For the next couple of weeks, I’ll be breaking down some common misconceptions about Duolingo’s social media presence. I’ll cover topics like our strategy, our approval process, and other things I’ve seen people claim about our brand. I don’t expect you all to agree with what I say, but this is just our story of how we do it and what we’ve learned. Why not hear straight from the source? Alright let’s jump in! Today’s topic: “Duolingo has no strategy and their social presence illegitimizes “real” social media work and strategy.” Disclaimer: I’m a firm believer that the concept of something being the “right” way and something being the “wrong” way is purely up to opinion (of course within reason of what’s actually morally wrong). Time flies, new people come in, platforms change. In the next 2 years, it’s very possible our TikTok will be as irrelevant as MySpace. Alright, for those who insist on marketing jargon: there is, in fact, a big strategy deck at Duolingo that got buy-in and approval from senior leadership. And there were many, many, many discussions about how it will come to life. Our strategy is centered around two main insights. The Brand insight: Language learning is hard, but Duolingo makes it fun. The Audience insight: Gen-Z wants to be entertained, not sold to. The work we do is graded upon these human truths. And it may look like a video we posted took 0 forethought, minimal brainstorm, a lo-fi production, and half hazard community management, but that’s far from the truth. If our entire strategy is that we don't want it to look like an ad, it’s. not. going. to. look. like. an. ad. Many say that Duolingo’s scrappy social content threatens people taking social teams seriously, but I’d argue it’s actually about emphasizing that our responsibility isn’t to award shows or marketing critics (even though an award or two doesn't hurt), but it’s to our learners and users. Our learners don’t think in strategy. And if we want to connect with humans, we ought to stop gaslighting ourselves into thinking they care about advertising. It’s not just about product offering or a flashy video anymore. We’re now required to speak and be human. Period.? You know that, I know that, we all know that. But what makes your brand “human” looks like a lot of different things for different brands because we all bring different benefits for different people. A recent example that’s not Duolingo? @SFbart on TikTok. So that brings me back: there is no right way, there is no wrong way. For marketers - what I’ve said above is our strategy. For everyone else - we’re not trying to think like advertisers. Instead, we’re taking a bet on genuinely connecting with our learners and showing up how they want us to. I also love to speak to different social teams and am developing a workshop that covers themes like this in-depth! Reach out with any questions. #marketing #leadership #socialmedia
“The Brand insight: Language learning is hard, but Duolingo makes it fun. The Audience insight: Gen-Z wants to be entertained, not sold to. The work we do is graded upon these human truths.” There’s no doubt that Duo crushes it on TikTok. I love the content… but what is the human truth KPI? What are you using to monitor alignment with the insights and the utility of that success to Duo’s marketing goals? I’ve seen a tiktok with 1.5 million likes lead to 8 on-site actions. How does the brand define that strategic success vs. trend hopping on TikTok with a known brand which has long been a low-hanging fruit? Love the work and appreciate the post. Keep it up!!!
You’re giving this information away for free? In this economy???
I love this! Thanks so much for sharing. It’s such an interesting insight. If I could ask, how did you start out with this approach? How did you get the buy in from SLT?
The secret to a good social strategy is making it look like you don’t have one. ?? I love everything you’ve said here and couldn’t agree more. You may already be planning to share this in your upcoming posts, but I’m curious to know how soon you’re generally prepping content before posting.
As a Gen Z person, I LOVE Duolingo’s presence in social media. I’ve been using the app for a while now but I had a long Hiatus until last year that I started watching Duo on my for you page, it reminded me that the app existed and once I started using the learning app again I got hooked. I even subscribed to the one year member ship and haven’t broken my streak for this year! Keep up the great work????????
Definitely agree there is no right or wrong way. Also what might work well one week, won't the next. I love the Duolingo approach both in terms of social media presence and the app itself. Criticism often comes from a place of jealousy so there's that too.
Zaria Parvez There's a certified Master Class in the impact statements from your post, which I have bullet-pointed below. The first needs to conclude with "mic-drop". So on point about Gen-Z. Genius is often overused in marketing, but not in this case; this is a genius-level strategy. My takeaways from your post. ? Duolingo has a strategy for its social media presence, which is centered around two main insights: language learning is hard, but Duolingo makes it fun, and Gen-Z wants to be entertained, not sold to. ? The company's social media work is based on these insights and is graded on them. ? Despite appearances, Duolingo's social content is not haphazard and has gone through a brainstorming and approval process. ? Duolingo's approach to social media is not meant to threaten the legitimacy of social media teams, but to emphasize its responsibility to its users. ? The company aims to connect with its users in a genuine way and not just through product offerings or flashy videos. ? The concept of a "right" or "wrong" way to do social media is subjective and varies for different brands. ? Duolingo's strategy is to not think like advertisers, but to genuinely connect with its learners and show up how they want the company to.
"Our learners don't think in stategy. We're now required to speak and be human. PERIOD" - say ?? it ?? louder ?? please ??. This is probably the best thing thing I've read about social in a long time. And I'm glad it came from someone who's managing a social media presence everyone has eyes on. Because THIS. Thank you
Marketers forget what people like once they become marketers.
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2 年PREACH!!