By Carly Stec
Sep 23, 2016
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Warby Parker is an eyewear company founded in 2010, by four, four-eyed friends.
Upon realizing that the eyewear industry was making big bucks by selling average products for unrealistic prices, Neil Blumenthal, Andrew Hunt, David Gilboa, and Jeffrey Raider put their heads together, and a brand was born.
Warby Parker, a name that was inspired by two of Jack Kerouac’s earliest characters, is a brand that has taken the marketing world by storm lately, as their success story is one to make note of.
On their website they reference the notion that "Jack Kerouac inspired a generation to take a road less traveled and to see the world through a different lens", which is precisely what they are doing on social media platforms these days.
Their success is no optical illusion, in fact it's so exceptional that we've decided to pull some of their best social media moments to help you see how the power of successful social media can help your business exceed your expectations, and engage your audience.
They Talk Back
With the influx of social networking sites making their way onto the map, the standard for customer care has heightened accordingly.
Social Bakers reports that an incredible 70% of questions from Facebook fans are ignored.
With an understanding of the importance of customer service, Warby Parker happens to be part of the 30% that are willing to prioritize customer feedback.
While 25% of global companies go as far as closing their wall to commenting, Warby Parker all embraces their customer's outreach, ultimately resulting in stronger relationships and increased satisfaction.
Through a quick, timely interaction, a customer concern was brought to their attention, and they we're able to note the concern for future improvement.
They Showcase More Than Just Products
When scrolling down a businesses' Facebook page, it's likely that you'll come across a whole lot of this:
[ Insert cliche product photo here ]
[ Insert cliche product photo here ]
[ Insert cliche product photo here ]
Warby Parker took a step outside the box and mixed up their two of their biggest assets: their product and their team.
This photo, and photos like it, work to catch the eye of scrolling customers, showcase their product in action, while highlighting one of the friendly-faces behind their brand.
Another noteworthy aspect of this post is the reference to their "Customer Experience Team". The position title alone is enough to intrigue a customer looking for a hassle-free spectacle transaction.
They Culture-Jack
What's a culture-jack? I'm glad you asked.
Culturing jacking refers to a brands attempt to apply a popular story or event to their content. It's all about pouncing on an event in real-time, but we're not just talking about any random event.
Brands that see the most success chose to jack events that hold some sort of relevance to their industry, product, or service.
Becoming increasingly popular in social media marketing strategies, Warby Parker has picked up on the trend and they're running with it.
Their Instagram is peppered with witty, relevant pop culture references, however this one happened to tickle our fancy.
In the heat of season 5, Warby Parker released this photo artsy image of Walt from Breaking Bad sporting a pair of their Whiskey Tortoise frames. Not only was the image visually unique, but also it was timed perfectly, and resonated perfectly with their audience.
They Promote Their Events
If your company is hosting an open event, consider utilizing a social platform like Instagram to build hype.
Above all else, Instagram is a great point of connection for you and your customers because it's visual. When it comes to promoting an event, you want to give your audience an idea of what you've got going on. If they like what they see, they'll be more likely to attend.
Tap into Instagram's 150 million active monthly users, and spread not only the word, but an image that brings to light your brand's culture, and value.
Road tripping from city to city in their Warby Parker school bus, they posted this photo to their Instagram as a way to remind, and invite their customers to come out and meet their team.
They took things a step further by implementing the hashtag #wpclasstrip, which encouraged users to tag their photos from the event, increasing their social media presence across the board.
YouTube
They Tap Into Our Emotions
For every pair of glasses Warby Parker sells, they donate a pair to someone in need. This "do good" approach to sales has certainly paid off, as this summer the brand reached 500,000 glasses distributed.
While some emotion-based marketing efforts are ill-received by their audience, it appears that Warby Parker has made the right move here.
All knowing that emotion is a strong motivator that has the potential to yield really strong results if executed properly. While you want to avoid taking advantage of your audience's vulnerability, be sure that your campaign or marketing effort is rooted in honestly.
Warby Parker's buy one, give on approach seeks to empower their customers, and give them an opportunity to give back.
They're Actually Funny
What is a pirate's favorite piece of marketing content?
A webin-ARRRR! (Source: HubSpot)
A little corny, but you get the point. Humor is a highly effective marketing technique that helps to humanize your brand, and make an impression.
The fact of the matter is that when people visit YouTube, they're usually looking to have a few laughs over a string of cat videos, not review promotional product videos.
So what do you do with your product on YouTube? In order to spice things up and increase views, it's helpful to find a way to marry it with a bit a humor.
Warby Parker did just that. In less than two minutes, this brand managed to unfold their product's story in a light-hearted narrative that dishes out both information, and entertainment.
Implementing humor is a great way for your brand to establish a place in your customer's memory, and encourage people to share your video with their friends.
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