Social networking tips
Social networking is our virtual watercooler. When you start the conversation about your brand, you should be as enthusiastic as you would be talking about your favorite TV show.
DO casually engage your Facebook friends to build up your new company. Eventually, they may notice you are having so much fun that they won't want to feel left out.
DON'T be that "friend" who annoys your friends. The worst sin of all is endless repetition, just blasting out the same soulless message like an autobot.
Here are a few key things to consider before you press the SHARE button!
- Timing — A few weeks before Father's Day, the Timberland company spread around a Dad discount promo code on Facebook. Those "in the know" could buy Dad hiking boots or sport sandals at 20 percent off. If you were running the virtual Timberland on Pongr, many of your friends would appreciate knowing about this deal while they were already searching for presents.
- Creativity — Go crazy with your digital camera or camera phone. Snap twice as many shots as you need and experiment with angles. You just never know when you'll capture something hilarious or poetic. If you are at a McDonalds, maybe the cashier will pose with you and your McNuggets. Don't be bashful. Strive to try new things and be different.
- Relevance — Always, always, always ask yourself "Why should I care?" before you send a marketing message to your network. If you know that Melinda is a fashion diva, she'll eagerly click on a hundred Prada pictures a day. If Leroy is a New York Yankees fan, there is no such thing as TMI when it comes to Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada.
- Humor — Why do we all go nuts over the Super Bowl ads? Every brand has its own unique window for witty banter and jokes. For example, this Starburst candy video of a screaming, ill-tempered mime will amuse even friends on sugar-free diets.
- Personalization — Facebook is like a giant high school yearbook. Your photos need to be teased to avoid being lost in the pile. If you're taking a picture of yourself sipping the new Starbucks Vanilla Bean Cherry-Chococcino Latte (sadly not on the menu yet), send that pic separately to every friend whom you KNOW is a coffee fiend. Don't assume that everyone scrolls down the feed for countless hours. Sometimes specifically targeting a few motivated friends is more effective than carpet-bombing the masses.
- Pride — We're huge advocates of early outreach by gamers to their respective real-life companies. It doesn't matter if you are an intern in the Pongr game, a mid-level marketing executive or a top dog. If you have an dynamo idea that successfully spreads a brand on the Web, it is your duty to brag about it and make yourself known. But don't be a pest by contacting the real world marketing department everytime you send out a Tweet. Anyone can type out a sentence and press "send." Before taking a shot at the Big Leagues, make sure you have done something worth bragging about.
We'd love to hear your ideas about how to more effectively tap into the power of social networking.
How have you promoted your Pongr company?
Please send us your ideas and success stories to [email protected]
