decided on your social goals, track them in a strategy doc — grab our free social media strategy template if you don’t have one already.

Track meaningful metrics

Vanity metrics like number of followers and likes are easy to track, but it’s hard to prove their real value. Instead, focus on things like engagement, click-through, and conversion rates.

Not sure where to start? If you need inspiration, take a look at these essential social media metrics .

You may want to track different goals for different social media networks, or even different uses for each network.

For example, if you use LinkedIn to drive traffic to your website, you would measure click-throughs. If Instagram is for brand awareness, you might track the number of Instagram Story views. And if you advertise on Facebook, cost-per-click (CPC) is a common success metric.

Social media goals should align with your overall marketing objectives. This makes it easier to show the value of your work and secure buy-in from your boss.

Start developing a successful social media marketing plan by writing down at least three goals for social media.

“ It’s easy to get overwhelmed by deciding what to post and which metrics to track, but you need to focus on what you want to get out of social media to begin with,” says Amanda Wood, Hootsuite’s Senior Manager of Social Marketing. “Don’t just start posting and tracking everything: match your goals to your business, and your metrics to your goals.”

Step 2. Understand your audience inside and out

Get to know your fans, followers, and customers as real people with real wants and needs, and you will know how to target and engage them on social media.

When it comes to your ideal customer, you should know things like:

• Average income
• Typical job title or industry

Here’s a simple guide and template for creating audience/buyer personas .

Don’t forget to document this information in your strategy doc!

Social media analytics can also provide a ton of valuable information about who your followers are, where they live, and how they interact with your brand on social media. These insights allow you to refine your strategy and better target your audience.

Jugnoo, an Uber-like service for auto-rickshaws in India, used Facebook Analytics to learn that 90% of their users who referred other customers were between 18- and 34-years-old, and 65% of that group was using Android. They used that information to target their ads, resulting in a 40% lower cost per referral.

Check out our guide to using social media analytics and the tools you need to track them .

Step 3. Analyze your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses

Odds are your competitors are already using social media, and that means you can learn from what they’re doing.

Conduct a competitive analysis

A competitive analysis allows you to understand who the competition is and what they’re doing well (and not so well). You’ll get a good sense of what’s expected in your industry, which will help you set social media targets of your own.

It will also help you spot opportunities and weaknesses you can document in your social strategy doc.

Maybe one of your competitors is dominant on Facebook, for example, but has put little effort into X (Twitter) or Instagram. You might want to focus on the social media platforms where your audience is underserved, rather than trying to win fans away from a dominant player.

Use social media listening

Social listening is another way to keep an eye on your competitors.

Do searches of the competition’s company name, account handles, and other relevant keywords on social media. Find out what they’re sharing and what other people are saying about them. If they’re using influencer marketing, how much engagement do those campaigns earn them?

Pro tip : Use Hootsuite Streams to monitor relevant keywords, hashtags and accounts in real-time.

Try Hootsuite for free. You can cancel anytime.

As you track, you may notice shifts in how your competitors and industry leaders are using social media. You may come across new, exciting trends. You might even spot specific social content or a campaign that really hits the mark—or totally bombs.

Use this kind of intel to optimize and inform your own social media marketing strategy.

Just don’t go overboard on the spy tactics, Amanda advises. “ Make sure you aren’t ALWAYS comparing yourself to the competition — it can be a distraction. I’d say checking in on a monthly basis is healthy. Otherwise, focus on your own strategy and results.”

Step 4. Conduct a social media audit

If you’re already using social media, take stock of your efforts so far. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What’s working, and what’s not?
• Who is engaging with you?
• What are your most valuable partnerships?
• Which networks does your target audience use?
• How does your social media presence compare to the competition?

Once you collect that information, you’ll be ready to start thinking about ways to improve.

We’ve created an easy-to-follow social media audit guide and template to walk you through each step of this process.

Your audit should give you a clear picture of what purpose each of your social accounts serves. If the purpose of an account isn’t clear, think about whether it’s worth keeping.

To help you decide, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is my audience here?
• If so, how are they using this platform?
• Can I use this account to help achieve my goals?

Asking these tough questions will keep your social media strategy focused.

Look for impostor accounts

During the audit, you may discover fake accounts using your business name or the names of your products.

These imposters can be harmful to your brand—never mind that they’re capturing followers that should be yours.

You may want to get your accounts verified too to ensure your fans know they are dealing with the real you.

Here’s how to get verified on:

• X (Twitter)

Step 5. Set up and optimize your accounts

Decide which networks to use.

As you decide which social networks to use, you will also need to define your strategy for each.

Hootsuite’s own social team designates different purposes for formats within networks. On Instagram, for example, they use the feed to post high-quality educational infographics and product announcements, while Stories is used to cover live events or quick social media updates.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hootsuite 🦉 (@hootsuite)

Pro tip : Write out a mission statement for each network. A one-sentence declaration to keep you focused on a specific goal.

Example: “We will use X for customer support to keep email and call volumes down.”

Or: “We will use LinkedIn for promoting and sharing our company culture to help with recruitment and employee advocacy.”

One more: “We will use Instagram to highlight new products and repost quality content from influencers.”

If you can’t create a solid mission statement for a particular social media channel, you may want to ask yourself if it’s worth it.

Note : While larger businesses can and do tackle every platform, small businesses may not be able to — and that’s ok! Prioritize social platforms that will have the most impact on your business and make sure your marketing team has the resources to handle content for those networks. If you need help focusing your efforts, check out our 18-minute social media plan .

Set up your profiles

Once you’ve decided which networks to focus on, it’s time to create your profiles. Or improve existing ones so they align with your strategy.

• Make sure you fill out all profile fields
• Include keywords people would use to search for your business
• Use consistent branding (logos, images, etc.) across networks so your profiles are easily recognizable

Pro tip : Use high-quality images that follow the recommended dimensions for each network. Check out our always-up-to-date social media image size cheat sheet for quick reference.

We’ve also got step-by-step guides for each network to walk you through the process:

• Create a Facebook business page
• Create an Instagram business account
• Create a TikTok account
• Create a X (Twitter) business account
• Create a Snapchat account
• Create a LinkedIn Company Page
• Create a Pinterest business account
• Create a YouTube channel

Don’t let this list overwhelm you. Remember, it’s better to use fewer channels well than to stretch yourself thin trying to maintain a presence on every network.

Optimize your profiles (and content) for search

Never heard of social SEO ? It’s time to learn.

44% of Gen Z consumers use social platforms to research their purchase decisions, which means it’s extra critical that your channels are optimized for social search.

That means making sure your profile names are clear and descriptive, you’re including relevant hashtags and keywords in your bio and on every post, and you’re using features like alt text and captions to include your target keywords as naturally as possible.

Step 6. Find inspiration for content creation

While it’s important that your brand be unique, you can still draw inspiration from other businesses that are great on social.

“ I consider it my job to stay active on social: to know what’s trending, which campaigns are winning, what’s new with the platforms, who’s going above and beyond,” says Amanda. “This might be the most fun step for you, or the hardest one, but it’s just as crucial as the rest of them.”

Social media success stories

You can usually find these on the business section of the social network’s website. ( Here’s Facebook’s , for example.)

Case studies can offer valuable insights that you can apply to your own social media plan.

Award-winning accounts and campaigns

You could also check out the winners of The Facebook Awards or The Shorty Awards for examples of brands that are at the top of their social media game.

For learning and a laugh, check out Fridge-Worthy, Hootsuite’s bi-weekly awards show highlighting brands doing smart and clever things on social media.

Your favorite brands on social media

Who do you enjoy following on social media? What do they do that compels people to engage and share their content?

National Geographic, for example, is one of the best on Instagram, combining stunning visuals with compelling captions.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo)

Then there’s Shopify. The ecommerce brand uses Facebook to sell themselves by showcasing customer stories and case studies.

Nike is a great example of superior customer service on X. They use their 280 characters to share new product releases and celebrate sports victories, but they’re also available to answer customer questions and solve problems.

That's not what we like to hear, Ben. Meet us in DM with your Nike Member email and order number. We'll take a closer look. ⬇️ https://t.co/klmMF0Q8Tn — Nike (@Nike) August 27, 2024

Notice that each of these accounts has a consistent voice, tone, and style. That’s key to letting people know what to expect from your feed. That is, why should they follow you? What’s in it for them?

Consistency also helps keep your content on-brand even if you have multiple people on your social media team.

For more on this, read our guide on establishing a compelling brand voice on social media .

Ask your followers

Consumers can also offer social media inspiration.

What are your target customers talking about online? What can you learn about their wants and needs?

If you have existing social channels, you could also ask your followers what they want from you. Just make sure that you follow through and deliver what they ask for.

Step 7. Create a strategic social media content calendar

Sharing great content is essential, of course, but it’s equally important to have a plan in place for when you’ll share content to get the maximum impact.

Your social media content calendar also needs to account for the time you spend interacting with the audience (although you need to allow for some spontaneous engagement as well).

Set your posting schedule

Your social media content calendar lists the dates and times at which you will publish types of content on each channel. It’s the perfect place to plan all of your social media activities—from images, link sharing, and re-shares of user-generated content to blog posts and videos. It includes both your day-to-day posting and content for social media campaigns.

Your calendar also ensures your posts are spaced out appropriately and published at the best times to post .

Pro tip: You can plan your whole content calendar and get recommended best times to post on every network based on your past engagement rate, impressions, or link click data in Hootsuite.

Hootsuite’s Best Time to Publish feature

Determine the right content mix

Make sure your content strategy and calendar reflect the mission statement you’ve assigned to each social profile, so that everything you post is working to support your business goals.

(We know, it’s tempting to jump on every meme, but there should always be a strategy behind your social media marketing efforts!)

You might decide that:

• 50% of content will drive traffic back to your website
• 25% of content will be curated from other sources
• 20% of content will support lead-generation goals (newsletter sign-ups, ebook downloads, etc.)
• 5% of content will be about your company culture

Placing these different post types in your content calendar will ensure you maintain the right mix.

If you’re starting from scratch and you’re not sure what types of content to post, try the 80-20 rule :

• 80% of your posts should inform, educate, or entertain your audience
• 20% can directly promote your brand.

You could also try the social media content marketing rule of thirds :

• One-third of your content promotes your business, converts readers, and generates profit.
• One-third of your content shares ideas and stories from thought leaders in your industry or like-minded businesses.
• One-third of your content is personal interactions with your audience

Whatever you decide on, be sure to document it in your strategy doc.

Don’t post too much or too little

If you’re starting a social media marketing strategy from scratch, you may not have figured out how often to post to each network for maximum engagement yet.

Post too frequently and you risk annoying your audience. But, if you post too little, you risk looking like you’re not worth following.

Start with these posting frequency recommendations:

• Instagram (feed): 3-7 times per week
• TikTok: 3-5 times per week
• Facebook: 1-2 times per day
• X (Twitter): 1-5 times per day
• LinkedIn: 1-5 times per day

Pro tip : Once you have your social media content calendar planned out, use a scheduling tool to prepare messages in advance rather than updating constantly throughout the day.

We might be biased, but we think Hootsuite is the best social media management tool. You can schedule social media posts to every network and the intuitive calendar view gives you a full picture of all your social activity each week.

Step 8. Craft compelling and high-quality content

Remember those mission statements you created for each channel in Step 5? Well, it’s time to go a bit deeper, a.k.a. provide some examples of the type of content you’ll post to fulfill your mission on each network.

If you’re not sure what to post, here’s a long list of social media content ideas to get you started. Or (to make it even easier) you can use an AI tool like OwlyWriter to generate on-brand content in a flash.

The idea here is to:

• Keep your content aligned with the purpose of each network;
• Show other stakeholders (if applicable) what kind of content they can expect to see on each network.

This last point especially will help you avoid any tension when your colleagues want to know why you haven’t posted their case study/whitepaper/blog post to TikTok yet. It’s not in the strategy, Linda!

Ideally, you will generate content types that are both suited to the network and the purpose you’ve set out for that network.

For example, you wouldn’t want to waste time posting brand awareness tweets if you’ve designated X/Twitter for primarily customer support. And you wouldn’t want to post super polished corporate video ads to TikTok, as users expect to see short, unpolished videos on that platform.

It might take some testing over time to figure out which type of content works best on which type of network, so prepare to update this section frequently.

We won’t lie: content creation isn’t as easy as everyone not on the social team seems to think. But if you’re struggling, Amanda suggests going back to basics.

The first question to ask is: is there cohesion between your content types? Is your content providing value? Do you have a good mix of entertaining, or educational content? What does it offer that makes a person stop and spend time? Creating a few different content pillars or categories that encompass different aspects of storytelling for your brand, and what you can offer your audience is a good start.

This brings us to Step 9.

Step 9. Track performance and make adjustments

Your social media marketing strategy is a hugely important document for your business, and you can’t assume you’ll get it exactly right on the first try.

As you start to implement your plan and track your results, you may find that some strategies don’t work as well as you’d anticipated, while others are working even better than expected.

That’s why it’s important to document your progress along the way.

Look at performance metrics

In addition to the analytics within each social network (see Step 2), you can use UTM parameters to track social visitors as they move through your website, so you can see exactly which social posts drive the most traffic to your website.

Benchmark your results

You’ve got your numbers, but how do they stack up to the competition in your industry? Industry benchmarks are a great way to evaluate your performance against other businesses in your category.

If you’ve got Hootsuite Analytics , you can use our built-in social media benchmarking tool to compare the performance of your social accounts against the average of brands in your industry with just a couple of clicks.

You can set up custom timeframes, switch between networks — Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and TikTok — and look up benchmarks for metrics like followers, audience growth rate, engagement rate, clicks, shares, and much more.

You’ll also find resources to improve your performance  right in the summary section:

Re-evaluate, test, and do it all again

Once this data starts coming in, use it to re-evaluate your strategy regularly. You can also use this information to test different posts, social marketing campaigns, and strategies against one another. Constant testing allows you to understand what works and what doesn’t, so you can refine your social media marketing strategy in real time.

You’ll want to check the performance of all your channels at least once a week and get to know the basics of social media reporting so you can track your growth over time.

Pro tip: If you use Hootsuite, you can review the performance of all your posts on every network in one place. Once you get the hang of checking your analytics, you may even want to customize different reports to show specific metrics over a variety of different time periods.

Surveys can also be a great way to find out how well your social media strategy is working. Ask your followers, email list, and website visitors whether you’re meeting their needs and expectations and what they’d like to see more of. Just make sure to deliver on what they tell you.

Finalizing your social media strategy

Spoiler alert: nothing is final.

Social media moves fast. New networks emerge, others go through demographic shifts.

Your business will go through periods of change as well.

All of this means that your social media marketing strategy should be a living document that you review and adjust as needed. Refer to it often to stay on track, but don’t be afraid to make changes so that it better reflects new goals, tools, or plans.

When you update your social strategy, make sure to watch our 5-step video on how to updating your social media strategy for 2024:

Social media strategy template

Ready to start documenting? Grab your free social media strategy template below!

What’s next? When you’re ready to put your plan into action, we’re here to help…

Save time managing your social media marketing strategy with Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can easily:

• Plan, create, and schedule posts to every network
• Track relevant keywords, topics, and accounts
• Stay on top of engagement with a universal inbox
• Get easy-to-understand performance reports and improve your strategy as needed

Try Hootsuite for Free

With files from Shannon Tien .

Do it better with Hootsuite , the all-in-one social media tool. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.

Become a better social marketer.

Get expert social media advice delivered straight to your inbox.

Christina Newberry is an award-winning writer and editor whose greatest passions include food, travel, urban gardening, and the Oxford comma—not necessarily in that order.

Amanda Wood is a senior social marketing professional who combines analytical and creative thinking to build brands.

As head of social at Hootsuite, Amanda oversees the global social strategy encompassing organic and paid social on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn, a social engagement and listening strategy, and an employee advocacy program.

As the leader of a high-performing social team, she has extensive experience collaborating with creatives to bring campaigns to life on social and drive business results.

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The Ultimate Guide to SMM Panels: Everything You Need to Know

What is an SMM panel?

An SMM panel, or Social Media Marketing panel, is a platform that provides a variety of social media marketing services, such as buying followers, likes, views, and other engagement metrics for various social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.

SMM panels are popular among businesses and individuals who want to boost their social media presence quickly and easily. They can be a cost-effective way to increase brand awareness, reach a wider audience, and generate more leads and sales.

How do SMM panels work?

SMM panels typically work by partnering with a network of social media accounts or influencers who can deliver the purchased services. When a user places an order through an SMM panel , the panel will distribute the order to its network members. The network members will then complete the order by following, liking, viewing, or sharing the user’s content.

What are the benefits of using an SMM panel?

There are several benefits to using an SMM panel, including:

• Convenience:  SMM panels provide a one-stop shop for all of your social media marketing needs. You can purchase multiple services from different platforms from a single dashboard.
• Affordability:  SMM panels typically offer lower prices than other social media marketing providers. This is because they are able to leverage their network of social media accounts and influencers to deliver services at a lower cost.
• Speed:  SMM panels can typically deliver services very quickly. This is because they have a large network of accounts at their disposal.

Who should use an SMM panel?

Cheap Smm Panel can be used by a variety of people and businesses, including:

Businesses:  Businesses of all sizes can use SMM panels to boost their social media presence and reach a wider audience. SMM panels can be especially helpful for small businesses and startups that have limited resources to invest in marketing.

Influencers:  Influencers can use SMM panels to grow their following and increase engagement on their social media posts.

Individuals:  Individuals can use SMM panels to boost their personal social media accounts for various reasons, such as to increase their popularity, promote their work, or simply to have a larger following.

Features of SMM panels

Do you know SMM panels offer a variety of features, including:

Support for multiple social media platforms:  Most SMM panels support a variety of social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok. This allows you to manage all of your social media marketing needs from a single dashboard.

Wide range of services:  SMM panels offer a wide range of services, such as buying followers, likes, views, shares, and other engagement metrics. This allows you to choose the services that are most relevant to your social media marketing goals.

Affordable pricing:  SMM panels typically offer affordable pricing for their services. This is because they are able to leverage their network of social media accounts and influencers to deliver services at a lower cost.

Easy-to-use interface:  Most SMM panels have a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to place orders and manage your account.

Different types of SMM panels

There are two main types of SMM panels:

Public SMM panels

Public SMM panels are open to anyone to use. They typically offer a wider range of services and lower prices than private SMM panels. However, they may also be more likely to deliver low-quality services or scam their customers.

Private SMM panels

Private SMM panels are only available to approved users. They typically offer higher quality services and more reliable support than public SMM panels. However, they may also be more expensive.

Features to look for in an SMM panel

When choosing an SMM panel, there are a few key features to look for:

How to choose the right SMM panel for your needs

To choose the right SMM panel for your needs, consider the following factors:

Your budget:  How much money are you willing to spend on SMM services? Your social media marketing goals:  What do you hope to achieve with your social media marketing? The social media platforms that you use:  Which social media platforms do you use to promote your business or brand? The specific services that you need:  Which SMM services are most relevant to your social media marketing goals? Choose the right SMM panel !

Once you have considered these factors, you can start to compare different SMM panels to find the one that is right for you.

How to use an SMM panel step by step guide

SMM panels are a great way to boost your social media presence. They offer a wide range of services, including followers, likes, views, and more. But how do you use an SMM panel? Here is a step-by-step guide:

1. Choose an SMM panel

There are many SMM panels available, so it’s important to choose one that is reputable and offers the services you need. Consider factors such as price, customer support, and payment options.

2. Create an account

Once you’ve chosen an SMM panel, create an account and deposit funds. You can usually do this using a credit card, PayPal, or other online payment method.

3. Order services

Once you have funds in your account, you can start ordering services. Simply select the service you want, enter the URL of your social media profile, and specify the quantity.

4. Track your results

Once you’ve ordered services, you can track your results in the SMM panel’s dashboard. This will show you how many followers, likes, views, etc. you’ve received.

5. Tips for using an SMM panel effectively

Here are a few tips for using an SMM panel effectively:

• Choose a reputable SMM panel that offers the services you need.
• Read the reviews before signing up for an SMM panel.
• Start with a small order to test the SMM panel’s service quality.
• Track your results and adjust your orders as needed.
• Don’t overdo it. Ordering too many followers, likes, or views at once can raise suspicion.

Getting started with an SMM panel

To get started with an SMM panel, you will need to create an account and deposit funds. Once you have done this, you can start ordering services. Be sure to select the services you need and enter the URL of your social media profile. You can then track your results in the SMM panel’s dashboard.

How to order services from an SMM panel

To order services from an SMM panel, simply select the service you want, enter the URL of your social media profile, and specify the quantity. You can usually do this by clicking on the “Order Now” button next to the service you want.

Tracking your results

Once you’ve ordered services, you can track your results in the SMM panel’s dashboard. This will show you how many followers, likes, views, etc. you’ve received. You can usually access the dashboard by clicking on the “My Account” link in the SMM panel’s header.

Tips for using an SMM panel effectively

SMM panels can be a great way to boost your social media presence. By following the steps in this guide, you can learn how to use an SMM panel effectively and safely.

Sucess Case studies

SMM panels have been used by businesses of all sizes to achieve their marketing goals. Here are a few case studies:

1: E-commerce business

An e-commerce business was struggling to get traction on social media. They decided to use an SMM panel to increase their followers and likes. Within a few weeks, they saw a significant increase in website traffic and sales.

2: Restaurant

A new restaurant was trying to build a buzz on social media. They used an SMM panel to increase their followers and engagement. Within a few months, they had a large following and were able to attract new customers through social media.

3: SaaS business

A SaaS business was trying to generate leads from social media. They used an SMM panel to target specific demographics and interests with their ads. Within a few weeks, they saw a significant increase in leads from social media.

These are just a few examples of how businesses have used SMM panels to achieve their marketing goals. SMM panels can be a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes.

Below are some specific benefits that businesses have achieved by using SMM panels:

• Increased brand awareness
• Increased website traffic
• Increased sales
• Increased leads
• Improved customer engagement
• Boosted social media presence
• Established social proof

Overall, SMM panels can be a powerful tool for businesses to achieve their marketing goals. However, it is important to use SMM panels wisely and to choose a reputable SMM panel provider.

People Also Ask (FAQs)

What does SMM panel do?

An SMM panel, or social media marketing panel, is an online service that offers a variety of social media marketing services, such as increasing followers, likes, views, and engagement. SMM panels typically work by connecting businesses and individuals with a network of social media users who are willing to follow, like, view, or share their content for a fee.

What is the cheapest SMM main provider?

The cheapest SMM main provider will vary depending on the services you need and the country you are in. However, some of the cheapest SMM providers include:

• Followersup
• SocialPackages

Which is best SMM panel?

The best SMM panel will also depend on your specific needs and budget. However, some of the most popular and highly rated SMM panels include:

• Media Mister

Is SMM panel safe?

Whether or not an SMM panel is safe depends on the panel you choose. Some SMM panels use bots or fake accounts to deliver followers, likes, and views, which can be harmful to your social media accounts. However, there are also reputable SMM panels that use real users to deliver their services safely and effectively.

SMM panels can be a safe and effective way to boost your social media presence. However, it is important to choose a reputable SMM panel and to use their services wisely.

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Home » Social Media Marketing » SMM (Social Media Marketing) Case Study – 2

SMM (Social Media Marketing) Case Study – 2

Using Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram has had an immense impact on the business over the past decade and has also changed in the process, businesses interact with customers.

Social media comes with a vast number of benefits to a business that can reach more customers. When it comes to social media, it doesn’t matter if your business is old or new, social media always helps your products and services get into the search results such as Google, Bing, Yahoo. Apart from this, social media also lets you provide customer support, sharing your new products, and increase brand visibility. However, there are numerous problems while handling social media which can get your business under loss. To deal with those challenges, you need a good strategy for upbringing your business.

In this post, you will learn about the top 5 Social Media Challenges and our tips on how to solve them. Let’s get started to overcome all the challenges effectively.

1. Answering Your All Customer’s Questions

90% of customers use social networks as a way to communicate directly with businesses about the service or products. This is the important role of giving more time to their customers from the businesses. The number of requesting responses has been increased but the businesses ignore half of it. This ignorance of messages can lead to losing your customers. So, By responding to customer’s requests, we show that we are listening to them and show that we value them as our customers. This can help strengthen customer loyalty and also in gaining more customers.

2. Choosing the right Social media platform

Social media can make much more reach than some other kind of promotion, so that is the reason it is exceptionally compelling. However, picking the correct platform matters a ton and you can do it by following the simple steps. You need to know your brand’s requirements, and everything is to be done after that. The well-known platform Facebook is thoroughly nailing in marketing for service and products and the chance of gaining a huge quantity of clients from it. Furthermore, Twitter is a great idea to get great brand exposure and a better place to compete with the competitors. These two are fundamental nowadays, and the others like Instagram and YouTube are trending now.

3. Coming Up With A Good Social Media Strategy

In the business world, nothing is more important than having a good strategy for your business that can ultimately help you with the exposure. It is one of the biggest challenges that most businesses face and you will be amazed by the fact that only a few get the best out of social media benefits . It is probably the greatest test that the majority of businesses face and you will be astounded by the way that a only few of them get the best out of online media benefits. To start, you should concentrate more on the social media objectives and goals that you need to focus on in the next two or three months. Being clear will allow you to nail the issues and aim with perfection. Ensure that you pick measurements that are possible and you can pursue that. This will prove to be useful and satisfy your needs effectively.

4. Bringing Your Content to the Next Level

Content plays a pretty important role in service, product marketing. Coming to the point, People only retain about 10% of the information they hear, but when there is a relevant image, that number jumps to 65%. The content you prepare must stick with people. Nowadays, Photos and videos have become powerful tools for marketers to market the product and service and also to grab the attention of the people. Engaging with relevant images in social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest get 94% more views.

For every social media challenge, there are a lot of strategies to promote your business on social media. Some of the challenges can be resolved through basic learning and practice. Other, more complex challenges of social media require expert and social media marketing solutions which is how a digital marketing agency comes into the picture. If you are struggling with social media marketing for your business, Eneblur Consulting would love to help with simple conversation for the greater change in your Business.

To know more about us, check out our effective quality work of the social media marketing done for our few clients,

Sewakram Realty: They are the Real-estate Agent in Hubli-Dharwad , Delivering high-quality realty Project & shaping future.

Increase in Followers – 80%

Increase in Referral Traffic – 75%

Increase in Average Session Duration – 80%

Increase in Leads – 35%

KC & Hegde: They are one of the well-known property advisor in Pune , we ran campaigns to drive leads to a landing page for office spaces, warehouses And retail commercial franchises inquiries & Conversions.

Increase in Referral Traffic – 30

Increase in Average Session Duration – 54%

Increase in Leads – 25 %

Check out our Social Media Case Study 1 , If you have missed the previous one.

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SMM Case Studies

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• Social Media Marketing (SMM)
• Why Is SMM So Powerful?
• How SMM Works

Tracking Metrics

• Pros and Cons

The Bottom Line

• Marketing Essentials

Social Media Marketing (SMM): What It Is, How It Works, Pros and Cons

Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and behavioral finance. Adam received his master's in economics from The New School for Social Research and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology. He is a CFA charterholder as well as holding FINRA Series 7, 55 & 63 licenses. He currently researches and teaches economic sociology and the social studies of finance at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Investopedia / Paige McLaughlin

What Is Social Media Marketing (SMM)?

Social media marketing (also known as digital marketing and e-marketing) is the use of social media—the platforms on which users build social networks and share information—to build a company's brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic. In addition to providing companies with a way to engage with existing customers and reach new ones, SMM has purpose-built data analytics that allows marketers to track the success of their efforts and identify even more ways to engage.

Within 18 years, from 2004 (when MySpace became the first social media site to reach one million users) to 2022, the dramatic growth of interactive digital channels took social media to levels that challenge even the reach of television and radio. At the start of 2023, there were 4.76 billion social media users globally—over 59% of the world's population.

Key Takeaways

• Social media marketing uses social media and social networks—like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram—to market products and services, engage with existing customers, and reach new ones.
• The power of social media marketing comes from the unparalleled capacity of social media in three core marketing areas: connection, interaction, and customer data.
• Social media marketing has transformed the way businesses can influence consumer behavior—from promoting content that drives engagement to extracting personal data that makes messaging resonate with users.
• Because social media today is so ubiquitous, marketing techniques using these platforms are extremely important for businesses.
• Social media marketing is often more cost-effective with great exposure, though it requires ongoing maintenance and might have unintended negative feedback consequences.

Why Is Social Media Marketing (SMM) So Powerful?

The power of SMM is driven by the unparalleled capacity of social media in three core marketing areas: connection, interaction, and customer data.

Not only does social media enable businesses to connect with customers in previously impossible ways, but there is also an extraordinary range of avenues to connect with target audiences—from content platforms (like YouTube) and social sites (like Facebook) to microblogging services (like X).

Interaction

The dynamic nature of the interaction on social media—whether direct communication or passive liking—enables businesses to leverage free advertising opportunities from eWOM (electronic word-of-mouth) recommendations between existing and potential customers. Not only is the positive contagion effect from eWOM a valuable driver of consumer decisions, but the fact that these interactions happen on the social network makes them measurable. For example, businesses can measure their social equity—a term for the return on investment (ROI) from their social media marketing campaigns.

Customer Data

A well-designed social media marketing plan delivers another invaluable resource to boost marketing outcomes: customer data. Rather than being overwhelmed by the 3Vs of big data (volume, variety, and velocity), SMM tools have the capacity not only to extract customer data but also to turn this gold into actionable market analysis—or even to use the data to crowdsource new strategies.

Consider how different demographics may not have equal access to social media. Relying only on digital or online marketing may unintendedly exclude certain groups of people without online access.

How Social Media Marketing (SMM) Works

As platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram took off, social media transformed how we connect and how businesses can influence consumer behavior—from promoting content that drives engagement to extracting geographic, demographic , and personal information that makes messaging resonate with users.

SMM Action Plan

The more targeted your SMM strategy is, the more effective it will be. Hootsuite, a leading software provider in the social media management space, recommends the following action plan to build an SMM campaign that has an execution framework as well as performance metrics:

• Align SMM goals to clear business objectives
• Learn your target customer (age, location, income, job title, industry, interests)
• Conduct a competitive analysis of your competition (successes and failures)
• Audit your current SMM (successes and failures)
• Create a calendar for SMM content delivery
• Create best-in-class content
• Track performance and adjust SMM strategy as needed

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Compared to traditional marketing, social media marketing has several distinct advantages, including the fact that SMM has two kinds of interaction that enable targeted customer relationship management (CRM) tools: both customer-to-customer and firm-to-customer. In other words, while traditional marketing tracks customer value primarily by capturing purchase activity, SMM can track customer value directly (through purchases) and indirectly (through product referrals).

Shareable Content

Businesses can also convert the amplified interconnectedness of SMM into the creation of sticky content, the marketing term for attractive content that engages customers at first glance. This gets them to purchase products and share the content. This kind of word-of-mouth advertising not only reaches an otherwise inaccessible audience but also carries the implicit endorsement of someone the recipient knows and trusts—making the creation of shareable content one of the most important ways social media marketing drives growth.

Earned Media

SMM is also the most efficient way for a business to reap the benefits of another kind of earned media (a term for brand exposure from any method other than paid advertising): customer-created product reviews and recommendations.

Viral Marketing

Another SMM strategy that relies on the audience to generate the message is viral marketing , a sales technique that attempts to trigger the rapid spread of word-of-mouth product information. Once a marketing message is being shared with the general public far beyond the original target audience, it is considered viral—a very simple and inexpensive way to promote sales.

Customer Segmentation

Because customer segmentation is much more refined on SMM than on traditional marketing channels, companies can ensure they focus their marketing resources on their exact target audiences.

According to Sprout Social, the most important SMM metrics to track are focused on the customer: engagement (likes, comments, shares, clicks); impressions (how many times a post shows up); reach/virality (how many unique views an SMM post has); share of voice (how far a brand reaches in the online sphere); referrals (how a user lands on a site); and conversions (when a user makes a purchase on a site). However, another critical metric is focused on the business: response rate/time (how often and how fast the business responds to customer messages).

When a business is trying to determine which metrics to track in the sea of data that social media generates, the rule is always to align each business goal to a relevant metric. If your business goal is to grow conversions from an SMM campaign by 15% within three months, then use a social media analytics tool that measures the effectiveness of your campaign against that specific target.

Even in the digital age, people appreciate the human touch, so don't rely only on social media to get the word out.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media Marketing (SMM)

The introduction of social media marketing has introduced a new suite of benefits. Social media platforms provide a powerful channel for reaching and engaging with a large audience, which can help increase brand awareness and recognition.

Engaging with customers through social media channels can help build stronger relationships and foster customer loyalty. It's often a less expensive option than traditional advertising methods, making it more appealing for smaller or start-up businesses.

The nature of social media marketing also has plenty of benefits. Sharing links to your website or blog on social media can help drive more traffic to your website and increase the likelihood of conversions. In addition, social media provides a way to gather feedback from customers in real time, allowing for instant interaction and simplicity in communication.

Social media marketing also has the benefit of being broad but also targeted. Social media can help businesses reach a wider audience and increase engagement through shares, likes, comments, and other forms of interaction. This is especially true considering many customers forward content to friends and family who might be non-customers. On the other hand, social media platforms offer a range of targeting options, meaning companies can pinpoint specific demographics, interests, and behaviors and deliver personalized content to those audiences.

Disadvantages

Though riddled with benefits, there are some downsides and complications to social media marketing. Building a strong social media presence takes time and effort, and business owners must often consistently engage and create content.

Effective social media marketing requires a deep understanding of the various platforms and the ability to create engaging content, analyze data, and make data-driven decisions. Each platform is often specialized and requires its own understanding. In addition, social media platforms are constantly changing their algorithms and policies which can make it difficult to predict and maintain success.

Though social media makes it easy to communicate with customers, it also provides a platform for customers to voice their complaints and grievances publicly. This may have the unintended consequence of creating a public forum, which can damage a company's reputation if not handled properly.

Last, it may be difficult to clearly quantify the return on social media marketing. Measuring the effectiveness and ROI of social media marketing can be challenging as it often involves tracking multiple metrics, analyzing complex data sets, and making assumptions about why consumers may have acted in various ways.

May help companies enhance brand recognition easily

Offers companies more cost-effective solutions with great exposure

May be leveraged to increase website traffic and real-time feedback

May be leveraged for targeted or specific engagements

May be time-consuming to set up and maintain

May be unpredictable, as different platforms may change algoriths

May result in negative feedback displayed in a very public fashion

May be difficult to fully understand the true ROI

What Is Sticky Content in Social Media Marketing?

Sticky content is the marketing term for attractive content that engages customers at first glance and then influences them to purchase products and share the content.

What Is Viral Marketing in Social Media Marketing?

Viral marketing is an SMM strategy that attempts to trigger the rapid spread of word-of-mouth product information—a very simple and inexpensive way to promote sales.

What Is Earned Media in Social Media Marketing?

Earned media is a marketing term for brand exposure from any method other than paid advertising, e.g., customer-created content ranging from product reviews and recommendations to shares, reposts, and mentions.

What Are Some Examples of Social Media Marketing Strategies?

Social media marketing has grown to include several techniques and strategies to engage users and market products and services. These include audience-targeted advertising, interactive chatbots , creating personalized experiences for customers online, social media influencers , and building an online audience.

Social media marketing (SMM) uses social media platforms to interact with customers to build brands, increase sales, and drive website traffic. As social media usage grows around the world, both via computer and mobile devices, the ability to drive sales from certain user populations is a growing business rife with competition for views and clicks.

Our World in Data. “ The Rise of Social Media .”

DataReportal. " Global Social Media Statistics. "

Hootsuite. “ How to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy .”

Sprout Social. " What Is Viral Marketing (and Does it Actually Work in 2020)? "

Sprout Social. " The Most Important Social Media Metrics to Track ."

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5 Amazing Small Business Case Study Examples for Marketers

In the competitive landscape of small businesses, standing out requires more than just great products or services. It demands compelling stories that resonate with your target audience. Case studies, real-world examples of marketing your product or service, are powerful tools to build trust. Let’s explore nine inspiring small business case study examples that have harnessed the power of storytelling to achieve remarkable results.

Power of Case Studies

Before exploring these inspiring examples, understand the profound impact that well-crafted case studies can have:

• A compelling case study does more than showcase your product or service. It tells a story that resonates with your audience.
• It transforms abstract benefits into tangible results, helping potential customers visualize themselves achieving similar success.
• Case studies build trust and credibility by highlighting specific challenges, solutions, and outcomes.

When a small business shares how it successfully navigated a problem, it positions itself as an expert in the industry. This expertise is backed by real-world results, which makes your brand more trustworthy in the eyes of potential customers.

Small business case study examples are powerful social proof that your offerings deliver real value. According to a survey by the Content Marketing Institute:

“73% of marketers say that case studies are one of the most effective forms of content for influencing purchasing decisions.”

This is because they provide potential customers with evidence that your solution works and can help them achieve similar results.

Small Business Case Study Examples

Here are a few small business case study examples you can not miss to analyze:

Zapier is a prime example of how strategic SEO and content marketing can drive massive organic traffic and user growth. It faced the challenge of increasing its visibility in a crowded market to establish itself as a go-to platform for automation.

Through a meticulously planned SEO strategy, they set a precedent for how small businesses can leverage content and partnerships to fuel growth.

In its early days, Zapier faced a significant challenge. It was how to stand out in a rapidly growing market of productivity and automation tools. With numerous competitors offering similar services, it needed to find a way to differentiate itself and drive organic traffic.

The company recognized the importance of online presence and visibility to attract new users and grow its platform.

The challenge was clear. Zapier needed to boost its SEO efforts and increase website traffic to sustain growth and stay competitive.

To tackle this challenge, the company implemented an ambitious SEO strategy focused on long-tail keywords. These are often less competitive and more targeted.

The company created 25,000 unique landing pages, each optimized for specific long-tail keywords related to their services.

These pages were not just automated templates. They featured well-structured, human-written content that addressed the specific needs of potential users searching for those keywords.

Zapier also developed a comprehensive playbook for onboarding new apps and partners.

By involving their partners, the company generated a vast amount of content without overwhelming their in-house team. These partners wrote high-quality guest posts for their sites, including backlinks to Zapier, further strengthening Zapier’s SEO and increasing referral traffic.

This boosted its domain authority and helped attract new users by increasing the company’s visibility across various online platforms.

Zapier’s strategic SEO and content marketing efforts paid off tremendously. The creation of 25,000 optimized landing pages significantly increased organic traffic, making it easier for potential users to discover Zapier through search engines.

Collaborating with partners for content creation and link building further amplified their online presence, driving even more traffic to the website.

Today, Zapier is recognized as a leader in the automation industry, with a robust user base and a solid online presence, largely thanks to its strategic use of SEO and content partnerships.

Key Takeaways

• Leverage long-tail keywords to create targeted, relevant content that drives organic traffic.
• Create multiple landing pages with well-optimized, human-written content to improve search engine visibility.
• Collaborate with partners to scale content creation and build valuable backlinks.
• Outsource link-building efforts to trusted partners to increase domain authority and attract more users.
• Focus on SEO as a long-term strategy to establish and maintain a solid online presence.

“One more thing…”—a phrase famously used by Steve Jobs during Apple keynotes, signaling the introduction of a groundbreaking product or idea. This phrase perfectly encapsulates Apple’s approach to innovation and branding: consistently delivering something unexpected and transformative.

It’s a testament to Apple’s commitment to pushing boundaries and setting new standards in the industry. This philosophy is reflected in their products and their approach to overcoming challenges and driving success.

Apple’s journey from a struggling tech company to a global powerhouse is a powerful case study of how strategic innovation and branding can redefine an entire industry.

In its early years, Apple faced a series of significant challenges. The company was battling financial difficulties, lagging behind competitors like IBM and Microsoft, and struggling to establish a strong foothold in the highly competitive technology market.

One of the most pressing challenges was Apple’s inability to define its brand identity clearly and differentiate itself from other players in the industry. The company’s products, while innovative, were not achieving the desired market penetration, and Apple was at risk of becoming irrelevant in a rapidly evolving market.

Additionally, Apple faced the challenge of creating products that were not only innovative but also accessible and appealing to a broader consumer base. The company needed to balance its focus on design and technology with the need for mass-market appeal.

Apple also had to overcome internal challenges, including management instability and a lack of cohesive vision, hindering its ability to execute a unified strategy.

To address these challenges, Apple, under the leadership of Steve Jobs, implemented a multi-faceted strategy that focused on innovation, design, and brand reinvention.

Apple doubled down on its commitment to innovation, focusing on creating products that were not only technologically advanced but also user-friendly and beautifully designed.

The launch of the Macintosh in 1984, for instance, was a turning point that showcased Apple’s ability to combine cutting-edge technology with an intuitive user experience. The focus on innovation continued with the development of iconic products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, each revolutionizing its respective industry.

Recognizing the need for a solid and consistent brand identity, Apple undertook a significant rebranding effort. This included simplifying its logo, as previously mentioned. It involved redefining Apple’s image as a brand synonymous with innovation, creativity, and premium quality.

The “Think Different” campaign was instrumental in positioning Apple as a brand that stood for innovation and rebellion against the status quo. It resonated deeply with consumers and differentiated Apple from its competitors.

Apple strongly emphasized design and user experience, ensuring that every product performed well and looked and felt exceptional. This strategy extended to the Apple ecosystem, where seamless integration between devices created a unique and compelling user experience that competitors struggled to match.

Apple’s strategic decisions paid off handsomely, transforming the company from a struggling business into the most valuable company in the world. The focus on innovation and design resulted in products that captured market share and created entirely new markets.

The iPod revolutionized the music industry, the iPhone redefined mobile communication, and the iPad opened up new possibilities in personal computing.

The rebranding efforts and the “Think Different” campaign helped establish Apple as a premium brand with a loyal customer base. Apple’s products became status symbols, and the company cultivated a reputation for quality, reliability, and cutting-edge technology.

The Apple Stores further solidified this brand image, providing customers with an immersive, personalized experience that drove sales and brand loyalty.

Under Jobs’ leadership, Apple’s stock price soared, and the company’s market capitalization grew exponentially. Apple’s ability to consistently innovate and reinvent itself has ensured its continued success, making it a dominant force in the technology industry.

• Innovation is vital to staying ahead in a competitive market; consistently developing groundbreaking products can redefine entire industries.
• A strong, cohesive brand identity is essential for differentiating a company from its competitors and building customer loyalty.
• User experience and design are critical factors in product success; functional and aesthetically pleasing products create lasting consumer appeal.
• Retail strategy and direct customer engagement can enhance brand perception and drive sales.
• Leadership and vision are crucial for maintaining focus and executing a successful long-term strategy.

In 2009, Uber emerged with a bold vision: to transform the transportation industry by offering a convenient, reliable, and tech-driven alternative to traditional taxi services.

What began as a simple idea—connecting riders with drivers through a smartphone app—quickly became a global phenomenon that disrupted how people move in cities worldwide.

Uber’s journey from a small startup to a multi-billion-dollar company is a powerful example of how technology, innovative business models, and strategic execution can revolutionize an entire industry.

Uber’s rise from a startup to a multi-billion-dollar company is a compelling case study in leveraging technology, innovative business models, and strategic marketing to disrupt an entire industry.

When Uber was founded in 2009, the transportation industry was dominated by traditional taxi services, often criticized for being inefficient, expensive, and difficult to access. Customers frequently faced challenges such as long wait times, unclear pricing, and poor service.

Uber identified these pain points and recognized an opportunity to disrupt the market by providing a more convenient, reliable, and cost-effective solution.

However, the challenge was not just about creating a better service. It was about convincing both consumers and regulators to accept a completely new model of transportation that relied on private drivers and mobile technology.

To overcome these challenges, Uber implemented a multi-pronged strategy that combined technology, aggressive marketing, and strategic partnerships. Uber’s core innovation was its mobile app, which allowed users to book a ride with just a few taps on their smartphone.

The app provided real-time tracking of drivers, transparent pricing, and the convenience of cashless payments, addressing many issues plaguing traditional taxi services.

Uber also introduced dynamic pricing, known as “surge pricing,” which adjusted fares based on demand, ensuring that riders could always find a ride, even during peak times.

Uber’s business model was disruptive in that it didn’t own any vehicles or employ drivers in the traditional sense. Instead, Uber acted as a platform that connected independent drivers with passengers.

This allowed Uber to scale rapidly without the overhead costs associated with maintaining a fleet of vehicles.

The company offered incentives to drivers, such as flexible working hours and the potential to earn more than traditional taxi drivers, which helped attract many drivers to the platform.

In some regions, Uber introduced services like UberMOTO (motorcycle taxis) and UberAUTO (auto-rickshaws) to cater to local transportation preferences.

This flexibility allowed Uber to penetrate diverse markets and meet the unique demands of different customer segments.

Uber’s strategic approach to technology, business model innovation, and aggressive expansion paid off, making it one of the fastest-growing companies in history.

Within a few years, Uber had disrupted the global transportation industry, challenging the traditional taxi model and inspiring a wave of similar startups.

The company’s success was not without controversy, as it faced legal challenges, protests from taxi unions, and regulatory hurdles in many cities. However, Uber’s ability to adapt and navigate these challenges allowed it to continue growing.

By 2019, Uber had completed over 10 billion rides globally, and the company went public with a valuation of over $80 billion.

Today, Uber operates in more than 900 metropolitan areas worldwide and has expanded its offerings to include services like Uber Eats, Uber Freight, and autonomous vehicle research.

Uber’s journey from a small startup to a global leader is a testament to the power of innovation, technology, and bold business strategies.

• Leveraging technology can transform traditional industries by offering innovative, user-friendly solutions.
• A disruptive business model can enable rapid scaling and global expansion without the constraints of traditional operations.
• Aggressive marketing and strategic expansion are essential for establishing a solid presence in new markets.
• Adapting to local markets is crucial for success in diverse regions, allowing a company to meet specific customer needs and regulatory requirements.
• Navigating regulatory challenges is critical to sustaining growth and maintaining market leadership in a disruptive industry.

“Customer obsession over competitor focus”—this principle has driven Amazon’s growth from a small online bookstore into one of the most influential companies in the world.

Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, Amazon was born out of the simple yet ambitious vision to revolutionize the retail industry by harnessing the power of the internet.

Amazon has transformed how people shop and redefined what it means to be a global retailer. This case study explores how Amazon tackled its early challenges, developed game-changing strategies, and achieved remarkable outcomes to become a dominant force in the global economy.

When Amazon launched, the company faced significant challenges. The internet was still infancy, and online shopping was not a common practice. Consumers were wary of buying products online, concerned about security, and unfamiliar with the process.

Moreover, Amazon had to compete with established brick-and-mortar stores with solid brand loyalty and consumer trust. The challenge for Amazon was to convince people to buy books online and shift the entire shopping paradigm towards e-commerce.

As Amazon began to expand beyond books, the company needed to develop a robust logistics network capable of delivering a vast array of products quickly and efficiently, all while keeping costs low.

Amazon’s strategy to overcome these challenges was multi-faceted and centered around three core principles: customer obsession, innovation, and scalability. Jeff Bezos has always emphasized that Amazon primarily focuses on the customer.

From the outset, Amazon prioritized creating a seamless shopping experience by offering a vast selection of products, competitive pricing, and unparalleled convenience.

This customer-centric approach extended to innovations like customer reviews, personalized recommendations, and an easy-to-use interface, which built trust and encouraged repeat business.

Amazon invested heavily in technology to improve the shopping experience and streamline operations. The creation of the “1-Click” purchasing system and Amazon Prime, which offered fast and free shipping, were technological innovations that set Amazon apart from competitors.

Additionally, Amazon Web Services (AWS) was launched as a cloud computing platform, which became a significant revenue stream and powered the company’s vast operations.

Amazon’s strategy involved expanding beyond books into every retail category, from electronics to clothing to groceries.

Amazon also diversified its business by launching products like Kindle, Echo, and Fire TV and expanding into services such as Amazon Prime Video, further embedding itself into consumers’ lives.

Amazon’s strategic focus has yielded extraordinary results, making it a prime example in any collection of small business case study examples. The company rapidly evolved from a startup into one of the largest retailers in the world.

Amazon’s ability to scale operations efficiently has enabled it to dominate the e-commerce space, capturing nearly 40% of the U.S. online retail market as of 2021.

The success of Amazon Web Services (AWS) further exemplifies the company’s innovative spirit, positioning Amazon as a leader in cloud computing. AWS has become a cornerstone of Amazon’s profitability, generating billions in revenue and supporting countless businesses worldwide.

This success story is crucial when discussing small business case study examples, demonstrating how diversification and innovation can drive substantial growth.

The introduction of Amazon Prime has cultivated a loyal customer base, with over 200 million subscribers globally who depend on the service for everything from daily essentials to entertainment.

Amazon achieved a market capitalization that surpassed $1 trillion in 2018.

• Customer obsession is crucial for building a loyal customer base and driving long-term success.
• Continuous innovation in technology and services can differentiate a company from its competitors and create new revenue streams.
• Scalability and efficient logistics are vital in managing rapid growth and maintaining a competitive edge in the market.
• Market expansion and diversification allow businesses to reduce risk and capitalize on new opportunities.
• Strategic acquisitions and investments can accelerate growth and enable entry into new markets and industries.

5. Snapchat

“Embrace the moment”—this mantra encapsulates Snapchat’s unique social media and communication approach. Snapchat emerged as a groundbreaking platform founded in 2011 by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown.

Unlike other social media platforms that focused on permanence, Snapchat introduced the concept of ephemeral messaging, allowing users to send photos and videos that would disappear after being viewed.

This innovative approach resonated with younger audiences and quickly set Snapchat apart in a crowded social media landscape.

This case study explores Snapchat’s journey, its challenges, strategies, and outcomes that solidified its place as a leader in the social media industry.

When Snapchat first launched, it faced significant challenges in a social media environment dominated by giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The critical challenge was differentiating itself in a market where social media platforms competed for user attention through features emphasizing permanence, likes, and public sharing.

Snapchat must convince users, especially younger ones, to embrace a new communication method focused on fleeting moments rather than lasting memories.

Another major challenge was monetization. While Snapchat rapidly gained popularity, especially among millennials and Gen Z, turning that user base into a profitable business was not straightforward.

The platform needed to find innovative ways to generate revenue without compromising the user experience centered around privacy and the temporary nature of its content.

Furthermore, Snapchat had to continually innovate to stay relevant as competitors began to imitate its core features. Maintaining its distinct identity and user base in the face of increasing competition was a constant challenge.

Snapchat implemented vital strategies focused on innovation, user engagement, and monetization to overcome these challenges. Snapchat’s primary innovation was its focus on ephemeral content—photos and videos that disappeared after being viewed.

This concept was a significant departure from other social media platforms, where content was designed to be permanent.

Snapchat also introduced other unique features, such as Stories (a 24-hour timeline of photos and videos), Lenses (augmented reality filters), and Discover (a platform for branded content and news). These features helped differentiate Snapchat and attract a younger demographic that valued privacy and spontaneity.

Snapchat prioritized user engagement by constantly introducing new and playful features that kept the platform fresh and exciting. The app’s interface encouraged users to interact with friends more personally and creatively, fostering a strong sense of community and belonging.

The introduction of Snapstreaks, which tracked how many consecutive days two users communicated, further boosted user retention and engagement.

To address the challenge of monetization, Snapchat developed innovative advertising solutions that were integrated seamlessly into the user experience. The company introduced Snap Ads, full-screen vertical video ads between Stories, Sponsored Lenses, and Geofilters, allowing brands to create interactive user experiences.

Snapchat also leveraged its Discover platform to partner with media companies and offer premium content, generating additional revenue streams. These strategies allowed Snapchat to monetize its user base effectively while maintaining its core appeal.

Snapchat used a strategic approach to innovation, user engagement, and monetization. This paid off, making Snapchat one of the most popular social media platforms among younger audiences.

By 2023, Snapchat had over 375 million daily active users.

The majority of its user base comprises millennials and Gen Z, who are often elusive for other platforms to capture. Snapchat successfully turned its unique approach to content sharing into a lucrative business.

The company’s innovative advertising solutions and partnerships with brands and media outlets allowed it to generate substantial revenue. This helped to achieve profitability after several years of operating at a loss.

As of 2023, Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., had a market capitalization of over $15 billion.

Features like AR Lenses and Snap Maps kept existing users engaged and attracted new ones, helping Snapchat maintain its competitive edge.

Despite the challenges posed by larger competitors, Snapchat has carved out a distinct niche in the social media landscape.

• Innovation in user experience can set a platform apart in a crowded market, especially by offering unique features that address specific user needs.
• Focusing on user engagement and updating the platform can help maintain a loyal user base.
• Creative monetization strategies that align with the platform’s core values can drive revenue without alienating users.
• Staying ahead of competitors through constant innovation is essential in fast-moving industries like social media.
• Understanding and targeting a specific demographic can lead to strong brand loyalty and long-term success.

Small business case study examples are about illustrating the transformative impact your business can have. These case studies not only showcase your expertise but also build trust and inspire action.

Let these examples guide you as you develop your case studies. Turn your client successes into compelling narratives that set you apart in the marketplace.

By following these small business case study examples, you can create compelling narratives that resonate with your target audience. Use SocialBu’s analytics to track the performance of your case study campaign and identify areas for improvement.

How do you write a case study for a small business?

What is a case study in business example, what are good examples of case studies, how do you write a business case for a study.

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B2b e-commerce smm marketing guide: promote your products & services to the right audience.

In This Article

Since the advent of the Internet, businesses have undergone significant changes, just like many other industries.

With the advent of e-commerce, shopping has become easier and more convenient for both merchants and customers alike. The rise of B2B online business has opened up a plethora of opportunities for people to explore a wider range of products and services, as they can easily compare prices and find the best deals available.

According to Forbes , 79% of shoppers, shop online at least once a month . As a result of the growing digitalization of modern life, online transactions enable customers to do business anywhere in the world.

This article will discuss the benefits of B2B e-commerce for targeted product and service promotion, including effective social media marketing strategies.

Knowing Your Audience

The first step to creating a successful social media strategy is understanding your brand’s objectives. Your goals should be to create brand awareness , build credibility, and educate your audience. Rendering sales can generate revenue, but first, focus on your goals to identify your target audience for B2B social media marketing. Specify, 

• Is your social media marketing intended to reach a specific audience? 
• What are their needs and pain points? 
• What are their interests? 

To answer all these questions, you must create a buyer’s persona (semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer) by thoroughly conducting your market research, analyzing customer data, and talking to their sales team. 

Once you know your ideal customers, could you determine their social media platform? You can use social media analytics to find out more about your audience. You can find out your target audience’s preference for which type of content they watch and how they want to consume it. Do they love to engage with the brand or prefer to consume from other sources, like influencer marketing?  

Creating Compelling Content

Creating compelling content is essential for any business that wants to succeed on social media. Please ensure your content is informative, engaging, and relevant to your target audience. Visual appeal and readability are also important. People are busy and need more time to read rambling posts. Use a strong hook to grab the user’s attention. Use high-quality videos , infographics, and videos in your posts. There are different types of B2B content you can share on social media, like:

• Blog posts and articles
• Infographics
• Case Studies
• Testimonials
• Industry News and Updates
• Contests and Giveaways
• Behind the Scenes

When creating content for social media, your focus should be quality rather than quantity. Make sure the content is accurate and up-to-date. Remember, visuals capture more attention than text alone, but it should be relevant. You can use social media hashtags, a great way to make your content visible to a broader audience. You can also use content calendars to plan and schedule your posts in advance. Consider the following when creating content calendars for your posts:

• The type of content you want to share
• Frequency of your posts
• The platform you are posting on
• Your target audience

Most social media platforms offer built-in analytics to track your results. You can also use third-party social media analytics tools for more detailed insights. 

Running Social Media Ads

Every B2B or B2C business should have a social media presence incorporating paid ads, SEOs, and SMM marketing tips. According to Insider Intelligence , social media is the most effective B2B channel for driving revenues in 2023. Therefore, running ads can be a very effective way to generate leads and sales. 

Social media ads include powerful targeting options, allowing you to reach specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. It ensures that your ads are seen by various people likely to be interested in your product or service. You can use various types of ads on B2B social media marketing platforms like:

• Product ads
• Carousel ads
• Collection ads
• Lead generation ads
• In-feed ads

Ads can increase audience engagement and enhance brand awareness on social media platforms, especially Instagram. You can gain Instagram followers by encouraging marketers to shop from your website through ads. Your ad should look as engaging as possible based on the goals of your campaign. This should be clear, concise, and persuasive with a call to action. 

Building and Engaging with Your Community

Indeed, social media is essential for any business that wants to succeed. According to LinkedIn’s insights, more than 65 million users are decision-makers in the business world, and 80% of them have some influence on those decisions . The first step in building a community on SMM is to attract new followers. Here are some tips:

• Create high-quality content
• Use relevant hashtags
• Run challenges and contests
• Your website should be linked to your social media accounts and vice versa

People are more likely to share and engage with content that is informative and relevant to their interests. Once you have attracted new followers, it’s time to engage with them actively. Follow these B2B SMM marketing tips:

• Responds to comments and questions
• Answer all the queries
• Ask questions
• Run polls and surveys
• Share behind-the-scenes
• Host live sessions
• Be authentic and genuine
• Tackle negative comments intelligently 

Post consistently and engage with your followers more often. Use social media insight tools to analyze your performance, identify trends and topics, and optimize your social media strategies. Your key metrics should include reach, engagement, website traffic, leads, and sales generation. 

Case Studies of Successful B2B E-commerce Businesses that are Using SMM Strategies

The following are the case studies showing the results of successful B2B e-commerce business campaigns on various social media channels. 

Shopify is an e-commerce platform that allows businesses to create and manage online stores. In 2018, Shopify partnered with Gary Vaynerchuk , who has more than 10 million followers on Instagram, for the social media campaign under the hashtag #ShopifyPartner . The goal is to encourage Shopify partners to create and share content about them on social media.

This campaign was a huge success and helped Shopify increase brand awareness and generate leads. Over 10,000 Shopify partners participated in this campaign, and 1 million pieces of content were shared on social media. This campaign generated over $1 million in revenue.

Canva has successfully used TikTok to market its graphic design platform to businesses of all sizes. Canva is an official TikTok Marketing partner to create several co-branded challenges and campaigns. The viral Canva Design Challenge has encouraged users to create and share Canva designs inspired by a specific theme. 

The challenge was a huge success, with over 100,000 users participating and creating 10,000 designs. Canva is using TikTok to reach new audiences and generate leads, whereas TikTok is using Canva to provide users with new tools and ways to create content. 

Officially named Adobe Systems, an American software company known for its multimedia and creativity software products. Adobe got over 2 million views on its second video when it joined TikTok. Emilesam , who has 5.2 million followers and 6.2 million likes on TikTok, used Adobe’s After Effects to create a fighting sequence scene against himself, which gained a massive reach. 

Adobe generated over $10 billion in revenue in 2022 with After Effects. Adobe’s After Effects is used by over 90% of Hollywood studios.  

Wrapping Up

Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads . This encompasses the successful campaigns launched through social media marketing messages to generate leads and grow businesses. To achieve success with SMM, B2B e-commerce businesses should use various strategies to manage their presence more efficiently. Build buyer personas and create social media content that resonates with your business goals and objectives. 

It is also essential to track the results of SMM campaigns using social media analytics tools. By following the above B2B and social media marketing best practices, you can implement more successful and effective campaigns on multiple social media accounts.

Author’s Bio:

Hafsa Shahzad 

SEO Content Writer-Blogger

Hafsa has been working as a writer and blogger for over three years now. She’s got a knack for writing engaging content that hits the sweet spot, especially in Digital Marketing, Big Tech Industry, and AI. When she’s not glued to her writing desk, you might find her sketching beautiful portraits or preparing her favorite coffee in the kitchen.

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How to Identify and Manage High-Risk Smoldering Multiple Myeloma

• Published: 23 August 2024

Cite this article

• Tarek H. Mouhieddine 1  

30 Accesses

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Purpose of Review

It elucidates advancements in identifying and managing high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM), moving from observation strategies to intervention approaches. It highlights the significance of differentiating high-risk SMM from its less aggressive counterparts to prevent progression to multiple myeloma (MM).

Recent Findings

Recent developments have improved SMM risk-stratification, integrating clinical, molecular and biological markers to identify high-risk individuals accurately. The advent of dynamic risk models that incorporate disease evolution and the application of novel diagnostic technologies are enhancing the understanding of SMM. Clinical trials exploring low to high intensity interventions, have shown promise in delaying MM onset and improving patient prognosis.

There is a significant change in high-risk SMM management, leaning towards early intervention and precision medicine. The focus now is on refining these approaches, exploring new treatments, and proving the sustained benefits of early interventions to ultimately improve SMM patient care and outcomes.

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Smoldering multiple myeloma: emerging concepts and therapeutics.

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No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

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• Published: 26 August 2024

L2 writer engagement with automated written corrective feedback provided by ChatGPT: A mixed-method multiple case study

• Da Yan   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1265-9772 1 &
• Shuxian Zhang 1  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  11 , Article number:  1086 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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• Language and linguistics

Automated written corrective feedback (AWCF) has been widely applied in second language (L2) writing classrooms in the past few decades. Recently, the introduction of tools based on generative artificial intelligence (GAI) such as ChatGPT heralds groundbreaking changes in the conceptualization and practice of AWCF in L2 pedagogy. However, students’ engagement in such an interactive and intelligent learning environment remains unstudied. The present study aims to investigate L2 writers’ behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement with ChatGPT as an AWCF provider for writing products. This mixed-method multiple case study explored four L2 writers’ behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement with AWCF provided by ChatGPT. Bearing the conversational and generative mechanisms of ChatGPT in mind, data on students’ engagement were collected from various sources: prompt writing techniques, revision operations, utilization of metacognitive and cognitive strategies, and attitudinal responses to the feedback. The results indicated that: 1) behavioral engagement was related to their individual differences in language proficiencies and technological competencies; 2) the participants have failed to metacognitively regulate the learning processes in an effective manner; and 3) ChatGPT ushered in an affectively engaging, albeit competence-demanding and time-consuming, learning environment for L2 writers. The study delivers conceptual and pedagogical implications for educators and researchers poised to incorporate GAI-based technologies in language education.

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Timed second language writing performance: effects of perceived teacher vs perceived automated feedback

ChatGPT and the digitisation of writing

A large-scale comparison of human-written versus chatgpt-generated essays, introduction.

“Engagement defines all learning” (Hiver et al. 2021 , 2).

In second language (L2) writing, feedback, especially written feedback, is one of the most widely applied and researched topics (Hyland and Hyland 2019 ). In the past decades, the focus of relevant research has shifted from the effects of feedback on writing quality (e.g., Nelson and Schunn 2009 ; Dizon and Gayed 2021 ) towards students’ involvement in processing and utilizing feedback (Zhang 2017 ; Ranalli 2021 ). However, due to the multifaceted and dynamic nature of student engagement with written feedback (Han and Gao 2021 ), the body of existing literature suffers from the lack of multidimensional insights into all the aspects of engagement with feedback (Shi 2021 ).

Meanwhile, with the advancement of technologies, automated written corrective feedback (AWCF) has been widely implemented in L2 classrooms as a pedagogical innovation. Researchers have made continuous contributions to expand our knowledge in 1) the effects of AWCF on the quality of writing products (Barrot 2021 ); 2) the interplay of AWCF and classroom instruction (Tan et al. 2022 ); and 3) learners’ perceptions of the utilization of AWCF providers in L2 classrooms (ONeill and Russell 2019 ). Reversely, thorough investigations of students’ engagement with AWCF have been scant (Koltovskaia 2020 ). Furthermore, compared to the bravery to incorporate state-of-the-art technologies in L2 classrooms, there remains a lacuna of research on the students’ engagement with cutting-edge AWCF providers. Since its advent in late 2022, ChatGPT, a conversational generative artificial intelligence (GAI) chatbot powered by large language models (LLM), has evoked heated hype about its impact on language education (e.g., Jiao et al. 2023 ; Mizumoto and Eguchi 2023 ). Specifically, a few pioneering studies have unveiled its strength to outperform its precedents in correcting grammatical errors (Fang et al. 2023 ; Wu et al. 2023 ). Nevertheless, we confronted a dearth of empirical evidence of students’ engagement with AWCF generated by ChatGPT in authentic L2 pedagogical settings.

Against the above backdrops, the study has explored L2 writers’ engagement with AWCF provided by ChatGPT. Theoretically, the research has drawn upon existing studies to reconceptualize student engagement with feedback provided by GAI-based systems. Methodologically, the study adopted a mixed-method multiple case study approach to collect and triangulate data. The paper is significant as it brings new insights into the changes in learning patterns that resulted from students’ exposure to GAI-based feedback providers and the extent to which learners engage with the new environment.

Literature review

Awcf and the potential of chatgpt.

In recent years, the impact of AWCF, the written corrective feedback (WCF) provided by computerized automated writing evaluation (AWE) tools, on L2 writing pedagogy has grown continuously (Zheng et al. 2021 ). Compared to the traditional teacher-fronted WCF, AWCF has been praised by researchers and educators for its: 1) power to alleviate teachers’ and peers’ burden in L2 classrooms (Ranalli 2018 ); 2) empowering effects in augmenting students’ involvement in revision and proofreading (Li et al. 2015 ); and 3) promptness in providing effective feedback (Barrot 2021 ). However, researchers have conflicting perspectives regarding the efficacy of AWCF compared to WCF. On the one hand, technology-enhanced feedback providers or interventions serve as a significant assistant in facilitating teachers or peers in making an accurate evaluative judgment on writing artifacts, particularly in overcoming evaluation biases or inaccuracies (Wood 2022 ; Gong and Yan 2023 ; Yan 2024a ), for example, the choice between lenient or severe judgment (e.g., Jansen et al. 2021 ) or the tendency to use simple heuristics while forming feedback (e.g., Fleckenstein et al. 2018 ). On the other hand, AWCF has constantly been criticized as inferior to human-generated feedback with the relatively restricted abilities of AWE systems to form accurate and comprehensive evaluations of writing artifacts, particularly the more traditional corpus-based systems such as Pigai.com (Fu et al. 2022 ). Hence, there has been a long-standing pursuit to improve AWE systems in providing individualized and effective AWCF for language learners (Fleckenstein et al. 2023 ).

Recently, with the emergence of AI-based technologies such as Grammarly and QuillBot, researchers’ interest shifted gradually. According to existing empirical studies, AI-based AWCF providers outperform the corpus-based systems by a substantial margin in both the feedback uptake and revision quality of L2 writers (c.f., the successful revision rate of merely 60% in Bai and Hu 2017 ; and approximately 70% in Koltovskaia 2020 ). Based on such improvement in performance, the technological advancement would further spur the research and implementation of AWCF providers in L2 writing classrooms.

Since the appearance of ChatGPT, researchers have attempted to adopt it as an AWCF provider for L2 writing with promising results. As evidenced by the comparison between ChatGPT and Grammarly by Wu et al. ( 2023 ), the former offers a further improvement over existing AI-based solutions for correcting grammatical errors. Accordingly, researchers have optimistically prophesied the potential of ChatGPT as a significant assistant for language learners in the future (Jiao et al. 2023 ; Mizumoto and Eguchi, 2023 ). The potential of ChatGPT as a potential AWCF provider is based on: 1) the outstanding performance in providing grammatical and syntactical corrections in an accurate and instant fashion (Steiss et al. 2024 ); 2) the tremendous amount of pre-trained language data that ensures its excellent performance compared to its precedents (Wu et al. 2023 ); 3) the ability to iteratively respond to users’ inquiries for feedback due to the interactional and conversational mechanism of the human-computer interface (White et al. 2023 ; Yan 2024b ); and 4) the verified enhancement from conversational AI-based chatbots as learning assistants in previous studies (Wu and Yu 2023 ).

However, we cannot neglect that ChatGPT has its disadvantages; for example, it could create hallucination , the randomly generated and unverified information (Tonmoy et al. 2024 ). Additionally, since ChatGPT is a conversational chatbot, the quality of ChatGPT-generated feedback is dynamic and subject to the extent to which the learners agentically seek and process the feedback (Yan 2024b ). Moreover, from a student perspective, the effective and ethical use of ChatGPT called for a higher level of AI literacy and corresponding support and scaffolding from teachers or peers, both of which were inadequately possessed or provided at the current stage (Yan 2023 ). Taken together, the effective utilization of ChatGPT in educational settings needs meaningful and successful fulfillment of its potential while controlling the threats and menaces it might bring.

In the pre-ChatGPT era, Ranalli ( 2018 ) has called for an accurate and robust AWCF provider that could interactively answer individual learners’ specific needs and demands. Given the history of the AWCF application and the strength of ChatGPT, the GAI-based system is in the spotlight as a potential problem solver and game changer for the field.

In an era of change, the effects of ChatGPT or similar GAI-based tools on L2 writing still need to be studied. Among all the overheating hype and unfounded fears about adopting ChatGPT in education since its debut, we expect more empirical studies investigating the actual effects of the tool on language learners. As Zhang ( 2017 ) has suggested, students’ engagement with feedback providers is an indispensable prerequisite to benefiting from technology-mediated language learning facilities. Consequently, a study focusing on learners’ involvement in processing and utilizing the corrective feedback provided by ChatGPT would enrich our limited knowledge of AI-mediated language learning (e.g., Tseng and Warschauer 2023 ).

Student engagement with AWCF and relevant empirical research

In L2 research, engagement has been understood as one of the defining features of students’ active involvement in learning (Mercer 2019 ). For L2 writing, engagement is commonly conceptualized as a tripartite meta-construct composing three key components: behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement (Ellis 2010 ; Zhang and Hyland 2018 ; Fan and Xu 2020 ). Specifically, behavioral engagement refers to the learning behaviors (Zheng and Yu 2018 ) and strategical choices in translating the received feedback into a revision (Han and Hyland 2015 ); affective engagement represents students’ emotional and attitudinal responses to the feedback (Ellis 2010 ); and cognitive engagement denotes the extent to which the student cognitively perceives the feedback and the subsequent cognitive and metacognitive operations to process and utilize the feedback (Han and Hyland 2015 ).

In recent years, many studies have investigated the three dimensions of student engagement in pedagogical settings of L2 writing equipped with automated feedback providers. On the one hand, researchers have attributed students’ engagement with AWCF to various factors. In a single case study to examine engagement with Pigai.com in an EFL context, Zhang ( 2017 ) discovers that more teacher scaffolding and pedagogical assistance are needed to facilitate the cognitive engagement of L2 writers learning with AWE systems. In a subsequent multiple case study on engagement with teacher-scaffolded feedback provided by Pigai.com, Zhang and Hyland ( 2018 ) attribute the diversity in learners’ engagement to students’ language proficiency, learning styles, and utilization of learning strategies. As the interest of researchers shifts from traditional AWE systems to AI-based AWCF providers, new perspectives on student engagement emerge. Ranalli ( 2021 ) concludes by observing six Mandarin L1 learners who trust in AWCF quality and credibility and decisively determine engagement. Furthermore, a recent eye-tracking study reveals that feedback explicitness determines student engagement with AWCF provided by Write & Improve (Liu and Yu 2022 ). On the other hand, contradictory voices are often heard from research on the students’ engagement with AWCF. For example, the study by Rad et al. ( 2023 ) betokens the promoting effects of Wordtune, an AI-based writing assistant, on L2 students’ overall engagement. On the contrary, Koltovskaia ( 2020 ) manifests that students’ cognitive engagement with the feedback provided by Grammarly is insufficient, although positive affective engagement was reported after using the tool to support writing.

Despite the prolific insights into students’ engagement with AWCF in L2 writing classrooms, scholars have criticized existing research for neglecting key elements, e.g., overlooking students’ involvement in the revision process (Stevenson and Phakiti 2019 ), and the predominance of an outcome-based approach to studying the quality of writing products (Liu and Yu 2022 ). The present study not only embarks on a comprehensive investigation into students’ engagement but also strives to seek a new conceptual departure in L2 pedagogy in the age of AI. Considering the characteristics of ChatGPT as a potential AWCF provider, there exists a lacuna in our understanding of how and to what extent students engage with the new GAI-based feedback provider.

Conceptualizing engagement with GAI-generated feedback

The rationale to revisit the conceptualization of student engagement with corrective feedback in the context of GAI is posited on the paradox between the alleged positive effects of AWCF providers on writing pedagogy (Fang et al. 2023 ; Wu and Yu 2023 ) and the reported challenges encountered by students to effectively tap the strength of AI in seeking feedback (Yan 2024b ). To frame the decisive factors affecting engagement, Ellis’s ( 2010 ) componential framework for investigating corrective feedback is referred to. According to the framework, student engagement with corrective feedback is influenced by individual differences and contextual factors. Previous studies have generally attributed the individual differences of learners to language proficiency (Zhang and Hyland 2018 ; Ranalli 2021 ). However, for ChatGPT as an AWCF provider, technological competence should be included as a major aspect of individual competence since the interaction with ChatGPT, via iteratively prompt writing and amendments, calls for a higher level of digital literacy (Lee 2023 ; Naamati-Schneider and Alt 2024 ).

The tripartite dimensions within the meta-construct of engagement are developed on top of the body of literature. First, the concept of behavioral engagement is expanded. In the study of Zhang and Hyland ( 2018 ), behavioral engagement is deemed to be students’ behaviors to process feedback, i.e., operation and strategies of revision. However, for the present study, an additional aspect of students’ behaviors is considered, i.e., the actions of writing prompts to seek feedback from ChatGPT. Unlike conventional AWE systems and AWCF providers such as Grammarly, the quality, content, and quantity of feedback provided by ChatGPT rely on the user’s interaction with the GAI-based system through iterative and incremental prompt writing (Yan 2023 ). Second, in line with the work by Koltovskaia ( 2020 ), the present study conceptualizes cognitive engagement as students’ utilization of cognitive and metacognitive strategies in processing AWCF; and affective engagement as students’ emotional and attitudinal responses to the AWCF. The conceptual model of student engagement with ChatGPT-generated feedback is graphically shown in Fig. 1 .

Conceptual model of student engagement with ChatGPT-generated AWCF.

The current study

The study explores L2 writer engagement with AWCF generated by ChatGPT. The following logic guides the research: (1) compared to more traditional approaches to corrective feedback, we are facing a paucity of comprehensive understanding of student engagement with AWCF; (2) compared to AWE systems such as Pigai.com, we have barely any knowledge about how ChatGPT’s unique features, such as its outstanding text generation abilities, interactive and conversational interfaces, iterative feedback generation capabilities, would impact on L2 writer engagement with AWCF; and (3) given that effective use of ChatGPT calls for a higher level of domain knowledge and AI competence, we need to examine how do these individual characteristics influence L2 writer engagement with ChatGPT-generated AWCF. Therefore, the following research question would be answered:

How do L2 writer with varied language proficiency and technological competence behaviorally, cognitively, and affectively engage with AWCF provided by ChatGPT?

Participants

The study’s research site was an undergraduate EFL program at a Chinese university. Students enrolled in this program had to take three writing courses in which formative assessment and technology-enhanced feedback were practiced. Therefore, the students were relatively experienced in learning-oriented assessment practices.

The participants were recruited from a pool of students previously involved in a pilot project investigating the impact of ChatGPT on L2 learners (Yan 2023 ). A purposeful sampling method was applied to select four participants with distinct characteristics in language proficiency and technological competence (Palinkas et al. 2015 ). The sampling criteria included: 1) average performance in four precedent L2 writing assessments, which were adopted from the official writing prompts of Test for English Major band 4, a national level and widely applied test of English proficiency for English majors in China (Jin and Fan 2011 ); 2) average performances in the assessments of two precedent digital humanities courses; 3) interest in the project and self-rated trust in AWCF; and 4) recommendations from co-researchers (from the teaching faculty of the program) based on classroom observation and the analysis of learning artifacts. Originally, a group of 14 students voluntarily participated in the project. However, only 4 students were regarded as qualified participants for the present study since the others failed to provide complete learning data. See Table 1 for the background information of the 4 participants. To maintain the ethicality of the study, written informed consents were obtained from all participants, who were aware of the purpose, design, procedures, and anonymity policies of the study, prior to the data collection procedures.

In second language acquisition (Duff 2010 ) and educational feedback (e.g., Zhang and Hyland 2023 ), case study has been widely applied as an established means to collect rich data on students’ actual learning experiences. Adopting a mixed-method multiple case study approach (Yin 2013 ), a case in the study was defined as the extent to which an individual learner was behaviorally, cognitively, and affectively engaged with ChatGPT-generated feedback. For each specific case, the study followed a convergent design in which the quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated to manifest students’ engagement with the AWCF (Creswell and Plano Clark 2018 ). Furthermore, the study was a collective multiple-case study, as the cross-case comparison of the individual cases allowed the researcher to generalize the findings for a broader context (Stake 1995 ). Although the limited number of participants would possibly hinder the study’s potential implications for a general and broader context, small sample size and/or high drop-out rate are frequent phenomena among case studies on learning behaviors, for example, in Koltovskaia and Mahapatra ( 2022 ), only 2 student participants’ data were selected from a pool of 17; in Yan ( 2024b ), only 3 students were finalized as participants in the inquiry into L2 writer’s feedback-seeking behaviors. As argued by Adams ( 2019 ), the limited number of research subjects in case studies had its merits in unfolding learner experiences in using feedback other than the feedback design.

During the five-week project, 68 students (inclusive of all the participants of the study) joined an L2 writing practicum focusing on exploring the affordance of ChatGPT as a feedback provider. Each week, two sessions of teacher-fronted instruction and live demonstration were prescribed, in addition to four sessions of self-directed learning and practicing. Students must complete draft writing, seek feedback from ChatGPT, execute the revision based on the feedback, and submit it to the instructor each week. To facilitate the data collection, different data collection strategies were employed, i.e., students’ weekly reflective learning journals (Bowen 2009 ), the observation of students’ behaviors in the classroom (Jamshed 2014 ), and the interviews (Braun and Clarke 2012 ). The practicum structure and data collection procedures of the study are shown in Fig. 2 .

Procedures of the study.

First, after each week, the participants were required to complete a reflective learning journal. Specifically, they are asked to provide their weekly reflection on the learning progressions, experiences using ChatGPT for feedback, the episodes of interaction with ChatGPT for eliciting and refining corrective feedback, and the acceptance and rejection of the feedback in preparing the revisions. Participants were encouraged to complete the journal multimodally with multiple types of files, e.g., screenshots, audio recordings, and video clips as supplementary files. See Supplementary Appendix A for the template for the reflective journal. Moreover, a task worksheet was provided to the learners to write down the draft writing, formative revisions, and the final writing products for each writing task. See Supplementary Appendix B for a sample task worksheet.

Second, during each instructional and practice session, the instructors were requested to record the students’ learning behaviors and processes. The students attended all the sessions in language laboratories equipped with keylogging and screen recording facilities to facilitate the recording. All the loggings and recordings were gathered, processed, and taken down in notes by two co-researchers recruited from the teaching faculty. Furthermore, the note-takers coded the notes against a coding scheme for metacognitive and cognitive learning strategies for the study. See Supplementary Appendix C for the coding scheme adopted from the work of Sonnenberg and Bannert ( 2015 ). Inter-coder disagreements were solved by reaching a consensus between the two coders and the researcher through recording playbacks and collective discussion. According to the measurement of Cohen’s Kappa (κ = 0.72, 95% CI [0.65, 0.84]), good inter-rater reliability was attained.

Finally, an immediate post-session interview was performed for each participant after the final session of the week. Participants were required to follow the instructions of the interviewer to answer the questions from the pre-determined interview protocol with questions like “When the project ends, are you willing to continue using ChatGPT for feedback in L2 writing?”. Each interview session lasted for about 10–15 min. The moderator was required to write down all the major viewpoints and interview details in an interview note. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim.

Throughout the data collection processes, the researchers have taken measures to ensure the trustworthiness, reliability, and validity of data. For example, the reliability and validity of the observational data were attained after reaching interobserver agreement during the initial two weeks (Watkins and Pacheco 2000 ); the trustworthiness of the qualitative data were checked with member checking with participants (Doyle 2007 ), and the investigator triangulation (Carter et al. 2014 ).

First, quantified document analysis was applied to analyze the learning journals and the worksheets. For each case, the individual learner’s learning details, i.e., time spent for feedback processing, number of written ChatGPT prompts, time spent for the interaction with ChatGPT, and retention of feedback in the revision, were quantified and analyzed through descriptive statistics. For the coding of prompt writing patterns, a coding scheme developed by the first author in a previous work was used (Yan 2024b ). The coding was performed by three coders recruited from the teaching faculty. According to the measurement of Fleiss’ Kappa (κ = 0.86, 95%CI [0.78, 0.91]), good inter-rater reliability was achieved.

Second, a lag sequential analysis (LSA) using GSEQ 5.1 software was performed to analyze students’ transition and interaction patterns using metacognitive and cognitive strategies extracted from the coded classroom observations. LSA is a statistical technique used to identify patterns and sequences of behaviors or events over time by examining the conditional probabilities of one event occurring after another within a specified time delay or lag period (Bakeman and Quera 2011 ). Correspondingly, GSEQ calculated adjusted residuals from a transitional probability matrix based on the coded behavior sequences (Pohl et al. 2016 ). The significance of behavioral transitions was determined by the Z-score of the adjusted residuals (significant if Z  > 1.96). Behavioral transitions were visualized to present the behavioral patterns in terms of metacognition and cognition within the feedback processing and revision processes.

Third, a thematic analysis following the six-step procedures recommended by Braun and Clarke ( 2012 ) was applied to the interview transcripts. Two additional co-researchers were recruited to assist the researchers in coding and theme extraction. Disagreements among the co-researchers were solved through an ad hoc discussion convened and joined by the researcher.

Finally, when the data analyses were finalized, all findings were converged and triangulated to answer the research questions.

Behavioral engagement

After the quantified document analysis, the data on the participants’ feedback-seeking and revision operations were presented. Specifically, the actions of feedback seeking and revision were respectively manifested as detailed patterns in composing ChatGPT prompts and processing ChatGPT-generated feedback categorized by error types.

First, the actions of feedback seeking by the four participants were shown in Figs. 3 – 6 , respectively. According to the bar charts, Emma and Sophia created more than 2000 ChatGPT prompts in 5 weeks, followed by Robert’s 1670 and Mia’s 1238. Pertinent to the weekly developmental trends in using specific prompt writing techniques, Emma and Sophia have displayed similarities, indicating that the patterns of Robert and Mia were on common ground. For example, in using the [+QUA] technique (providing the user’s quality evaluation of the feedback to re-elicit feedback from ChatGPT), Emma and Sophia have displayed a parabolic curve in the weekly frequencies. At the same time, Robert and Mia have kept a growing momentum to use such a technique throughout the project.

Based on Yan ( 2024 b).

BP: minimal prompt; [+BG]: providing background information; [+TSK]: providing task requirement; [+PER]: providing virtual persona; [+TON]: ask to feedback with ascertain style and tone; [+SPE]: with additional specific demands; [-NAR]: ask to narrow down feedback foci; [+CRE]: ask to check credibility; [+Aff]: provide affective evaluation to regenerate feedback; [+QUA]: provide quality evaluation to regenerate feedback; [!REG]: totally regenerate feedback.

Second, the operations of revision of the four participants were gathered, coded, and categorized by the error types (see Tables 2 – 5 respectively for each participant). The taxonomy of errors was based on the coding instruments developed and used in the work by Ferris ( 2006 ) and Han and Hyland ( 2015 ). According to the results, ChatGPT has provided an average of 11 pieces of corrective feedback for Emma per writing task. Emma performed outstandingly with 74.55% of correct revision and actively used substitutions to correct her errors (14.55%), leaving a relatively limited amount of incorrectly executed revision (1.82%) and a low rate of rejection for correction suggestions (3.64%). Sophia’s performance in revision execution was basically on par with Emma’s (received 12.4 pieces of corrective feedback per task), with a high correction rate (74.19%), a good percentage of substitution (19.35%), and a low rate of correction suggestion rejection (4.84%). Alternatively, Robert and Mia, who have received more than 22 pieces of corrective feedback per task, attained lower rates of correct revision (about 60%) and substitution (≤6.25%), higher rates of incorrect revision (16.5% and 12.5% respectively), correction suggestion rejection (≥6.9%), and deletion (>10%).

Cognitive engagement

The results of the LSA for the participants are displayed in Tables 6 – 9 respectively. In the tables, the leftmost column refers to the starting behavior, while the top row stands for the following behavior in the sequence. The behavior sequence is statistically significant when the corresponding Z value of the adjusted residual is greater than 1.96 ( p  < 0.05). For example, the behavior sequence from planning to feedback seeking is statistically significant for Emma as the adjusted residual is significant ( Z  = 7.483).

The above four tables were visualized diagrammatically (see Fig. 7 for the behavioral transition diagram). Each node in the diagram stands for a category of (meta)cognitive strategies, while a line linking two nodes indicates a significant behavioral transition of the sequence.

P: planning, referring to allocation of time, resources for the following-up feedback and writing processes; M: monitoring, referring to an on-going process in which the quality feedback is observed and compared; E: evaluation, referring to an appraisal of the value and cost for a potential revision or correction based on the feedback selected from the monitoring process; F: feedback elicitation, referring to using the interactive communication with ChatGPT to elicit AWCF; N: feedback refinement, referring to comparing and finalizing potential feedback and ask ChatGPT to regenerate for quality improvement if the quality is unsatisfactory; D: making decision, referring to a final appraisal of the feedback quality and translate the feedback to a potential revision; R: executing the revision, referring to applying the finalized revision to the writing products.

Emma has displayed a relatively higher level of metacognitive regulatory skills. The utilization of cognitive strategies to seek feedback, that is, feedback elicitation and feedback refinement, was integrated with the metacognitive regulations, i.e., monitoring and evaluation. Such integration was characterized by the bidirectional interaction between feedback seeking and metacognitive monitoring (Z F→M  = 16.527; Z M→F  = 12.137), and the similar bidirectional behavioral sequence between monitoring and feedback refinement (Z N→M  = 9.009; Z M→N  = 12.679).

Sophia has demonstrated a similar pattern of utilizing cognitive and metacognitive strategies but in a relatively weaker fashion. Sharing a similar diagrammatical structure, the role of metacognitive monitoring has been reduced, typically in the feedback refinement processes (as indicated by the unidirectional sequence of M → N, Z M→N  = 15.209). However, the role played by metacognitive monitoring during the feedback elicitation processes remained strong (as indicated by the bidirectional behavioral sequence of F ⇌ M, Z F→M  = 18.15; Z M→F  = 3.834).

Contrarily, the diagrams of Robert and Mia were simple and absent of the interweaving between cognitive and metacognitive strategies. In Robert’s case, metacognitive strategies, i.e., monitoring and evaluation, were involved in the learning processes. He was incapable of effectively and metacognitively regulating his learning behaviors, resulting in most of his feedback elicitation and refinement being one-off activities (as indicated by the unidirectional sequences of Z N→M  = 15.633; Z M→E  = 15.126; and Z E→D  = 12.911). Similarly, Mia has failed to integrate cognitive and metacognitive strategies. Compared to Robert, her case was even worse, as the metacognitive monitoring and evaluation were eventually severed from her feedback-seeking and revision behaviors (as indicated by Z N→M  = 8.698; Z N→D  = 9.755; Z M→E  = 10.419; and the disconnection between E and D).

Affective engagement

In the interview, all four participants were invited to express their affective engagement with AWCF provided by ChatGPT. We used four representative quotes to represent the four major themes that emerged from the qualitative data: (1) a beneficial journey; (2) challenges and mental stresses; (3) easier to deal with GAI-generated negative feedback; and (4) continuous usage in the future.

First, students described the overall journey of using ChatGPT for AWCF as a beneficial and interesting experience. Students showcased remarkable trust in the quality of ChatGPT-generated AWCF, especially when their skills at writing prompts increased. Emma described her experiences as a “fun journey.” She was rather satisfied with ChatGPT-generated feedback, as it was of “remarkable quality and great versatility.” Sophia, sharing relatively a large proportion of Emma’s viewpoints, summarized her experiences during the project as a “thrilling journey in a bizarre yet magnificent site.” She reported that the quality of ChatGPT-generated feedback was not always stable yet mostly trustworthy and clear to follow. Robert, seeing his experiences as a “ride on the highway,” was satisfied with ChatGPT as a feedback provider for its promptness and automated workflow. Mia concluded her journey with the project as a “shocking and slow-paced exploration.” She was satisfied with the tool and the learning environment, but not so much with her own progress.

Second, students identified the cognitive challenges they have faced and the resultant mental stresses. A consensus reached by the participants was the logistical issues, particularly the time spent seeking and refining ChatGPT’s responses while using ChatGPT for AWCF. For example, Emma reflected that the processes took her a relatively longer time and were a little bit mentally taxing, as she must “try very hard to seek better prompts that will bring feedback of higher quality and value.” Sophia expressed her desire for more training and scaffolding from teachers since one-on-one conversations with ChatGPT cannot be “sustained with fruitful outcomes.” The feedback-seeking and revision processes were “interesting, rewarding, but challenging” to her, and she was somewhat mentally stressed after using ChatGPT continuously for feedback. Mia explained that the feedback-seeking process was rewarding but hard and took her too much time since she regarded herself as a slow-paced learner. The only exception is Robert, who found that the feedback-seeking processes were “a little bit boring” but not mentally taxing at all since he was confident in his digital competence.

Third, students favored ChatGPT when the tones of AWCF were negative and harsh. Compared to the traditional scenarios, the students were relieved of the shame and “losing face” experience in front of teachers and peers. Emma asserted that it’s much easier for her to accept negative feedback from AI systems than teachers in the classroom. Mia shared a similar feeling that handling ChatGPT-generated negative feedback feels like those from an anonymous agent.

Finally, students expressed their interest in continuously using ChatGPT in the future. On a broader spectrum, the students acknowledge the value and applicability of ChatGPT as an AWCF provider. As Emma remarked, “using AI for corrective feedback will be normal in the future, and the tips and tricks we have explored will be of valuable significance”. Sophia was sure that she would continue to explore the more advanced features of ChatGPT in writing classrooms, but Mia was worried that she would be outperformed by her classmates as she was slow to pick up the more sophisticated tricks and usage. Robert claimed rather straightforwardly that he would be using ChatGPT after the project to “avoid face-to-face feedback from teachers”.

Discussions

The study explored the behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement of L2 writers with corrective feedback provided by ChatGPT in feedback-seeking and revision processes. The findings are categorically presented and discussed in the following sections against existing research and theoretical insights.

Proactive feedback seeking and revision behaviors

The four participants’ behavioral engagement revealed that students were actively involved in the feedback-seeking and revision execution processes. At first glance, all four participants have made progress in seeking feedback from ChatGPT throughout the weeks. Internally, high language-proficiency learners (represented by Emma and Sophia), showed a more sophisticated approach to refining ChatGPT prompts. Instead of repeatedly asking ChatGPT to regenerate feedback, the two learners focused on the quality and content richness of the prompts. The observed varieties could be explained by the process of inner feedback , a term advocated by Nicol ( 2021 ) to represent the natural processing and comparison after learners’ exposure to feedback. Based on the findings, we could infer that the ability to internally process the received feedback during the feedback seeking from ChatGPT depended on the students’ language proficiencies. From another perspective, students’ feedback-seeking behaviors revealed that students with a higher level of technological competence were likely to make more attempts in feedback elicitation and refinement. The specific result was in line with the widely accepted viewpoint that a higher level of ICT competence or digital literacy would lead to more advanced learning outcomes in a technology-enhanced learning environment (Park and Weng 2020 ; Yan and Wang 2022 ).

Similarly, participants with different language proficiencies manifested varied patterns in translating the received feedback to revision execution. Apart from the differences in total errors detected by the AI system per writing task, the most drastic discrepancies among the four participants in the revision operation were the rate of correct revision and adoption of revision strategies. On the one hand, the rate of correct revision was higher than that from precedent research with Grammarly as a feedback provider (i.e., Koltovskaia 2020 ). This could be explained by the alleged strength of ChatGPT in correcting grammatical errors (H. Wu et al. 2023 ). On the other hand, the observation that high-proficiency language learners would make significantly more substitutions than low-proficiency learners echoed the findings of Barkaoui ( 2016 ). However, in contrast with Barkaoui’s ( 2016 ) study, low-proficiency language learners made significantly more revision deletions than their peers. Comprehensively, the students, especially the low-proficiency ones, have ineffectively utilized the corrective feedback provided by ChatGPT. This phenomenon was in line with previous literature (Warschauer and Grimes 2008 ; Chapelle et al. 2015 ).

Diversified metacognitive regulatory skills

Cognitively, the extent to which the participants were engaged with the ChatGPT-generated corrective feedback diversified distinctly. Generally, the students performed unsatisfactorily to metacognitively regulate their learning, especially during the feedback-seeking processes. This phenomenon was in unison with Koltovskaia’s ( 2020 ) study, where the participants failed to process AWCF effectively. Furthermore, the relatively poor metacognitive strategy use also testified to the finding of Zhang and Zhang ( 2022 ) that the AWCF hindered students’ active utilization of monitoring and evaluation strategies. Specifically, higher proficiency learners (represented by Emma and Sophia) have effectively utilized metacognitive monitoring and evaluation of the quality of the received feedback to make full use of the strength of ChatGPT; conversely, the lower proficiency learners (i.e., Robert and Mia) could not effectively integrate the metacognitive strategies with the cognitive processes. The variations in the metacognitive regulatory skills among the participants could be attributed to the view of Zheng and Yu ( 2018 ) that insufficient language proficiency would hinder learners’ ability to process feedback and revision.

Unexpected findings emerged from the comparison of the LSA results between Robert and Mia. Based on the data and the visualization, we could posit that students possessing better technological competence could compensate for their limited abilities to monitor and evaluate the quality of received feedback with intensive communication with AI systems. Such inference underlined the revolutionary affordance of ChatGPT’s conversational AI system in providing a highly customizable and learner-aware environment that satisfies learners’ needs through repeated and creative prompt writing (Ranalli 2018 ; Oppenlaender et al. 2023 ; Rudolph et al. 2023 ). Additionally, the finding was in tandem with the meta-analysis results of Wu and Yu ( 2023 ) that AI chatbots were impactful on learning outcomes. The insights would create a new understanding of students’ feedback processing in a learning environment equipped with GAI-based or conversational tools.

An affectively engaging learning environment

The attitudinal and emotional responses towards ChatGPT-generated AWCF and the new GAI-powered learning environment were mostly positive. The overall satisfaction with and acceptance of ChatGPT as a corrective feedback provider was in line with relevant studies in the field of AWCF (Dikli and Bleyle 2014 ; Koltovskaia 2020 ). Furthermore, participants have agreed that the quality of ChatGPT-generated corrective feedback was reliable and accurate. Compared to previous research on the acceptance and evaluation of AWE systems and tools such as Grammarly, the performance of ChatGPT was convincing and well acclaimed by its users (Zhang 2017 ; Koltovskaia 2020 ; Ranalli 2021 ). This phenomenon could be attributed to the interplay of the computational might of the AI system (Fang et al. 2023 ; Wu et al. 2023 ) and its interactive human-machine interface (Oppenlaender et al. 2023 ).

However, participants stressed the mental effort expenditure that resulted from using ChatGPT in L2 writing classrooms. This was not unexpected, as AWCF providers or AWE systems have always been linked with cognitive overload in previous studies (Ranalli 2018 ; Barrot 2021 ). Nevertheless, the cognitive burden experienced by users of ChatGPT was the aggregate of mental effort expenditure for both feedback seeking and feedback processing. The finding ushered in new insights that would expand our understanding of students’ cognitive load in utilizing feedback for L2 writing. Moreover, the finding was in tandem with a recent research trend beyond the scope of AWCF studies to explore how to effectively compose high-quality ChatGPT prompts (Oppenlaender et al. 2023 ; White et al. 2023 ) and how to develop students’ abilities to communicate with GAI systems (Yan 2023 ; Yan 2024b ).

The multiple mixed-method case study, involving four students with different language proficiencies and technological competences from an EFL program, has explored L2 writers’ engagement with ChatGPT-provided corrective feedback from behavioral, cognitive, and affective perspectives. The findings revealed that: 1) students were behaviorally engaged with ChatGPT-generated feedback; however, their feedback-seeking behaviors and revision operations are highly related to language proficiencies and technological competences; 2) only high language proficiency learners could cognitively engage with ChatGPT-generated AWCF by effectively utilizing metacognitive regulatory strategies; and 3) ChatGPT was well-received by participants as a powerful and affectively engaging AWCF provider.

Adding to the body of literature on students’ engagement with AWCF, the study also focuses on the changes in learning brought about by the appearance of ChatGPT. Noticeably, the research underlines the importance of technological competence for L2 learners exposed to technology-enhanced learning environments. Furthermore, as an initial effort to investigate the patterns of learning behaviors and utilization of (meta)cognitive strategies of L2 writers in a GAI-powered environment, the study offers insights into how students are involved in seeking feedback instead of receiving feedback from AWCF providers and how the feedback processing and revision processes are regulated metacognitively.

The diversity of student engagement with ChatGPT-generated corrective feedback, as manifested by the study, has significant pedagogical implications. First, ChatGPT was not only a powerful rival to its precedents but also an affectively engaging solution with which a new learning environment could be constructed. As a result, the inclusion of GAI-based applications as learning assistants in L2 classrooms should be popularized. Second, teacher scaffolding or instruction on the utilization of ChatGPT for the purposes of L2 writing pedagogy or assessment should be developed and provided. As reflected in the study, learners’ individual ability to metacognitively regulate feedback seeking and revision execution is a far cry from perfection. Hence, support from instructors and peer learners is highly expected. Third, a more rational attitude towards the position of GAI-based products in education should be upheld. Instead of a “silver bullet” or a terminator of education, ChatGPT’s integration in classrooms needs the enhancement of students’ and instructors’ multicompetence and the corresponding restructuring of instructional patterns. Finally, from an L2 learner perspective, the relatively high drop-out rate during the participant recruitment showed that, at least at the current stage, students didn’t possess sufficient AI competence and domain knowledge to effectively utilize GAI for longer-time learning improvement. Thus, sustained efforts should be provided in training students of the contemporary era into better users of state-of-the-art technologies.

The study was not without limitations. First, the study adopted a multiple-case study approach methodologically. Hence, researchers should be cautious when translating or generalizing the findings of the present study to different research settings with larger populations. In follow-up research, alternative research methods could be considered to comprehensively investigate the impact of ChatGPT on a larger number of language learners. Second, the duration of the research is limited. In a five-week project, students have completed merely five writing tasks with limited exposure to ChatGPT. In subsequent studies, researchers could try to conduct longitudinal investigations through which the long-term effects of ChatGPT on the learning behaviors and outcomes of L2 learners could be uncovered. Third, the modes of sources of feedback are limited. The study partially adopted a self-regulated learning style for the participants. Hence, the role of peer learners and instructors in processing the feedback was not examined. In successive inquiries, researchers could introduce collaborative learning or peer scaffolding into the learning environment. Fourth, the impact of ChatGPT-generated feedback on writing of different genres was not studied. In future studies, researchers could delve into the effects of the AWCF provided by ChatGPT on multiple types and genres of writing. In general, with the exhibited potential of ChatGPT as a game changer for language education, the researcher hopes the study could kindle more in-depth insights into the pedagogical practice of utilizing GAI-based applications in L2 classrooms.

Data availability

The pseudonymized data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The raw data are not publicly available due to the concern that they might disclose the privacy of the participants.

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Acknowledgements

This research project is supported by funding from the Young Researcher Program of Xinyang Agriculture and Forestry University [Grant QN2022049, QN2021033]. We would also like to thank all the anonymous reviewers for the constructive feedback.

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Yan, D., Zhang, S. L2 writer engagement with automated written corrective feedback provided by ChatGPT: A mixed-method multiple case study. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11 , 1086 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03543-y

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Received : 27 February 2024

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03543-y

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