Case Analysis: Social Media Content Strategy at Ayojak

*Note: this is a group posting by Amanda Vitullo, Rose Ndong, Mahmet Guler, Ashok Nakra, Umashankar Kushwaha

Ayojak is an online event management website that offers services for both event hosts and event attendees. The company has two operational products: Ayojak Ticketing and Ayojak Social Meets, and is looking to add two additional products: Ayojak Conference and Ayojak Event Promote. Ayojak currently uses Facebook, Twitter and a corporate blog as their primary social media platforms. The company outsources the management of these platforms to a social media agency, Noida. Ayojak uses each of these platforms in distinctly different ways: Facebook is used to promote events and create awareness regarding Ayojak’s products; Twitter is used to promote events, interact with community members and provide customer service; and the blog is used to promote Ayojak’s products almost exclusively. Despite their social media efforts, however, Ayojak remains to have issues with engaging customers on these platforms and is looking to improve this as they begin to roll-out their newest products.

As a manager, the Ayojak case is particularly important because it outlines how having a social media strategy does not guarantee effectiveness. Additionally Ayojak’s social media approach outlines that although you can utilize a variety of platforms, if none of them are managed well they will not be effective. Currently, the biggest problems with Ayojak’s current social media strategy are:

• apparent disconnect with their outsourced social media firm, Noida;
• lack of balanced content on their Facebook and Twitter;
• lack of posting consistency and variety;
• missed opportunities to engage followers through an established hashtag;
• and, missed opportunities to reach specific audiences on LinkedIn, YouTube and Pinterest.

In order for Ayojak to move forward with improving their social media strategy, it is suggested that they reconsider their contract with Noida. The goals the firm was given have clearly not been completed, which should raise questions regarding their effectiveness. The lack of balanced content on Facebook and Twitter is also an issue. On Facebook the posts too brand-focused and not focused enough on the customer, and on Twitter the posts are too customer focused and not brand-focused enough. There needs to be some kind of medium between the two. This also includes consistency with the posting, which fluctuates dramatically from month-to-month. Ayojak is also missing opportunities by not establishing a hashtag in order to engage users and quantify social media posts, and is also missing out on potential clients by not interacting on Pinterest and LinkedIn.

The suggested solutions to the above problems are as follows: return the social media department in-house, so that there is a greater connection between what is going on in the company and the social media content that is produced; increase content that focuses on the customer on the Facebook page (this could possibly be accomplished by posting more contests and quizzes) and increase content that focuses on the brand on Twitter; establish a clear and concise posting calendar for each month to increase consistency; and, expand social media presence to Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn in order to better reach potential B2B and B2C customers and transition the corporate blog to a video blog. By adopting this strategy, Ayojak will not only improve social media engagement, but will also improve their brand image.