Is my brand cannibalizing itself on social?

  • 8 September 2022
  • 2 replies
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We are a non-profit organization serving 1200 clients annually. We have approx 150 staff members. We are well-known and highly regarded in our community, although most people are not aware of the broad scope of what we offer to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. That’s a big focus of our brand storytelling, especially through social media. 

Before I began as the marketing director for the agency four months ago, one of the programs that falls under the agency umbrella was given permission to start their own Facebook page. It is specific to that singular program, which annually serves about 150-200 clients. That page currently has about 800 followers, and their posts generally lack any strategic focus or meaty content - and it shows in their analytics. The agency page has well over 5k followers, as a point of comparison.

I see zero benefit - and possibly even some harm - for our agency brand by having a redundant social profile for this program. People have tagged the program page when they intended to tag our agency page. The program page has posted content that would have been far more relevant and appropriate to the agency as a whole. When we post as the agency, we have a better reach and engagement, which I think achieves more for the program. 

I want to honor the desire to put this program in the spotlight while also avoiding any detrimental impact and confusion with both pages existing. I'd love some input as to how I can approach this strategically utilizing data points, as well as marketing best practices, while also “playing nice” with the colleagues who created this and/or approved it.

Thanks so much for your thoughts! 

Jenni


2 replies

Sometimes a program can be very strong and needs “special attention” and also can “cannibalize” your communication overall if you are trying to promote through your page. I would suggest mentioning your agency page on every post and directing the customers there, and vice versa.
Create a communication channel between the pages, so everyone can be happy.

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Thanks for the feedback, Eva! I do like the idea of the tagging. It moves us forward, but without a huge change that might not be well-received. 

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