eBay announced it is now using 16 different social channels to distribute content, and it’s also running ads in a brand new format called the “branded podcast” – podcasts featuring stories that sound like journalism but are produced at the behest of an advertiser, as Poynter describes it.
That being the case, it may not surprise you to learn eBay has a Global Director of Social & Content, Llibert Argerich. According to his LinkedIn profile, he joined eBay in 2010 from Expedia, and took on his current role in early 2015 where he has built social channels into a large, sustainable source of traffic and Revenue for eBay across 8 countries, including the US, UK, and Germany.
He also led the growth of high ROI paid advertising on relevant social channels building scalable programmatic solutions.
His resume also gives a hint at eBay’s investment in social media marketing: he leads a team of over 20 “social and content experts,” and he manages a global multi-million dollar budget. (That data was published sometime after January 2015.)
eBay said it has most recently joined social messaging platforms Tango (200+ million) and Kik (240+ million), where “you may have come across some cool tips and tricks around summer vacation planning or cookouts – or even go-to guides on the latest vintage fashion and sneaker trends – provided on behalf by eBay.”
eBay CEO Devin Wenig has made it clear that social media is a priority for the company as a way to make up for some of the traffic lost through Google. In July of 2015, he told Wall Street analysts, “We view social media and messaging platforms as a great way to reach our customers in the places they love, while allowing us to diversify our sources of traffic and user acquisition for consistent long-term growth.”
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