How Big Brands Use Social mediaBig brands got big for a reason. They got things right whether it was the quality of their products, the fact that luck was on their side or, in this case, their method of advertising. The modern-day methods are no exception. You need to be able to have effective advertising. Tons of people are using various forms of social media like Facebook, Twitter and Vine, so you need to ask yourself one single question — what does it take to stand out? Learn from what the biggest brands out there are doing.

Facebook

For a case of “Facebook gone right,” check out Coca Cola’s Facebook page. Right at the top is an opportunity to send yourself to Brazil by sending over a selfie. Coke is amplifying this trend-gone-plague by offering an incentive. Customers already take selfies and they are now encouraged to engage with the brand to win a Brazilian vacation. Sunshine, soccer and stunning scenery — what could be better?

Deeper than that, however, shows that Coca Cola really tries to stay up to date. Anything they post gets shares in the thousands, and no wonder why — with more than 82 million likes, they’ve got a huge audience to reach out to. They also keep it fresh and funny as well as respond to customer concerns. Staying engaged with millions of followers is tough, but it keeps the customers coming back.

Twitter

Twitter recently got a facelift, which is perfect for visual brands. With the popularity of sites like Tumblr and Pinterest, it seemed like the next logical step for Twitter to take. For example, check out the Twitter page for Joss and Main. You can scroll through their page and get a good idea of the products they offer right off the bat, since a lot of their posts are pictures.

There are tons of other reasons for people to follow you on Twitter. You can set a good example and be extremely helpful like Delta Airlines, have frequent deals like Express, inspiring people (with fashion tips) like JC Penney or even just being silly like Old Spice. Just like staying engaged on Facebook, staying engaged on Twitter (and setting yourself apart from your competitors) will solidify why people should follow your brand.

Vine

At first, people didn’t really know what to do with Vine. It started off as an app where people posted seemingly random 6-second videos. But over time, people started to get really crafty and artistic with how they used it. Soon enough, big brands started jumping on this bandwagon and turned advertising into something fun, quirky and short. Hubspot has some great examples of creative ways businesses are using Vine.

Truth be told, you may never get 82 million followers. You may not have a creative bone in your body for a quirky Twitter campaign and you may never have a huge budget to set aside just for Vine videos. But, if you take the best of what these big brands are doing and implement it into your own social media strategy, your chances of success will increase exponentially.