We use social media to amplify existing health articles, blog posts and community activity on the BabyCentre site because it means users don’t need to actively search for content. Instead we’re on their channels and social feeds and with one click they can access our content. We also create original content specifically for social that is designed to resonate with parents and enable conversations.
As a result we have increased BabyCentre’s Instagram following from 3,000 to more than 58,000 in three years and tripled its Facebook page likes. The BabyCentre Pinterest page, which we’ve worked to continuously improve, now has around 700,000 unique viewers every month. Our success means that we have now also been tasked to improve social engagement for BabyCenter Australia and BabyCenter Canada.
Our work for BabyCentre means speaking to every emotion parents are feeling when they come to the brand’s social channels. We talk about the realities of parenting so they know they’re not alone and are there with relatable, funny posts to give them a pick-me-up when they most need it. We also nurture a sense of belonging and encourage parents to chat to each other through activities like our daily #wideawakeclub conversation starters on Facebook.
We also get creative to increase engagement for BabyCentre. We’ve put together hundreds of memes which can reach more than 600,000 people. Engaging with BabyCentre users in this way has also given us opportunities to understand them on a more personal level in a way that websites can’t. The two-way communication offered by following BabyCentre’s followers back has allowed us to gain insights into their lives, and in particular, how they are feeling about pregnancy and parenthood.
Understanding parents not only benefits BabyCentre in terms of driving social media content, but also helps decide what topics to address on site. Having a highly active social media presence has helped us build a relationship with the BabyCentre audience because it creates a back and forth communication that websites lack.
Customer service is also important to BabyCentre, which means it’s important to us. We answer countless Facebook, Twitter and Instagram messages from people needing advice or support. Our aim is to make sure they leave our page feeling more positive, informed and empowered. To this end we monitor our client’s platforms closely, checking them regularly throughout the day so we can respond as quickly as we can to both public posts and private messages.
We see social media as a way to put all BabyCentre’s hard work in front of the target audience lives. As analytics have repeatedly demonstrated, social is where the attention is. It’s great for driving traffic to the BabyCentre website, as well as encouraging followers to download the app, or head over to the community, where they chat to other parents. With social media ever on the rise internationally it’s also great for brand recognition.
