Brief
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars wanted to increase brand awareness and improve engagement with existing and new fans, locally and internationally, to develop and build the iconic brand’s luxury quality, culture and heritage online.
They knew that developing their content and broadening their editorial approach with frequent, fresh and interesting news across not only their historical heritage, but also their present-day events would improve customer experience and drive greater interaction over the long term.
Strategy
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars partnered with iCrossing, their digital marketing agency, who adopted a Facebook-first approach, as Facebook was identified as the brand’s most popular social platform.
A clear part of the strategy was to build on the heritage of the Rolls-Royce name and explore its historical legacy by providing a more thorough timeline to encourage interaction with fans through picture quizzes of classic models and invites to vintage car fairs etc. Posting informative and varied content every day, while constantly monitoring what keeps fans interest, allowed the team to bring fans closer to a brand they might have previously thought as unattainable.
Execution
iCrossing observed conversations on Facebook to get an overview of what fans liked, then provided more of this content, while broadening the variety of information to include more historical detail as well as the latest news of new motor car launches, before expanding to new platforms, including Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google+.
Traditionally, fans have been very passionate about the Rolls-Royce name and iCrossing wanted to provide them with the content they had come to expect from the early days of the Facebook page, particularly the beautiful pictures of current Rolls-Royce models, to include a greater emphasis on the rich history of the brand.
Focusing content on the unique craftsmanship and engineering of Rolls-Royce vehicles, encouraged greater interaction with the most passionate fans and owners of older vehicles, while also helping to expand the fan base within the UK and US.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars invests in social media in order to attract a diverse and global audience that have certain value associations with the brand. The return on investment in this case is not directly monetary; it ensures that the cost per acquisition of each new fan is driven as low as possible over the course of the relationship with the client, while the value of each fan is increased due to repeated and extended interactions with the brand over time. The difference between a fan and a one-off visitor is someone who repeatedly interacts with the brand, someone who stays for the journey, rather than being lured in by gimmicks.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ social media channels are exactly what they should be: social. This means being human in communication and participating in conversation, as well as driving it. iCrossing worked to develop the brand’s voice in social media, expanding their content onto new, dynamic platforms which mirror the company’s pioneering foundations, while keeping all content appropriate and true to the brand.
One of the primary goals was to deliver ‘social proof’; the visible evidence that people who have interests relevant to the brand values are also advocates of the brand. Community management exists to serve a measurable purpose that fulfills strategic objectives, including brand awareness and customer service within its scope. Performed correctly this activity goes beyond one social platform and extends into all facets of people’s interactions with the brand. You only have to look at the feedback from fans who are impressed at the fact Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is sharing their story across vibrant new platforms – and listening to its fans – to understand the worth of this work in terms of brand perception.
Results
Key Facebook achievements are:
> One million: The Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Facebook page grew from approximately 200,000 to more than 1 million fans in less than two years working with iCrossing.
> Fan growth and engagement: Facebook posts are on average seen by 213,000 people, receiving several thousand interactions (like, shares, comments) including up to 1,000 + comments
> Doubled acquisition rate: consistent activity coupled with engaging and shareable content saw the fan acquisition rate double within one month of iCrossing taking over the Facebook page – and they continue to maintain this upward trend.
> Synchronisation with PR activity: The campaign supported the inclusion of the digital strategy with Rolls-Royce’s organisational structure as interactions and close working relationships with internal teams such as PR, ensured that the audience see a consistent message, e.g. frequent ‘themed car launches’, major events such as motor shows, etc.