Editor's note (4/22/2015): We're proud to announce that Bree Baich will be sharing her expertise at The Social Shake-Up 2015 in June. Register here!
Every brand hopes their audience will engage, but what happens when someone does? Are you merely collecting data or promoting dialog? Is social engagement factored into your transmedia strategy? It should be - it expands reach as your audience becomes part of your brand's story.
It's Friday night and Netflix sends me a push notification that House of Cards Season 3 is now available. Can you say, "Binge-watching?" I've got the entertainment, now I need food. My challenge? I'm not much for cooking and the fridge is reasonably empty, so I tapped my EAT24 app and started sorting through restaurant options. Chili's it is. Once I reached the end of my order I'd noticed a Twitter section in the upper right corner. It isn't just an option to tweet my experience, it is pre-populated with funny, little quips I can share with my online community. So I did - adding in a little about Netflix being the perfect pairing for a Friday night in.
My experience with EAT24 didn't stop there, within minutes they had started a dialog on Twitter that had me literally laughing out loud.
I've been a fan of theirs for awhile. I mean really, have you read their blog? It's not just comical, it's authentic! This, however, was the first time I'd used the app and taken the step to connect with them socially, and the results were hilarious. I've shared this experience over and over with friends to the point they've started using EAT24 for the occasional #movienightin, #nocook or #rainyday evenings when they just want a friendly face to deliver their dining experience.
Companies like EAT24 understand the power of social. They built it into their app strategy and continue it through to social engagement. Check out the pre-populated giveaway tweet:
Social strategies like this get an audience talking, laughing and sharing, which in turn expands your company's reach one order, tweet and virtual conversation at a time. #Genius. And we - the audience - become part of your brand's story.
Have you included social engagement as part of your company's transmedia strategy? If you have, how's it working for you? If not, here are a few ways EAT24 is making social work for them:
- They designed a social strategy that carries across transmedia platforms - website, app, Twitter, etc.
- They monitor their channels and create active dialog - I'm not the only one they've chatted with, check out the Twitter results.
- They mine their data to uncover new opportunities and improve our experience - like their marriage proposal to Dominos which came about because it's their #1 keyword search - we're still waiting for that YES.
- They offer incentives that we can share with our community - one word: meow - who doesn't love sharing with friends?
- They make it fun - "Eat24, a company that's making food delivery easier, is a shining example about the success that can come by taking risks, doing things they find fun, and not overthinking it." - Hubspot
Oh, and if you didn't hear already, Yelp just acquired these guys for $134 million - if that's not a quantitative reward for a job well done, I don't know what is!
Although there are a lot of things to consider when putting a social strategy together: platforms, technology, resources and frequency, just to name a few - don't be afraid to dip your toe in. When you do decide to go social, your audience may just decide to follow you and engage.
What companies do you think have a great social engagement strategy? If it's yours, share an example.