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Posts Tagged ‘Social Media’

Real World Social Media Case Study

Friday, April 30th, 2010

So social media is the buzz word for 2009-2010 and we’ve been beaten over the head with it for a while. Yes, I can go into long detail about this “great paradigm” shift in consumerism or marketing strategy, but no, I’m not going to do that. Below is a “plain English” case study of a recent social media campaign we did for a client. Easy to read, jargon-free.

Client: Blueair, Inc.
Location: Chicago
Product Mix: Consumer Air Purifiers

1) Identify Objective

The client came to us with really one need: “We need to use social media.” After some discussion, the objective turned toward that fact that users of Blueair Air Purifiers had great stories about their success. Our client hears these stories everyday in customer service phone calls, but they’re rarely shared.  Wow…new objective:  “Get Blueair product users to share their good experiences.”

2) Creating A Game Plan

Building the Facebook Fan Page
After identifying a better defined objective, we discussed the building of a Facebook Fan Page. At that time, 2 weeks ago, it was a “fan page.” We added a few photos and a couple tabs to the fan page. to integrate some additional “engagement opportunity.” Ideally, we are trying to inform and educate people who are concerned about indoor air quality. There is always room for additional educational tools on the Fan page, but this was a start.

Driving People to the Site
The main question that every client has is: “How do I drive people to the Facebook page?” With the Blueair campaign we did 2 fast actions:

1.) Designed banner advertising that ran on “Housewares” specific websites.

2.) Designed an email campaign that reached 13,000 customers and prospects.

3) The Promotion

We built a promotion around Earth Day 2010. We suggested the giveaway promotion tie-in with the Blueair ECO10 Air Purifier, ultra high efficiency air purifier unit. The “engaging” part of the giveaway requested that contestants write on the Facebook Wall about their experience with Blueair.

3) The Outcome

OK guys….here are the real world results of a shoestring social media campaign. The email campaign and banner advertising media buys occurred 2 weeks before Earth Day. We drove people directly to the Facebook Fan Page. The email had a 27% open rate(# of people who viewed the email) and 5% click through rate (# of people who visited the Facebook page).

Overall, the client:

1.) Picked up over 100 great comments about how users are enjoying their Blueair Air Purifiers.

2.) Added over 200 new fans.

3.) Lastly, the Facebook received over 2,200 views during the one week campaign.

Actual Comments & Fan Photos

We love our Blueair purifiers. My whole family has allergies and once we plugged in our purifiers we all stopped sneezing. They are amazing.

We live in Wisconsin, where we are stuck in the house for almost half of the year during winter. My two kids have colds very often during the season. I bought a Blueair air purifier to help remove the airborne particles to relieve their cold symptoms. To my surprise, since I had the Blueair, they only get 1 or 2 times cold throughout the winter.

The Conclusion

The client was happy with their first dip into social media. We now have great comments posted on the Facebook wall and we’re growing that online community by engaging those people. Simple and easy. The next step is to keep in communication with our new social media “friends.”

Our client on the Today Show! How Social Media PR Can Work

Monday, March 29th, 2010

In the internet age, how do you pitch PR material to the media? Stark LMC uses social media to collaborate with media contacts, research story angles, and generally find new ways to use PR material that has a wonderful “life on the internet.”

pitchengine_prWe’re currently using a new social media press release news room that is great for getting our clients news out to the media. The news room allows us to add new media options to any press material we develop and is wonderful for Search Engine Optimization.

Recently, our client, The Hannon Group, had their Sachi Insulated Lunch Totes featured on the Today Show’s Holiday Gift Guide segment and it all happened because of our social media PR initiative.

social_media_PR

This is just one example of a major success with social media. It’s a great time to try new ideas. Real word PR is skewing more to “not about clips, but about clicks.” Drive more traffic to your company’s website through well planned and implemented PR programs.

When to be Social

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Social Media

We believe in the power of social media. The ability to develop relationships with potential customers and loyal fans is a great way to generate positive word of mouth and user experience. Is social media the right tool for every business?

The use of social media as a B2B and small to medium sized business communication tool has skyrocketed globally, but many in the USA haven’t caught on to the wave. According to a recent Citibank survey 76% haven’t found ROI through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. These sites are great tools to grow a businesses, but without education about how to leverage them, business owners have an easier time using traditional strategies. In a down economy, many will stick with what they’ve seen work in the past (website, email marketing, online advertising, etc).

Is social media the silver bullet that will grow our business when all else fails? No, but as part of a larger marketing strategy, social media can be a powerful tool. It’s all about how you leverage it. Social media is all about conversation. Talk about what you’re good at and listen to the needs of your customers. Get rid of the stereotype that social media is all about egocentric teens. Talk about your latest PR release or promotion. Maintain links with your suppliers and provide personal/rapid customer service. Listen for the latest trends in your market and see what your competitors are doing. It’s all about the dialogue. Be honest, stay on message, be an expert, stay professional, and don’t DON’T let your account go dormant.