In 2014, we built a loyal community for Medela that outranks Amazon, M&Ms, and Disney for brand loyalty, according to third party research.
It's one thing for a brand to simply disperse information to their audience. But what if – instead of talking at our audience – we created a platform where moms could support each other? Our objective was to create a space for new moms to learn, celebrate, and grow throughout the journey of breastfeeding and early motherhood. Medela's Facebook community is a place for moms to navigate challenges and celebrate successes – together. In this space, we purposefully deemphasized the Medela brand, but rather, connected moms with the resources, products, and encouragement they need to succeed. More importantly, we've enabled them to support each other.
- 2014 was a record-breaking year for Medela on Facebook and engagement and reach far surpassed competitors, industry averages, and our own goals.
Through emotional, motivational content that spoke to moms' aspirations and goals, we were able to resonate with our audience in a genuine, compelling way – strengthening brand affinity and cementing Medela as a premiere brand that understands the nuances, challenges, and triumphs of the little victories that moms accomplish every day.
WE LISTENED, AND GOT OUT OF THE WAY
The insight was that moms believed each other more than they believed brand communication in the sector. By removing ourselves from the conversation and giving moms room to consult with each other, our metrics improved along with the loyalty that moms had towards Medela. Medela's engagement on Facebook increased, post reach increased, and our social community is thriving.
OBJECTIVE:
- Our objective was to create a space for Medela to support moms but also empower them to support each other. At the end of the day, it's all about helping moms reach their breastfeeding goals. It is vital to honor and celebrate moms' journeys while also acknowledging the many challenges that they face along the way.
- Campaign objectives + KPIs:
- Double Facebook community size year over year – KPI: community growth +50%
- Increase Facebook engagement by 50% year over year – KPIs: 50% increase in likes, comments, shares, bit.ly clicks
UNIQUE AUDIENCE / POSITIONING:
- We sought to reach expecting, new, and veteran moms.
- There is a very concise moment of time in which we are relevant to our audience – pregnancy to about a year after birth – which creates a distinct challenge because our target is constantly moving, phasing out, and growing.
- Moms today are online more than ever before, and they value brands that understand what matters to them. They trust each other over expert advice, so we knew that we had to nurture a platform that allowed them to interact with one another directly.
- Medela has always raised the bar and set standards of excellence among competitors, but simply having the best products wasn't going to cut it anymore. The Medela difference needed to be community and support, so we decided to focus on meeting moms where they are – on Facebook. Our goal was to create emotional connections with moms and support them through the adventure of early motherhood with education, resources, community and inspiration.
TACTICS:
- "Ask Moms Monday" question series connected veteran moms to new and expecting moms and fostered a deeper sense of community.
- Throwback Thursday image posts also helped instill a sense of pride and a connection with the history of motherhood.
- Shareable images with motivational and inspirational quotes provided moms with an emotional boost as they scroll through their newsfeed.
- Community management is a huge piece of the puzzle. When moms reach out via Facebook, we're there with relevant educational information, connections to resources like free support from a Lactation Consultant online, Customer Service assistance, and encouragement. As the warm, encouraging voice of reason, Medela helps moms stay on track and have confidence in their own abilities.
RECOGNITION / FAN LOYALTY:
RESULTS:
Organic reach
Medela has maintained strong organic reach despite decreasing organic reach for brands across Facebook.
- In 2014, it was common for brand posts to organically reach 1-2% of their fan base.
- Medela organically reached 4.5% of its fan base on average, an indicator of high involvement and strong engagement from fans.
Fan Growth
- Medela gained 181,349 Facebook fans, growing 186% from 2013. KPI: community growth +50%.
Engagement
- Medela generated 941,930 engagements on Facebook in 2014, a 94% increase year over year (485,183 engagements in 2013). KPIs: 50% increase in likes, comments, shares, bit.ly clicks.
- Medela received 45,247 comments and 795,985 likes on its posts, which was more than twice the nearest competitor.
- Medela's page like ads generated 147,683 new fans at a cost of $0.34 per fan. Salesforce social.com found an average CPF of $1.17 for the Health and Beauty category in 2013.
Medela's promoted posts have generated 318,604 engagements at a cost of $0.06 per engagement. The same study from Salesforce found an average CPC of $0.36.
