Assignment #3 - Social Media Marketing Analysis by Ingrid Rossnes

Analysis of H&M´s Page on Facebook

Using Facebook as a marketing channel is a smart move and a growing trend among companies. Clothing line H&M has also entered the trend and created a Facebook page. When companies choose to use Facebook as a marketing channel, they are combining mass media channels with interpersonal channels. Mass media channels are channels that communicate to a large audience and that is effective for spreading knowledge. Interpersonal channels have two-ways communication and it is more effective than mass media channels regarding getting people to buy products. Using Facebook will therefore give them opportunities to share their content to a large audience and also communicate with them. Even though this gives them these advantages, there is important to remember that it is not only about the medium but the message.

H&M have over 16 million likes on their page. Factors that relate to social media marketing on Facebook can be premiums, participation, user-generated content, costumer service “portal”, and content flow. I will use all of these factors when I evaluate H&M´s Facebook page as social media marketing.

Premiums are used for attracting customers or to entertain them, and often they use this tool when they give away free stuff. H&M do not give out free products, but they use partly exclusive premiums. These are premiums that benefits the members on Facebook. H&M invites their members to shopping days where there are discounts on their products. The reason why I said it is partly exclusive is that the members get more information about these days, but other people can also attend the actual shopping and get the discount. If they had used premiums as a tool, there may be a chance that more people would pay attention to their news and products, thus they may get more costumers.

Participation is a way the company can include the consumers in their business process and make sure that there is a demand for their product. On Facebook they can do this by creating events or creating surveys to involve users. As I have mentioned H&M creates events where they invites members to go shopping with discounts. These events are spread in countries and cities all over the world. In addition to events they also creates surveys. An example of a survey is the Facebook Fan Faves, where the members get alternatives of different clothing and they choose their favorite. The most favorite clothing will be distributed in their stores.

User-generated content is a way to showcase users-submitted content by creating galleries or venues. H&M exploits the opportunity to share content on Facebook, and encourages their members to share the stores conten. When members share there are more people who see their news and products, and can lead to more costumers. They also had a Fashion Against AIDS campaign, where they encouraged people to upload a picture where they were kissing. For every picture, the clothing line donated $1 to HIV/AIDS prevention.

When companies create environment on their Fagebook page that allows communication between members and the company is called a costumer service “portal”. On H&M´s page they have a wall where members can write about almost anything, and the store answers them if they have questions. When I look through the wall, there are mostly complaints or people who wants answers to specific questions.

The last factor in the analysis is content flow. It is important to post new material on a weekly basis at least, thus there are regular new content. Content flow maintains the relationship to the consumer and they want to come back. H&M post new things several times a day about their clothing and other news.

On the basis of these factors I think that H&M´s Facebook page are is doing an effecting job as social media marketing. It has attracted the right targeting group, and encourages them to return to the page. 

Ingrid Rossnes