Where can you find burgers, fries and content that’s always king-size?
The Burger King social media strategy, of course!
Even when you’re not in the mood for a meal, this fast food chain is always serving up a customer experience that will prime your taste buds and your brand loyalty. Better yet, all of BK’s socials are full of lessons for us marketers to sink our teeth into — no matter what business we’re in.
Grab a plate and get ready to serve up some social media strategies that go way beyond the fast food industry.
The Power of a Delicious Strategy
Do you know about Marvel’s Infinity Stones?
(Stay with me here. This is still about Burger King.)
If you aren’t familiar with these evil little rocks — first of all, you’ve been spared a world of heartache and favorite character deaths. And secondly, the Infinity Stones are gems that grant different powers. Unite them and you become almost unstoppable.
For marketers, social media platforms are like the Infinity Stones. And a social media marketing strategy is the one thing that can bring them all together — the so-called Infinity Gauntlet.
Why is this so important? It’s not just because I wanted to make a Marvel reference (even though I totally did). It’s because things can get messy when you’re trying to juggle social platforms that have similar features but different audiences, expectations, limitations and unspoken rules.
The key is to understand that a strategy should unite your brand presence across platforms without treating each one identically. You need to be able to see the whole forest and the individual trees — or, in this case, the Gauntlet and the Stones.
Keep this in mind as we explore Burger King’s socials. See if you can spot an overarching story (the Gauntlet) from different angles depending on the platform (the Stones) — because that’s the kind of digital marketing strategy that brings the target audience back for second servings.
10 Social Media Marketing Lessons From The King
I’m not saying the Avengers should fight the Burger King mascot. But it is where the metaphor has taken us.
Because if anyone has united five big social media platforms and used them to become incredibly powerful (at least in the fast food world), it’s the king of burgers.
Here’s how BK did it — and how you can do the same:
Example 1: Teaser
In this post, BK teased its “fiery menu” designed for summer. However, it didn’t give all the details — just a tantalizing promise, some eye-catching visuals and a drop date.
Lesson: Sometimes, less is more. If your social media campaign gets customers asking the right kind of questions, it’s doing its job.
Tip: Think carefully about your posting schedule when using teasers. You want to keep the suspense going, but you don’t want to lose your target audience’s interest. Think of teasers as promises that you have to keep by eventually answering the questions they pose.
Example 2: Adapted Meme
This post played on the familiar “Spider-Man pointing” meme, but with a BK Halloween twist. It also promoted the Chicken Fries costume people available for purchase.
Lesson: Memes make your brand relatable and accessible to audiences familiar with them. Plus, this is a chance to subtly suggest that there’s a “culture” around your content — for example, people wearing Halloween costumes of your brand.
Tip: Meme carefully. Some internet jokes have tricky connotations that may not be obvious at first, while others can make you seem “behind the times” or out of tune with your target consumer.
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Example 3: Relatable Content
There’s not much complexity in this Facebook post, and that’s what made it work. The idea was to mirror something an everyday person might post on their own social media.
Lesson: Not every post has to be elaborate and interconnected. Sometimes, it’s enough to share a fun or relatable thought.
Tip: Although “relatable” content is often easily digestible (no food pun intended), it still needs purpose — even if that’s just to subtly build customer loyalty by making your audience associate autumn sounds with your offerings. There’s not much value in posts that exist just for the sake of making your socials look active.
Example 4: Market Test
In this Facebook Reels content, BK let us in on a spooky market test happening in certain restaurants. This was strategic transparency into potential future products, but it also developed exclusivity for Columbus consumers who spotted the marketing campaign.
Lesson: Showing customers your plans or market tests can make them feel like their opinions have an impact — and encourage them to stick around for new products, too.
Tip: Remember, consumers aren’t the only ones who see your socials. Don’t post it if you don’t want competitors to see it.
Twitter/X
Example 5: Audience Participation Game
This post on X invited everyone to join in on the fun — but it was also a well-disguised way to learn something about consumer preferences.
which side can you not live without 🤔 pic.twitter.com/p9gN4EHkUG
— Burger King (@BurgerKing) September 14, 2024
Lesson: Audience participation can start conversations, boost engagement and provide valuable information about your followers.
Tip: Align these posts with popular social media “games” like “who would win” or “would you rather” to take advantage of ongoing trends.
Example 6: Pop Culture Tie-In
In this X post, BK promoted a collaboration with a new movie, including themed menu items with fun names.
kooky hard launch: our newest menu and family has ghoulishly moved in for the season 👻🦇 🖤 . grab your Addams Family Favorites and watch The Addams Family. pic.twitter.com/PRTNnyDcf2
— Burger King (@BurgerKing) October 10, 2024
Lesson: While you may not have partnerships with pop culture icons, you can always learn from whatever’s popular at the time.
Tip: Research copyrights and other limitations before referencing any content you don’t own.
TikTok
Example 7: Behind the Scenes Peek
If you’ve ever wanted a peek behind the curtain of a BK commercial, look no further than this TikTok content. Bonus points for cute animals!
@burgerking meet the main ⭐️ of our Fiery commercial: Linus 🐈
Lesson: You can get extra mileage out of other digital marketing campaigns by tying them into your social posts with fun facts, behind-the-scenes footage and more.
Tip: Stick to content that’s already performed well. For example, if this Burger King commercial hadn’t worked well, the marketing team may not have wanted to draw more attention to it.
Example 8: Storytelling Video
In “Dad Lore with BK Dads,” the fast food chain played on everything from nostalgia to family fondness by putting special memories in the spotlight, asking funny questions and showing off some fantastic shirts.
@burgerking inspired by our BK HQ dad lore? show your father figure love this father’s day by scoring them a flame-grilled shirt. link in bio. #fathersday #dad #BurgerKing ♬ original sound – Burger King
Lesson: Some posts can tell stories about how people interact with your brand, not your brand itself.
Tip: Although you can script this kind of content, consider gathering impromptu responses where possible. People like to see authenticity, especially when you keep it breezy, casual and fun.
YouTube
Example 9: Promotion + Engagement Video
This YouTube Short explained that, although Burger King Japan had released the Dr Pepper Float, consumers in other countries could make it themselves as a “DIY menu combo.” It also boosted engagement by asking viewers to share their own ideas.
Lesson: You can combine different approaches and strategies to achieve multiple goals with a single post — like engagement and promotion.
Tip: Don’t try to do too much at once. You want to get the most out of your campaigns, but you don’t want to make them distracted or overly busy.
Example 10: Tutorial
In this YouTube video, viewers learned about a competition, got a Burger King app tutorial and saw some of the restaurant’s most delicious burger options — all in about 1 minute.
Lesson: A video walkthrough can be the foundation for so much more. Audiences should come away knowing the “why” just as clearly as the “how.”
Tip: Remember, even how-to content should tell part of your brand’s story.
Having It Your Way: A Customizable Social Media Marketing Strategy
Did you get a few ideas from the king? Or are you just craving a burger and fries now?
Whatever BK’s marketing tactics left you with, remember that you’re still tasked with uniting the social media Infinity Stones. It took Marvel villain Thanos a whole movie to figure it out — but luckily, you’ve got a trick up your sleeve.
Allow me to introduce the 5-5-5 strategy. It’s more like a framework, allowing you to customize specific steps and choices, but it can help you design your Gauntlet — or social media strategy — to fit your campaign-specific and company-wide goals.
Here’s how it works:
- 5 platforms: You don’t have to stick to the 5 platforms covered here. Choose what works best for your brand — but remember to take advantage of each site’s unique features and focuses.
- 5 actions: Take 5 meaningful actions across platforms every day. This is where content repurposing comes in handy, allowing you to take existing material, tweak it to fit each site and let it loose.
- 5 KPIs: Key performance indicators can help you track everything from optimization to audience engagement. Pick 5 that reflect your campaign’s goals and use them consistently across all platforms.
While you’re working on this, I have this last piece of advice: Do what Burger King does and put a crown on it.
That’s right — treat your social media strategy like royalty by giving it the time, resources and strategy it deserves. You might just be surprised to see how quickly your audience gathers around the throne.
