Thinking creatively about social media

So you’ve got your business social media strategy all figured out. (If you don’t, why don’t you? Email us!). Now you want to engage customers and share content and messages about your brand.

In this blog post, we’re following our Arty April theme in encouraging businesses to be more creative. Here are some case studies of brands that effectively use social media to engage with their fans and followers in unique and fun ways.

Groupon

Groupon's social media strategy

Groupon’s founder, Andrew Mason, challenged one customer to live off Groupon deals for one year. Josh Stevens began his Groupon journey on 10 May 2010. He surrended his wallet, sublet his apartment and put his belongings in storage for a year’s supply of Groupons for the best things to eat, do, see and buy across the States.

Part of the deal was that Josh had to update the world with tweets, Facebook posts and blog entries about his new lifestyle. At the end of the year, he walked away with $100,000. This campaign was strange but human-centric and social media-driven, which all lead to its success.

Sharpie

Sharpie on Instagram

Permanent marker company Sharpie understands that satisfied, loyal customers drive business. One way to increase loyalty and retention is to focus attention on your customers’ creativity. Sharpie puts the spotlight on its customers by sharing samples of customers’ artwork on Instagram.

Orange


Mobile network operator Orange devised a Twitter campaign in which their followers could give their summer plans a little gravitas. By tweeting #thissummer along with their plans, a professional voiceover artist gave it an iconic blockbuster film sound and hosted it on Orange’s blog. This idea has such a viral effect because users directed friends to the blog to have a listen and a giggle. Followers were engaged with the brand and it matched Orange’s existing marketing efforts.

Remember, whether your social media strategy is to increase sales, raise awareness or drive traffic to your website, it should always reflect your business’ overall aims, objectives and branding.

Where next?

Posted on: Monday, 30th April, 2012 | Posted by: amy | Posted in arty april, case studies, social media | No Comments »