At DRS we tackle unique challenges with creative solutions. We’d like to present a case study demonstrating a challenge our team faced on a client campaign when we were strategizing and developing their social media platforms— and how we overcame it.

Littman Brands is a family of companies that provides a full range of premium lighting solutions, from outdoor landscape lighting to museum-quality, handmade decorative centerpieces. Littman Brands is divided into five subsidiary brands— Troy Lighting, Troy Landscape Lighting, Corbett Lighting, Creative Systems Lighting and Hudson Valley Lighting— each with its own distinct personality and characteristics, some with very specific tasks and functional requirements. The “Littman Brands” name is not promoted or recognized by consumers.

The challenge was to create a singular social media platform for this privately held lighting powerhouse that owns multiple brands without diluting the potential of an “engaged online fan base” that fits the profile for each brand. Operating multiple Facebook accounts for separate brands would not only be impractical but could split the audience as well. We decided on a more encompassing strategy to let each company retain its uniqueness and draw from each brand’s audience to create a bigger one for all.

The result was “Larger Than Light”— a Facebook community for lovers of lighting and great design. By attracting fans who may not know the brands (or who only know one of the brands) but who love unique and decorative lighting, we were able to build a wider fan base.

While ultimately a space for Littman Brands’ family of lighting, our creative content keeps the Larger Than Light community active and engaged with products through direct and indirect methods. Here are examples of some of our most successful campaigns: lifestyle, inspirational and practical tips.

1. Lifestyle. For those who appreciate the art of lighting, this graphic showcasing a cool lighting installation proved to be extremely popular. While this post doesn’t directly mention any of the Littman Brands, it garnered a high number of engagements, attracting a wider audience to the page. New fans to the site arrive and have the option to click on individual tabs to learn more about each brand and get better acquainted.

 

2. Inspiration. A simple environmental shot of a gorgeous room can be enough to attract a large number of lighting lovers. By providing beautiful photography, we offer meaningful inspiration for designers while also directly showcasing products.

 

3.  Practical tips. For those who enjoy learning more about the technical side of lighting, our infographics provide practical lighting tips. These graphics appeal to people interested in learning more about lighting at home while indirectly showing off products.

With far-reaching content that encourages interactions, we’ve established a large, loyal and engaged Facebook fan base. As we’ve expanded the community, we’ve taken a unique twist on current marketing trends by taking online content back to print. Larger Than Light magazine, a natural print publication designed for retail showrooms and consumers as a supplement to the Facebook page, goes beyond the lighting brochure (it’s also available in a digital format). This lifestyle magazine is filled with inspirational lighting content, installation ideas, design content, in-depth articles and interviews with top designers and experts to further expand the brands— illustrated through visual imagery and captivating articles.

An important part of Larger Than Light magazine is hearing from the designers themselves. We conduct comprehensive journalistic interviews with top designers to discover their perspectives and inspirations behind their latest creations. Anything from grand showcase houses to smaller scale projects are featured. These magazine features are then shared with the online community.

Another feature includes our “Let It Shine” contest, where designers enter projects incorporating lighting designs from the three main decorative Littman Brands for a chance to win a cash prize and publication in the magazine. We’ve also created a lighting guide with installation and design tips, and we continue to expand our online reach by reaching out to the design blogging community.

Through Larger Than Light, we’ve built more than just a community for lighting enthusiasts and design-inspired consumers. With creative content ranging from lighting concepts that push the imagination to lifestyle features, practical tips and more, fans engage with the individual brands and products through direct and indirect methods. Attracting fans who may not know the brands but who love outstanding decorative lighting creates a bigger fan base than separate pages for each brand could alone. And for dealers and distributors who use and interact with the Littman family of brands on a daily basis, the social media platform easily lets them share their genuine enthusiasm. Larger Than Light magazine utilizes outside of the box thinking to supplement the Facebook page and further expand our client’s brands. Through a well-developed strategy from DRS, we’ve created more than an engaged audience— we’ve created a viable community that sets a new precedent for the future of social media marketing and branding.