What to Learn from These 2 Excellent Social Marketing Campaigns
Not hard to find great examples of excellent social marketing campaigns … they have been around for a very long time. Perhaps just haven’t been called social marketing? Here are two superb examples to help us think about social marketing campaigns and how to personalize our customer engagement.
We like to discuss the importance of employees’ attitudes on the success of any business, particularly those that engage with the public to a great extent. Here is a story about a nursery in our region.
It is a story we like to tell because it contains some simple secrets to employee and customer engagement and the success of running a social commerce business.
A nursery gardener ran a business that had been in the family for two generations. The staff was happy, and customers loved to visit the store, or to have the staff work on their gardens or make deliveries – anything from bedding plants to young trees.
For as long as anyone could remember, the current and previous owners were extremely positive, happy people.
Most folks assumed it was because they ran a successful business.
In fact, it was the other way around…
Social marketing campaign definition.
A tradition in the business was that the owner always wore a big lapel badge, saying Business Is Great!
The business was indeed generally great, although it went through tough times like any other company. What never changed, however, was the owner’s positive attitude, and the badge saying Business Is Great!
Everyone who saw the badge for the first time invariably asked, “What’s so great about business?” Sometimes people would also comment that their own business was miserable, or even that they were unhappy or stressed.
Anyhow, Business Is Great! Badge always tended to start a conversation, which typically involved the owner talking about lots of positive aspects of business and work, for example:
The pleasure of meeting and talking with different people every day
The reward that comes from helping staff take on new challenges and experiences
Fun and laughter in a relaxed and healthy work environment
The fascination in work itself, and in the other people’s work and businesses
Great feeling when you finish a job and do it to the best of your capabilities
New things you learn every day – even without looking to do so
Key example takeaways
It’s all about wearing and expressing your enthusiasm and passion all the time, isn’t it? That is an actual priority of running a social business.
Companies that are proactively managing all elements of being social to improve their customer experiences are most successful in achieving customer trust and loyalty.
Remember, customers, create the most value for you … when you create the most value for them.
Example 2 Ben and Jerrys Ice Cream
Whether we are discussing businesses that are social, the best at engaging customers, or being great at a social commerce business, there are few companies in the class of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. (We define social commerce as commerce that uses online media to support social interaction to assist in both in-person and online buying and selling).
It is interesting to note that they have always been excellent at this skill … but they have gotten better since being purchased several years ago by Unilever.
Being social is a core component of Ben and Jerry’s marketing strategy. It is the integrating ingredient of their online and online to traditional marketing/media.
What makes this company so good at social commerce and being social and what can it teach us? Here are our thoughts on the answers to these questions:
It starts with showing appreciation
It always starts with showing appreciationfor their customers. The quote from Ben Cohen says it all about their culture and success at showing customers appreciation.
All forms of customer engagement are a high priority for the brand, and they continually look for new ways to collect inputs from customers.
A good current example is their ‘Scoop Truck’, which travels around the country giving out free samples of new products and soliciting customer inputs.
Social marketing campaigns … use customer collaboration
Customer collaboration is used to obtain customer ideas on new flavors. Fans inspired the best-selling Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavors.
WOW, imagine giving customers what they ask for.
Ben and Jerry’s brand has always chosen a social mission
They always have an active social mission to stand for and stand behind. Currently, they are supporting the push to get corporate dollars out of politics … www.getthedoughout.org.
Not all businesses can go to the extent that Ben and Jerry’s does. But they can support local issues and do weekly online promotions to increase customer engagement, gain new customers and convert good customers into advocates.
Give it a try and show some patience … you will be surprised at how well it works!
The bottom line
These are interesting facts many of which we already know, of course. They are not rocket science and shouldn’t be. This list of little things simply reminds us of what we have forgotten. Then it is up to us to put these lessons (or reminders) into daily use through persistence and practice.
Need some help in capturing more customers from your social media marketing or advertising? Creative ideas to help the differentiation with your customers?
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Do you have a lesson about making your advertising better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.
More reading on social media marketing and advertising from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
