1000M: A Case Study in Holistic Social Media
Since late 2016, the Otherwise team has been the brains behind 1000M Chicago’s social media and blog. And we’ve enjoyed every second. What started out as a small-but-growing presence has gradually evolved into a newsworthy, wide-reaching network of channels. With 1000M recently hitting 10,000 followers on Instagram, we celebrate the milestone by reflecting on our holistic social media methodologies and how they lead to more meaningful connections.
If you’re involved with social media, you know it’s a saturated space. Any brand who wants to matter to their consumers or audiences has an Instagram or Twitter. Any business who wants to grow its professional presence has a LinkedIn or Facebook. And yet, few execute social media in a way that matters. So how do we connect the dots between something small like an Instagram story and the bigger picture? How do we prevent a brand from just existing in a vacuum? How do we interact with an audience in a way that is authentically engaging?
Start with Strategy
At Otherwise, we always start with strategy. We also believe that when social media channels stem from an intentionally-built and strategic brand, they have more opportunity to captivate an invested audience. Inspired by their tagline, Seek Beauty, we crafted the 1000M brand strategy around seeking beauty in all aspects of life and connecting with followers who resonated with the same mindset. As we launched their social media program, this enabled us to create content surrounding all things beautiful, including art, culture, architecture and all things Chicago. This flexibility kept our team, the client and our audience active and engaged for years to come, all while staying grounded in the original strategy.
Explore the Larger Ecosystem
Ultimately, building a holistic social media program necessitates extending your reach into a larger conversation. Repeatedly posting redundant, self-serving content is a recipe for dead, uninteresting social, whereas connecting your brand to the real world ensures it remains relevant to your followers. For 1000M, this meant leaving no stone unturned; we’ve covered everything from exhibits at the Art Institute, to performances at the Joffrey Ballet, to deep dives on building construction. Over the years, this has positioned 1000M as a reputable voice within Chicago culture, has helped us grow their following and has created something intriguing outside of just the building itself.
Never Underestimate Your Followers
Whether it’s details on the building’s caissons or where to find the best afternoon tea in Chicago, we believe 1000M’s followers are just as curious and hungry for information as we are. We assume people are eager to learn and grow, so we become an instrument in helping them do so (whereas if we assumed people aren’t interested, we would isolate our audience). We don’t take any piece of content for granted, and it makes all the difference.
In our pursuit of holistic social practices, we’ve paved new ground in the luxury real estate industry. Our team is in the trenches on a weekly basis, interviewing construction project managers, visiting the site in hard hats, and exploring all the city has to offer. As construction on 1000M begins to go vertical, we’re looking forward to expanding the building’s social media presence even further to match its physical growth. You can follow along on their Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Seek Beauty Blog.
