Social media is changing the way many businesses across a range of industries are interacting with consumers, and that includes packaging. From making their packaging more friendly for sharing and posting on social media to using less packaging materials with environmentally sustainable products, brands are realizing the power that social media has on the way they package their products.
Packaging is also quickly becoming a new form of content as a result of social media. Brands across the globe are packaging their products with an eye on social media and the ways their products are perceived across social platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
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Brands are considering social media long before shipping out boxes with their products in them. Before social media became such an important aspect of marketing, companies simply chose the most affordable options for packaging their products. Now, brands are beginning to consider social media as they design their boxes.
Since everything is shared on social media, brands have to think of the box design process as an extension of their content strategy. If their packaging is easily shared on social media, then that product is more likely to gain traction as a national brand and embed itself into the psyche of consumers.
Companies are also starting to view their packaging as an extension of their online branded content. Box designers are gearing the messages across their packaging to align with their branded content online, making for a truly cohesive customer experience. You’ve likely come across countless videos online of consumers opening boxes containing products they’ve ordered and sharing these experiences with their followers. This means packaging plays an even larger role in the customer experience. Brands now have to consider every aspect of their packaging including the smallest details such as the type of filler material they use.
Brands are also taking into account the reveal process when designing their packaging. If a product takes too long to unpackage, video influencers are not likely to use that product in their social media reveals and unpackaging videos. Understanding what consumers will experience before, during and after receiving a box with your branded products inside is quickly becoming a major consideration for box designers and marketing professionals across every industry.
Influencers with millions of followers are valuable marketing tools for companies and brands. This means brands are designing their boxes and packaging with an eye toward shareable messaging and branded content. Packaging that includes shareable messages is more likely to get valuable exposure across social media platforms, especially those platforms that are image-centric such as Instagram and Pinterest.
Brands are designing their packaging with instantly identifiable messages and images. Some brands have even started to include “selfie-friendly” designs across their packaging by incorporating reverse lettering that makes their brand identifiable if a consumer takes a selfie with the packaging. This is one way of incorporating shareable messaging into your packaging and box designs.
You can incorporate shareable messaging with your packaging by engaging consumers. For example, you can use your packaging as an opportunity to tell consumers a story about the product they’ve purchased from you. Perhaps your packaging doesn’t have enough space to tell your consumers a story about your product. Don’t let that stop you from engaging them. Use your packaging to start a story and include a QR code that brings them to a specific page on your website where they can continue learning more about your products and brand. This is a creative way to engage consumers and drive website traffic without compromising the size or cost of the packaging and boxes that contain your products.
Creating a fully branded customer experience starts with consistency across all forms of communication, and this includes your packaging. Your packaging should incorporate the same fonts, colors, logos and messages as your website and other marketing copy, including social media. As your branding across your website and social media channels evolve, you’ll need to change your packaging with it. Creating a cohesive branded experience for your customers to unbox starts by maintaining consistency.
Social media has enabled consumers to instantly reach millions of other potential customers with the click of a button. You’ve likely seen posts or videos of consumers unboxing products and pointing out obvious oversights in messaging and branding as it relates to packaging. Don’t let your brand fall victim to this, and keep your online messaging consistent across your packaging.
For example, if your brand claims to be environmentally sustainable and conscientious only to package your products with lots of unnecessary filler material that’s harmful to the environment, then you’re certainly going to be called out for this oversight by someone on social media, leaving you with a PR mess and a certain drop in business. This is why you’ll want to design your packaging and boxes with a keen eye toward maintaining consistency with your company and brand’s values.
After learning more about the ways social media is impacting the packaging industry, do you need to make your boxes more shareable online? Aside from investing thousands of dollars in gaining social media influencers, there are several ways you can make your custom boxes more shareable online.
Harness the power of social media and make your boxes more shareable by considering some of the following:
After learning more about the ways social media impacts packaging and box design, do you need to step up your messaging across your customized boxes and packaging?
Custom boxes with branded messaging will help your business and products stand out from the competition. The team at Bolt Boxes works one-on-one with you to ensure your boxes and packaging is aligned with the rest of your brand. Customize your boxes with Bolt Boxes’ helpful online tools that make it easy to choose the right size and incorporate the messaging your brand needs to set itself apart. Our industry-leading turnaround times, print capabilities and pre-press expertise make us the top choice for all of your box design and printing needs.
Contact us today to learn more about the ways we can transform your packaging into a powerful marketing tool that drives consumer awareness both online and offline.
Would you rather talk to one of our experienced customer service staff? Call us today at 1-800-677-8283 to speak with one of our representatives and get your new boxes started!
