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Never Miss An Opportunity To Be Good To People
September 6, 2016
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As we all return to work from what was hopefully a peaceful Labor Day Weekend, I wanted to reissue something that was sent out at this time last year.
To really serve as a reminder that the social space is about going beyond the ordinary and creating meaningful fan experiences.
I like to call these experiences, "Holy Crap" moments.
These are the moments, in part, that create the intangibles every great brand has built its foundation on.
Here's one of those moments pulled off by WPLJ/New York.
Rick Gillette, Program Director/WPLJ, shared, "With Starbucks now offering the '#PSL,' (the Pumpkin Spice Latte - you know, the ultimate seasonal rite of passage for adult women in the U.S.), Todd & Jayde put $195 on a Starbucks gift card and posted the barcode on Twitter and Instagram for the audience to enjoy one."
"New York is kind of a big town so it was used up after 25 minutes. We put another $100 on the card and let it play a little longer," Gillette said. "It's totally personal and plugged into the audience lifestyle."
And the comments WPLJ received in return were full of gratitude:
Gillette added that you can even watch where the card is being used as the amount goes down at Starbucks' website.
Another critical element here is to use the mothership's (the station's) social assets when doing this.
If you would like to pull off a similar "holy crap" moment for your audience:
- Go to Starbucks.com and purchase the gift card.
- Post photo of gift card barcode on Twitter and Instagram well enough for Starbucks to scan.
- Watch the balance at Starbucks.com and make note of the location(s) the card is being used at.
- Alert your social audience immediately when the card runs out of funds:
Doing something like this doesn't have to be with Starbucks. You can do this with clients.
Just make sure the business is digitally and socially savvy equal to Starbucks in order to pull this off.
There's also the risk competitors will troll the card and use it up. I like not using the airwaves to talk about this. Lessen the opportunity for abuse by simply letting the social audience see this and use it up. It doesn't guarantee you won't get trolled - just minimizes the risk.
And remember that "Holy Crap" moments don't always have to come in the form of perks that cost money. Oftentimes, the way you show you care with your time or attention can have a more far-reaching effect.
When we modify our thinking to focus on serving others, our stations will truly optimize social media ROI. And we'll be offering emotional benefits fans simply do not get from radio's digital competitors.
Reach out to me anytime on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.
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