More strength to the brand and its community
Through the story of Sant’Egle we want to share with you how we helped strengthen a brand and its Facebook community in the days of Coronavirus, when companies faced a generally critical situation for their business.
More than an advertiser in the strict sense of the word, many people needed guidance to support them in the inevitable change of web marketing strategy with a systemic approach and innovative solutions.
Sant’Egle is an organic eco luxury resort in Sorano (Grosseto), in the heart of the wildest and most appreciated Tuscany by eco tourists.
An enterprise born from a great classic: the dream of leaving the city to live and work in contact with nature. Except that Erika and Alessandro, the owners, did it as well as few.
Today, Sant’Egle is a real outstanding reality in eco-tourism, as evidenced by the countless certifications and awards won.
In January 2020 the e-commerce of Sant’Egle was also renewed. In their e-commerce you can buy all the eco-organic products of the farm, including saffron, spirulina seaweed and stevia, which are pioneering productions of the highest certified quality.
To support this new activity we had planned a series of Facebook Ads campaigns starting from mid-January 2020. Just a moment before the pandemic and the consequent lock down radically changed the cards on the table.
The challenge
Covid-19 has brought out a truth that has been ignored by many companies, and with it a great challenge and opportunity for the realities that have been able to grasp it.
In fact, more often than we would like, companies experience campaigns on social networks as simple advertising banners aimed at an audience of possible buyers.
This approach is not always so profitable, since those same buyers are first and foremost people. People looking for conversation, sharing, entertainment, information, answers to their needs, and only indirectly products and brands to prefer.
That’s why, together with advertising, it is essential to work on building a community around the brand. A community that grows stronger the more the brand works to meet the needs of its audiences, especially in times of greatest difficulty.
In fact, a strong community is the most genuine way we have to ensure effective campaigns and convinced buyers, brand ambassadors, loyal over time.
The proposal
With this awareness we have proposed to Erika and Alessandro to react to this moment of great difficulty with valuable content available to customers and the entire community.
We then suggested doing it through a completely innovative form for the customer: a programmed series of live streaming on Facebook.
The activity
Our proposal found a very fertile ground because Erika and Alessandro got involved and took an active part in the construction of this new communication project, enriching it with content, ideas, proposals and letting themselves be guided in putting it into practice.
The result?
Two live streaming on Facebook per week, on Monday and Thursday mornings, linked to the theme “Knowing to choose consciously”, conceived and conducted by Erika, with the aim of providing entertainment, useful information and answers to the Sant’Egle community and, at the same time, to enhance, in a moment of great difficulty for everyone, the choices and products not only of the Sant’Egle farmhouse but also of small production realities in line with their philosophy (shoes, clothing, beers, etc.).
Each appointment includes a theme (cosmetics, extra virgin olive oil, medicinal herbs, natural clothing, etc.) which is discussed in depth with experts in the field: nutritionists, craftsmen, farmers, and the possibility for viewers to ask questions during and after the live broadcast.
The live streaming program on Facebook is then stored on the fanpage and on the Youtube channel of Sant’Egle and provides the possibility to subscribe to the appointment thanks to a landing page built on the Mailchimp platform, which allows you to receive content also via email.
Criticalities and solutions
The development of the live shows required a lot of effort on the part of Erika and Alessandro, who spent a lot of their time in lockdown to define the topics to be tackled, involve the realities and experts in the field, write setlists, in-depth analysis and produce the videos at the base of the live shows, with the initial cover and final credits. Everything, from start to finish, has been produced with meticulous attention to detail. In full line with the Sant’Egle philosophy.
As an all-round guide, we have encouraged and accompanied this effort with advice on style and approach to the public. Emphasizing that authenticity and spontaneity on social media work much more than perfection and that a small gaffe generates empathy and closeness on the part of the public.
We have also reassured Erika that in the long run it will be much easier for Sant’Egle to make videos, one of the most appreciated content by social communities. And it is already so.
In addition to the inexperience and initial difficulty in exposing oneself live, there was the added criticality of the Internet connection that is not always functional. A strong point for a farmhouse that aims to relax in contact with nature and to disconnect from the frenetic rhythms of city life but, at the same time, a critical issue that would have compromised the good use of Facebook live streaming.
We have overcome the criticality by advising to pre-record the insights and interviews with experts on each issue addressed. This guaranteed perfect enjoyment without losing the live effect, thanks also to the real-time presence of the experts in live chat.
The results
The results of this bet were not long in coming:
- Exponential increase in fanpage performance:
Thanks to live streaming on Facebook, over time the interaction with the public has increased exponentially and also the number of people who can be reached compared to previous posts with image and text: 16 times more comments and reactions, plus 7.7 views.
- Creation of a fan base of value
Today the Sant’Egle community is stronger and more involved than ever. Erika and Alessandro’s commitment is rewarded with the love and active participation of the fans of all time and of new ones who have joined us in recent weeks thanks to greater media exposure.
- Media exposure
The live series “Know to choose consciously” was advertised with a very light facebook campaign, i.e. the sponsorship of the first live video. The rest was done by the goodness and usefulness of the content produced.
The involvement of the other production realities, the invitation to follow and share the live repeated in the organic posts and in every live intervention of Erika, the conversation, the constant and immediate answers to the questions of the audience.
The initiative was so appreciated and innovative for the territory that it earned an article in “La Nazione”, one of the most important local newspapers.
In conclusion, together with Sant’Egle, we are committed to tackling the crisis generated by the pandemic, turning a difficult moment into an opportunity.
Direct streaming on Facebook was the tool to put in place a choice of proximity, direct, disintermediate and authentic, able to bring out the values of the brand.
A choice that from the very first weeks brought great satisfaction not only for the success of the live shows, the exponential increase in interactions and the growth of the community, but also for the first promising results in terms of sales on the new e-commerce of Sant’Egle.
The timeliness of the change of strategy and the ability of Erika and Alessandro to welcome and follow up our proposals were crucial elements for the success of this story.
Sant’Egle says about us
“ADV+ is a very competent and professional team, this was told to me by those who understand much more about web marketing than me, but when I started working with them I also found people who are helpful, kind, nice to work with, full of tips and suggestions very useful for online presence, even not strictly related to their field of action. People who can guide and advise you even in a very short time, adapting strategies according to the moment your business is facing. Of course, the period we are going through is not easy but I am grateful to have found a partner we can count on for our online presence”.
Erika – Co-founder of Sant’Egle
Post production Video and Color Grading: Emanuele Colognese
Article by Jessica Manzella – Copybraid
