How To Use Social Media For Your Business

How To Use Social Media For Your Business

Many small companies and nonprofits find that Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other social media makes them mighty, in terms of marketing. And the more forms of social media they use, in tandem, the mightier they can become.

Last year we helped create and execute a social media campaign to promote Easter services at an area church and make Easter a “season.” We developed a website landing page where a daily video was posted. Videos and comments were posted on Facebook and at #loverising. Bandanas imprinted with #loverising were handed out so that people could take pictures and post them to #loverising. Photos were snapped from Arizona to the Eiffel Tower.

The church’s experience proves you don’t need millions to be a good marketer with social media; you simply need a creative mind and an understanding of which social media platforms best suit your audience.

Here are some examples of companies that have used social media in successful ways. Their campaigns might spark some ideas for your own. And, if you’d like to read about more winning social media campaigns, visit Shortyawards.com

Golfers link up on LinkedIn

Callaway, a golf company, wanted more business people to play golf. LinkedIn wanted business people to realize there are many ways to use its versatile social media platform to connect with other professionals. So the two companies teamed up on a social media campaign called “Hit the Links.” Through LinkedIn, business people who were golfers were linked to three other business associates who played golf, thus creating an instant golfing foursome. Nine million people heard about the campaign and 10,000 business professionals were connected to other professionals who play golf.

Financial rewards at #FutureSelfie

Bankrate decided it wanted to help students get a college education and it used social media to find scholarship recipients. Using the hashtag #FutureSelfie, Bankrate invited students to send photos of themselves with captions about their hopes, dreams and plans for the future. $5,000 scholarships were awarded for the best submissions. Almost 2,000 selfies were received, the hashtag reached more than 10 million Twitter timelines and it sparked conversation across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr.

How does a virtual cake taste?

Spice maker McCormick inspired more baking, and thus sold more of its spices, by having a Virtual Bake Sale competition on Pinterest. Winners got prizes and bragging rights. The campaign got more then 2,000 new followers and 5,000 repins for the McCormick Spice Pinterest page. Since its initial launch, the Virtual Bake Sale board has gained more than 20,000 followers.

Grocery chain discovers marketing is a Snap

Meijer, a grocery chain, realizes that today’s college students are tomorrow’s loyal Meijer shopper. After learning that a high percentage of college students use Snapchat, it devised a Snapchat campaign in two of its college-town markets. It brought college students to its stores, set up stations to tell them about the campaign and displayed prizes ranging from gift cards to GoPros. Then, it added to their Snapchat story every 10 minutes with instructions on how to participate and possibly win a prize. Students might be asked to send back a funny Snap, a pun or a video.

For four hours, college students roamed the store, sending Snaps, winning prizes and talking to their peers and store staff about how cool it was that Meijer was engaging with them through Snapchat. Meijer continues to stay engaged with its Snapchat friends by experimenting with giveaways and engagement programs.

Interested in how Bluegrass can help?

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