Socialmedialand

I’d like to share some personal stories with you about how all this social media marketing has been working on me recently. I know I’m not a perfect case study because I work in this industry, but I think that makes it more amazing. I worked for a telemarketing fundraising group at my college for a short period of time. Ever since then,  I’ve found it to be hard to listen to any telemarketing pitches (though, everyone probably finds that hard.) My point is, in most channels, the more you know about the marketing strategy behind it, the less likely it is to work on you because you can see through it.

That’s why social media is different. There’s nothing to “see through.” When it’s done right, it’s honest, open and completely trustworthy. So here are some way’s it’s worked on me recently.

MoJo Yogurt:

I saw a tweet from @DowntownTempe on Feb 20th about MoJo Yogurt giving out free yogurt samples. So I retweeted it and got a few of my coworkers to go down there tocheck it out with me. It was delicious. Since then I’ve been back to MoJo a total of five times in the past three months. Keep in mind that before this I rarely, if ever, went out for frozen yogurt. In addition there are over three other places on the same street where you can get frozen yogurt. That’s a complete success story. Now for a scorecard:

What they did right:

• Used social channels (Twitter) to spread the word to an interested group – If I’m following @DowntownTempe I probably care about what’s happening in Tempe.
• Gave something away – I know the free sample concept has been around for awhile, but there is a reason it’s a classic.

What they could have done better:

• Used their own Twitter account to spread the word – There is an @MoJoYogurt but since it’s not location based, maybe the person running it didn’t know about the promotion at the Tempe store. Perhaps they could utilize a tool like Cotweet to activate tweeters from every location in order to make it more useful.
• Continued the relationship – Sure, they got me addicted, but when I got my free sample, I gave them my email and I haven’t heard from them since. They could have also searched for people who tweeted about them and followed me to continue to update me with specials occurring there seeing as that got me down there at least once and could work again.

Total score: B-

Rula Bula Irish Pub:

Again, I saw a tweet, this time from @RulaBula (honestly, it must have been a retweet-but I forget who it was from now.) It was about an upcoming Twappy Hour (like a tweet-up, or meet up of Twitterers, happy-hour style.) The tweet said if I sent a direct message to Rula Bula, I could get my name on the list and get free food and complimentary first round of drinks. As Rula Bula is one of my favorite bars, I followed them, retweeted the message and signed myself up. My coworker, Dustin, signed up after seeing my retweetand we both headed over. There was a decent group there and I think all in all, the following will grow and the popularity of those events will too. And although I might be a regular to the bar, Dustin had never been, and now he’s a big fan of the place. Since signing up for the event, I’ve seen several new tweets from them offering “no cover” to Twitter followers (which I’ve used) and letting me know what nights they have bands so I know when the best times will be.

What they did right:

• They capitalized on the exclusive nature of Twitter – People on Twitter like to feel like they have a special relationship with a brand or company, and they do. Rula Bula highlighted this by offering special events and deals to people following them on Twitter.
• Used Twitter to spread the word – The viral nature made it easy to spread around and for interested people to find out. Also, the requirement to send a direct message made it so you ended up following them. They didn’t ask for the follow outright, but they did get it. Tricky, and clever. Of course I could always unfollow – but why would I when they’re giving me so much value?
• They offered something for free – I’m a true believer in “free,” Chris Anderson converted me with his keynote at SXSW. I know this is the basic level of free, just the free trial model, but it’s still a good way to start.  
• They continued the relationship – They’re still giving me value, letting me know what’s going on over there.

What they could have done better:

• What about Facebook? – You can’t forget the big guys. Rula Bula is an Irish Pub, on Mill Ave, right next to Arizona State University. They get college student patrons in droves, and college kids are on Facebook more than they are on Twitter (yes, ok, a shift is happening and that segment is growing on Twitter, but it does not yet have the same market penetration as Facebook.) I told the Rula Bula tweeter the same thing, and hopefully they’ll utilize it more in the future. They have a Facebook fan page, but they should try the same types of tactics on Facebook as Twitter.
• Keeping all the employees in the loop. Every time I have been there, the person at the door didn’t know what I was talking about when I brought up the Twitter deals. I normally have to take out my phone and show them the message. A quick training with the servers and door staff to get them up to speed on the lingo and keeping them aware of the events will lead to a better experience. Other people might just give up if they mention the Twitter deal and get no response, leading them to a more negative experience of the brand’s presence on Twitter.

Total score: B+

Do you have any great experiences of social media campaigns that worked on you? Let’s share our best stories for a little inspiration.

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