Utilizing Social Media To Celebrate Milestones As Marketing Opportunities

Social media was created with the idea in mind that people were going to use it to connect with friends, family, and even strangers from around the world. It has now grown into not only a personal networking opportunity, but also a marketing opportunity for businesses wishing to promote their products and services.

When marketing on social media, whether it is Twitter, Facebook, or another site, it’s important to “go back to the source” and remember the reason why social media became so popular in the first place — to create personal connections. One of the best ways to do this is to help people online rejoice in not only their everyday lives, but also the major milestones they and their family go through.

Recognizing these milestones as celebrations and marketing opportunities can help businesses make a lasting impression on their customers while also exposing their kind actions to their other customers or connections on social networking sites.

Graduation

Graduations are a major life event that happens every spring. Whether it is high school, college, or beyond, graduations are usually celebrated in a big way by families.

Take advantage of graduation season by running a Facebook Ads campaign that advertises to users who put their graduating year as the current year in their education section.

Also, creating a custom Twitter hashtag campaign that offers ‘new grad’ prize entries for Twitter users than tweet what they are excited for most about college or the ‘real world’. Prizes could be things they’ll need in the next stage of life—resume editing, a new laptop, or a gift card to Ikea for apartment or dorm furnishings.

Weddings

Weddings are usually a once-in-a-lifetime celebration that can be a good marketing opportunity for marketers who offer products that can be used in weddings, receptions, and showers.

Taking the digital aspect out of social media when it comes to weddings can be a successful approach.

Attend bridal fairs and showcase online invitation RSVPs and registries, the ability to share a registry on Facebook or Twitter; and online giveaways, such as a free wedding for the most “social media savvy couple”.

Couples could earn votes for each of their friends and family members who like the business’ page on Facebook or Follows them on Twitter and mentions it in a tweet. Brides and grooms aren’t afraid to get their feet wet when it comes to getting the wedding of their dreams.

New House

A new house is another major milestone that most people reach in their 20′s or 30′s. Because this age range is usually very technology savvy since they grew up learning to embrace technology, social media is a great way to engage new homeowners.

Businesses could use search.twitter.com to look for tweets mentioning new house terms, such as “just got the keys” or “closed on our house” and then offering those Twitter users a coupon code or unique link that gets them a free product to congratulate them on their new big purchase.

If a coupon code won’t work, tweeting a personalized tip or product mention can also be effective: “That’s great @wonderwall7! For a fun housewarming party, check out our custom invites!”

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a huge marketing opportunity for those who make baby or children’s products, but thinking outside the box on this one can also help businesses in other industries.

For instance, asking Facebook fans what cleaning product has helped them clean up kids’ messes or mentioning that a hospital network uses a certain brand’s satin sheets in their maternity wards can also bring up unique ways to reach out to customers.

In addition, a clothing manufacturer or fitness apparel website could also market their maternity wear to expecting mothers who mention their pregnancy on message boards/forums or Twitter.

The marketing opportunities to connect with people who are experiencing life-changing milestones can be great. Focusing on the positive and choosing to celebrate with the audience can be the best approach. Try not to make connections cheesy, but genuine. I’m sure customers will appreciate the gesture.

Images, used under license:  Graduation (via Shutterstock.com), Wedding by Flickr user @2sistersphotopro Pregnancy by @meemal, under Creative Commons.

 

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

Related Topics: Let’s Get Social

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Tips galore

We experienced an unusual Facebook event late last week, one that points up at least one unintended circumstance of venturing out into the world of social media – necessary though it is to diversify our media options.

We began seeing posts regarding a dog owner in the city of Lebanon. These posts were asking us, in no uncertain terms, to do a story about the conditions in which the dogs were living.

The posts continued for a long enough period of time that we finally posted to the site to say that we would investigate.

We determined a number of things. First, neither the local Humane Society nor city officials, both of whom had been made aware of the situation, found anything about it that was considered outside the bounds of existing laws and regulations. That made it pretty much a nonstory.

What we also discovered, by tracking the identities of some of the posters, that those who posted to our page were mostly not from around here – unless you consider Chicago to be in the neighborhood. There were closer locations for posters and at least one local one that we could identify.

We would guess that the conditions in which the animals were being kept did not sit well with an individual, who then posted a request to contact local officials (and the newspaper) on, perhaps, another Facebook group, by means of a group email or through a service like Twitter.

It was effective, even if it was, at least by legal and regulatory standards, without standing.

We found out later in the process that the owner of the animals voluntarily made some changes based on the requests of those who posted to Facebook, which is to that individual’s credit. But we underline that it was strictly that individual’s decision, and there was nothing – officially – wrong with the set-up for the animals.

We’re used to getting news tips. We get them routinely. We get them by phone, by email, by letter; often anonymously. But they are generally single-shot items. One call; one email; one letter. Some are legitimate; some are misguided; some are interesting but not reaching the level of a story.

With social media, and a willing group, we can see the equivalent of an online flash mob.

This isn’t to say that social media aren’t a viable option for story ideas; they are. That is one of the many reasons for our expansion into those media.

Like anything else, however, it has the potential to be abused or misused. The individuals who made this recent posting had an opinion; their opinion was determined to be unfounded by those in authority; and while our Facebook site will rotate through and the material will be archived far down through the pages, it still has a form of continuing life.

We would rather have the ability to check on issues that are of importance to our local people and our readers. We appreciate hearing from those readers who may be out of town and who come to our website because of a specific story, column or blog.

There is less value in seeing a series of related posts and realizing that most of those posting have, at best, a very tenuous relationship with the area – they are responding, perhaps, to a person’s request to post to the newspaper (or any other) site in order to galvanize something.

This is the modern-day version of an organized picket. Understand, though, that like minds may find a given situation to be something that it may not actually be, in official terms. That may not change anyone’s opinion, and the topic may even be worth an editorial – and here it is – but it does not turn out to be a news story.

Newspapers are much more interactive now than in the past; in the print-only days, interactivity was mostly limited to the opinion pages, with letters to the editor. Now, interactivity occurs across many Internet platforms and even down to individual stories. The instant feedback is helpful to those of us in the news business, because it can, at times, offer ideas for follow-up or issues-oriented stories springing from a single source.

This is the media world in which we now live. It’s unrecognizable from what it was 25 years ago; it’s radically different from what it was just two or three years ago. And tomorrow? We’re not even sure if anyone’s started to figure that out yet.

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