I've compiled a small list here of Social Media success stories. One of the interesting things that I find about most people who have already started marketing and consumer communications using Social Media is that they often say "don't be afraid to try something new" and "don't be afraid of failure". Some failures have lead to even better campaigns. If these companies (and more) can try a few ideas, so can you. Most people familiar with social media agree that if you really want to connect with your consumers and help establish or reinforce brand recognition, you need to get on Social Media outlets now. For one thing, it is often very cheap to do this while being able to reach out to thousands or even millions of potential and long-standing customers. So please review these stories to see how easy some of them got started and the great successes that they had.
1. Taco Mac on Twitter
Followers of Taco Mac can follow the individual Taco Mac location of their choice. They get updates on Taco Mac's latest specials and reminders of special events. Taco Mac gets a lot more people attending special events because many of them might have forgotten. On Pint Night they are running out of free pint glasses in 1 hour instead of 3 hours like it was before Twitter. What else could your company do if you were sending constant "reminders" to your customers?
(http://www.ajc.com/business/taco-mac-uses-twitter-102656.html)
(http://twitter.com/TMacLindbergh)
2. Masi Bicycles on Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
New Masi Brand Manager, Tim Jackson, was given a very small budget and they were already spending much of that on some magazine ads. So he had to come up with an inexpensive way to better market the Masi brand. The easy (and cheap) way for him was to create a blog that he regularly posts to. This actually helped him to establish good relationships with some of his vendors. He is also actively using Twitter and Facebook and is moving toward podcasts and video. With a new "cult" following, sales are really starting to grow. What's really interesting is that Tim had never done any of this before.
(http://mediahunter.typepad.com/media_hunter/2008/07/social-media-su.html#more)
(http://twitter.com/MasiBicycles)
3. CNN with Facebook
CNN had a huge success when they teamed up with Facebook to present the Presidential Inaugaration and Michael Jackson's funeral. 21.3 million live video streams! That's a lot of people. Oh, and guess what? CNN's first attempt failed (The Primary Debates). But they figured it out before the inaugaration. What can your company do that would attract watchers, even if you don't get 21.3 million? Maybe a live fashion show for a new line of clothing? Perhaps a live demonstration of how your product works or a new product offering? Or maybe a conversation with your CEO?
(http://vmarketingblog.com/2009/07/31/cnn-and-social-networking/)
(http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/21/inauguration.online.video/index.html)
(http://mashable.com/2009/01/20/cnn-facebook-inauguration-numbers/)
(http://newteevee.com/2009/01/20/facebook-cnn-is-future-of-tv/)
4. Zappos on Twitter, Blogs
Customer satisfaction and relationships. That is what Zappos is all about. QUALITY interactions. Not only do the CEO and COO get online, but many of their other employees do too. It is like they are your friends. What would it be like for your company if people considered your brand as their friend? Zappos has come to the realization that your brand isn't what you say it is, it is what the consumers say it is. They proudly look for and respond to negative comments about them. They are all about "making things right". They want people to be comfortable not just with Zappos' products, but with Zappos' employees. How would people respond to your employees if they were responding to and interacting with consumers online? To quote from the article below "we may not always remember what someone tells us, but we generally remember how we felt when we were interacting with the person. And when people feel respected and engaged, whether it is in-person with a co-worker or online on a social network, they have a natural desire to tell other people about the experience."
(http://mashable.com/2009/04/26/zappos/)
(http://twitter.com/zappos)
5. Common Wealth Credit Union (CWCU) on YouTube
CWCU wanted to target a specific demographic. People between the ages of 17 and 25. They wanted a way to keep the buzz going while acquiring new customers for life. They created a microsite for this campaign that is managed by someone who is 17 - 25 years old and use YouTube to upload videos that will appeal to people their age, usually videos of themselves. People can interact with the website by answering poll questions, watching videos, sharing pictures, submitting job postings, adding information about free stuff in their communities, and of course, applying for a chequing account. The site "spokester" also blogs about money with fun little YouTube videos. They opened up 2400 new accounts in the first 8 months after the campaign started (Note, the article does not say how that compares to previous months, but it must be good because they are still going and have a new "spokester" with lots of new material).
(http://mediahunter.typepad.com/media_hunter/2008/08/social-media--1.html#more)
(http://www.youngfreealberta.com/)
So those are just a few examples of companies making the most with Social Media. In many cases it involved very little cost. In other cases there was quite a bit of time, effort and money put into it, but the results were out of this world. Given that there are several very active social media sites, it would be a smart move to get your company out there and in touch with your current and potential customers.
If you are looking for great ideas, let Definition 6 help you. We are an online interactive marketing agency with experience in Social Media efforts. There are so many good online marketing techniques and we can help you find the one (or more) that are right for you. If you go to www.definition6.com, you can check out our new game that interacts directly with Twitter called TwitterINGO. Or you can check out how we integrated AutoExtra's campaign with MySpace. We can also help you with mobile marketing strategies.
If any of the above stories don't convince you to get on the Social Media bandwagon, then check out Mashable.com's "10 of the Smartest Big Brands in Social Media".
1. Taco Mac on Twitter
Followers of Taco Mac can follow the individual Taco Mac location of their choice. They get updates on Taco Mac's latest specials and reminders of special events. Taco Mac gets a lot more people attending special events because many of them might have forgotten. On Pint Night they are running out of free pint glasses in 1 hour instead of 3 hours like it was before Twitter. What else could your company do if you were sending constant "reminders" to your customers?
(http://www.ajc.com/business/taco-mac-uses-twitter-102656.html)
(http://twitter.com/TMacLindbergh)
2. Masi Bicycles on Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
New Masi Brand Manager, Tim Jackson, was given a very small budget and they were already spending much of that on some magazine ads. So he had to come up with an inexpensive way to better market the Masi brand. The easy (and cheap) way for him was to create a blog that he regularly posts to. This actually helped him to establish good relationships with some of his vendors. He is also actively using Twitter and Facebook and is moving toward podcasts and video. With a new "cult" following, sales are really starting to grow. What's really interesting is that Tim had never done any of this before.
(http://mediahunter.typepad.com/media_hunter/2008/07/social-media-su.html#more)
(http://twitter.com/MasiBicycles)
3. CNN with Facebook
CNN had a huge success when they teamed up with Facebook to present the Presidential Inaugaration and Michael Jackson's funeral. 21.3 million live video streams! That's a lot of people. Oh, and guess what? CNN's first attempt failed (The Primary Debates). But they figured it out before the inaugaration. What can your company do that would attract watchers, even if you don't get 21.3 million? Maybe a live fashion show for a new line of clothing? Perhaps a live demonstration of how your product works or a new product offering? Or maybe a conversation with your CEO?
(http://vmarketingblog.com/2009/07/31/cnn-and-social-networking/)
(http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/21/inauguration.online.video/index.html)
(http://mashable.com/2009/01/20/cnn-facebook-inauguration-numbers/)
(http://newteevee.com/2009/01/20/facebook-cnn-is-future-of-tv/)
4. Zappos on Twitter, Blogs
Customer satisfaction and relationships. That is what Zappos is all about. QUALITY interactions. Not only do the CEO and COO get online, but many of their other employees do too. It is like they are your friends. What would it be like for your company if people considered your brand as their friend? Zappos has come to the realization that your brand isn't what you say it is, it is what the consumers say it is. They proudly look for and respond to negative comments about them. They are all about "making things right". They want people to be comfortable not just with Zappos' products, but with Zappos' employees. How would people respond to your employees if they were responding to and interacting with consumers online? To quote from the article below "we may not always remember what someone tells us, but we generally remember how we felt when we were interacting with the person. And when people feel respected and engaged, whether it is in-person with a co-worker or online on a social network, they have a natural desire to tell other people about the experience."
(http://mashable.com/2009/04/26/zappos/)
(http://twitter.com/zappos)
5. Common Wealth Credit Union (CWCU) on YouTube
CWCU wanted to target a specific demographic. People between the ages of 17 and 25. They wanted a way to keep the buzz going while acquiring new customers for life. They created a microsite for this campaign that is managed by someone who is 17 - 25 years old and use YouTube to upload videos that will appeal to people their age, usually videos of themselves. People can interact with the website by answering poll questions, watching videos, sharing pictures, submitting job postings, adding information about free stuff in their communities, and of course, applying for a chequing account. The site "spokester" also blogs about money with fun little YouTube videos. They opened up 2400 new accounts in the first 8 months after the campaign started (Note, the article does not say how that compares to previous months, but it must be good because they are still going and have a new "spokester" with lots of new material).
(http://mediahunter.typepad.com/media_hunter/2008/08/social-media--1.html#more)
(http://www.youngfreealberta.com/)
So those are just a few examples of companies making the most with Social Media. In many cases it involved very little cost. In other cases there was quite a bit of time, effort and money put into it, but the results were out of this world. Given that there are several very active social media sites, it would be a smart move to get your company out there and in touch with your current and potential customers.
If you are looking for great ideas, let Definition 6 help you. We are an online interactive marketing agency with experience in Social Media efforts. There are so many good online marketing techniques and we can help you find the one (or more) that are right for you. If you go to www.definition6.com, you can check out our new game that interacts directly with Twitter called TwitterINGO. Or you can check out how we integrated AutoExtra's campaign with MySpace. We can also help you with mobile marketing strategies.
If any of the above stories don't convince you to get on the Social Media bandwagon, then check out Mashable.com's "10 of the Smartest Big Brands in Social Media".
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