As Spyder grew from a small manufacturer of innovative power tool accessories into a major brand with a wide-ranging line of professional-grade tools, the company had to step up its online presence. Spyder had been active on Facebook, but it was time to make the leap to Instagram. Not only is Instagram a great way to interact with end users, but some of Spyder’s largest retail partners were heavily involved on the platform. An Instagram presence would help Spyder cost-effectively market their expanding product line and participate in a social media ecosystem with some of the world’s largest tool industry influencers. Spyder wanted to grow their social following quickly to add credibility to their Instagram page, and they wanted the audience to be invested in the brand.
Solution
Freeman developed a content-driven social strategy to produce a high-quality audience of true Spyder fans. To start, we established a target frequency of two posts per week — a good balance of quality and quantity for the growing brand — and at least a dozen Instagram stories. The content was a mix of photos and videos shot in-house; user-generated content; shareable posts featuring the brand’s most unique tools; and giveaways of Spyder swag and products. Occasional paid ads — typically promoting a sale or new product — also drove viewers to the page. Additionally, Freeman developed an influencer program, seeding tools to Instagram “tool celebrities” to review. Not only did the influencers link back to Spyder’s accounts, driving some of their large audiences to the brand, but the frequency with which Spyder products were shown developed a great deal of awareness and demand. Within two years, Spyder had grown to 20,000 followers on Instagram, with over 1,000 new followers continuing to join the brand’s community every month.