Social media has become the hip, effective, and free way to market your company, service, or small business. It’s supposed to be so simple that anyone with a Facebook can do it, but there are as many options, strategies, and potential pitfalls as in traditional marketing, with far more far-reaching effects. If you’re stymied as to how to start your social media marketing campaign, or you want to grab some new ideas for how to increase your social media presence, read on. You’ll see what companies like Spotify, Hipmunk, TheDecalGuru, Dunkin Donuts, and Durango Joe’s Coffee are doing to make social media work for them, and hopefully, you’ll pick up some great ideas for your own campaign.
#1 Start With Simple Sharing:
Spotify allows you to “share” songs by sending messages to your friends via social networks like Facebook and Twitter. If your friends want to hear the song, they can sign up for a Spotify account – and so Spotify’s user base continues to grow. If you’re looking for a way to grow the user base on your website, consider incorporating a form of simple sharing. Your company’s name and logo will be attached to every message your users send out, and many of their friends will come back to your site to see more.
#2 Quick Personal Response:
We posted a message on Hipmunk’s (a travel company) Facebook wall, and got a personal reply from their CEO. Hipmunk does a great job making sure that everyone who posts on their wall gets a personal response, which makes people feel more personally connected to the company. Even if you have to hire someone just to post friendly replies to customers, it will probably be worth it for the sense of connection you’ll create with your brand.
#3 Product Giveaways:
Many companies use contests and occasional giveaways to expand their brand presence. You can check out ‘s (a Macbook and iPad Decal website) Facebook page to learn about their free stuff. They send free decals to media moguls and bloggers to help spread the word about their site. Dunkin’ Donuts is another great example of product promotions. They recently ran a contest that asked customers to take a picture with one of their cups of coffee and set it as their profile picture on Facebook. Doing so got users an entry into a giveaway. Not only did all of those people go in and order coffee, but all of their friends also saw Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in their pictures and probably asked why they posted that picture, meaning that every one of their Facebook friends also heard about the contest. Genius expansion plan.
#4 Post Creative Content:
Durango Joe’s, a small coffee chain in Colorado and New Mexico, has grown rapidly and very successfully in part because of their creative use of social media. Joe, their CEO, recently went on a cross-country trip and took along a coffee mug from Durango Joe’s. He took photos of the mug in various locations along the way (even one at a Starbucks, where he captured his mug hobnobbing with the competition’s mugs). People started following Joe’s odyssey via Facebook just to find out where his mug would be next! So, next time you’re on a business trip, take along an iconic symbol of your brand and post some creative pics. You’ll draw some new followers and make your airplane ride a little less boring.
Social media is powerful, dynamic, and a great way to build your brand. Sometimes, the best way to get good ideas for new social media campaigns is to follow companies who are using social media well. Besides those listed above, check out Coca-Cola (for ideas on lots of easily shareable, fun content,) Chipotle (uses engaging content, and build a solid branding presence), and Nerds On Call Computer Repair (for examples of how to increased your web presence via blogging, and media presence) for more great campaign ideas. Now, go be social!
Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and may not reflect the views of Webaholic.
Bryant Jaquez is a Graphic Designer and SEO Manager at Nerds on Call. He also offers freelancing services to businesses who want a trackable and mesurable way to increase their profits. Find him on Twitter, Facebook and
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