If you are not marketing your brand on the social websites, why not try a few? As we have discussed for a few months, everyone’s budgets are getting smaller and we still have to market. So why not do a social experiment? It doesn’t really cost anything to try it.
The social networks are a perfect place to do a promotion. They work best when you offer plenty of interaction and you give them something. Let’s throw some ideas around.
Facebook is now the most popular of the social sites. It appeals to a wide demographic age group. From high school kids like my son to old dudes like me. At the high school level, they do use it to socialize but they also love to see how many “friends” they can have. I compare it to collecting Pokemon cards. But having a lot of friends is what it’s all about. The more friends, the more eyeballs seeing your message or talking about you. Facebook is a perfect place to promote and offer something. They have options that include; start a group, start a fan club, or invite friends to your event. The new Will Smith movie 7 Pounds is promoting on Facebook. Instead of just placing a boring banner ad they are inviting Facebook friends to go see the movie. You can RSVP with yes, no, or maybe like an evite. As of this writing, almost 20,000 people have said they plan to attend. Why not try it with your brand. As we discussed yesterday, traditional banner ads on Facebook are not working.
Twitter is a great site to speak directly to your fans and customers. This is all about having a conversation. Have a cool new event and want to spread the word. Let your Twitter followers know about it. Ask them to tell you what they like. What kind of events do they want? This can be your direct pulse. Be prepared to also take criticism. While you may think this is not good marketing, this is part of the social network scene. Your response or lack of response to any criticism can be the make or break.
If you are a family show, there are social sites for you. Disney On Ice is promoting its show with MomsLikeMe www.momslikeme.com. As the name states, it appeals to moms. Check out the website. You can log into the nationwide site or go to your own local city site. On the local Boston site they have an online ticket contest for the upcoming DOI show. I found out about this because the Disney On Ice TV spots are promoting the social site. This is a win-win for both.
Pick any event you are trying to promote and offer something that members of the social website can receive. For example, if you are an arena, why not try making a social network offer? Why not a free popcorn? Give them a code word they need to say to get the popcorn. See how many people take advantage of the offer. Who cares if non-social customers get the code word. That is the beauty of it. If done correctly you will create buzz and word of mouth. That is social networking.
More and more social sites are entering the space everyday. No matter what you are trying to market, there is an online social group for you.
If you need any help with this or other creative ideas, contact me at: http://www.joelewi.com/contact_joe_lewi.html.
