above the fold (social media)
The Social Media Success Stories You Haven't Heard
posted by: Camella Mendez - 10.07.2010Using social media to market original content, equipped with tools to generate leads is too hip to be square.
The same five or six companies are heralded over and over for "doing social media right." When you’re a Starbucks, Victoria’s Secret or Coca Cola, it can be difficult to do things wrong (though it happens!) Ahem, Southwest.
However, there are a number of smaller companies in smaller markets who fly under the radar when it comes to case studies about successful engagement and interactive branding.
300, 000 “Likes” may seem like child’s play in the face of 5 million when reflecting on social networking success, but who of us wouldn’t absolutely love to see those types of figures for our own clients?
So, I thought I'd cull my own resources and come up with an "indie" list, if you will, of some of the companies, that despite their smaller audience, are spot on with their methods.
PALLADIUM BOOTS (www.palladiumboots.com)
A social network of nearly 14,000 fans -- though small by some standards -- is nothing to laugh at. They may sell boots, but Palladium keeps its audience engaged by creating, relevant, in depth and fantastic blog and video content on a regular basis. Palladium is a perfect example of how marketers are now moving into the publishing role, more and more.
Although Palladium’s focus on publishing terrific content is the best tool in its marketing belt, the company follows that up by adhering to established social media best practices for business platforms, such as responding to every comment, marketing its content via its social media channels and consistently posting.
THREADLESS (www.threadless.com)
Threadless has 1,550,888 followers on Twitter. Um, yeah. The graphic tee company promotes its special parties and events (which they do several of), pop-up shops, promotions and new designs through its feed.
The best thing about Threadless' Facebook platform is that customers can buy its popular t-shirt designs directly from its custom landing page. The page allows the brand's fans to comment on and Like specific designs all in one area, which doubles as a shopping cart, and is also linked to its website's shopping cart. Despite its lack of content creation or marketing, Threadless has still managed to amass a fan base of more than 155,000 people.
(Unfortunately, Threadless seems to be breaking the cardinal rule of social media by failing to respond to customer service inquiries and complaints on its Facebook wall. This is obviously a huge red flag. If the company is responding to these complaints, they should be doing so in public. Naughty, naughty.)
URBAN OUTFITTERS (www.urbanoutfitters.com)
Urban Outfitters utilizes its Facebook page and Twitter feed to market the rich content on its blog, give away promotional goods, grow user-generated content, cover events, break sale news and more.
Not that they even need to, but the company interacts with its nearly 400,000 fans who post on their wall and fosters the lifestyle around its brand, which is closely tied to music, high fashion, culture and art. Over the past five years, UO has experienced exponential growth by transforming its brand into a lifestyle. Everything the brand does with its social media presence leverages the spirit of the indie community it has built around itself.
UO also integrates social media where it makes sense throughout its website, by including share tools, such as Like buttons on product pages. Oh, and you can also Like the company straight from its website homepage. Brownie points!
PAUL FRANK (www.paulfrank.com)
Paul Frank, and its fun-loving mascot, Julius, are a secret social media success. On average, the company receives anywhere between 100 to 700 Likes and 50 to 80 comments on each of its Facebook wall posts from its network of nearly 300,000 fans. Consistent posting of content its fans can't get anywhere else, promotional contests, band interviews, videos from around the world, and more, generate constant engagement with the brand from its fans. Instead of marketing content from a blog, the company's designers regularly post designs inspired by everything from obscure holidays (i.e. National Waffle Day), to current events such as the World Cup. Plus, Paul Frank follows all of the best practices with its social media/website integration, such as creating shareable product pages and opening setting social media links to open in new windows.
Paul Frank recently developed an iPhone app that allows users to create virtual cupcakes and share them with their friends. These are exactly the types of extras that stimulate growth of a social network, not to mention add take home value to its brand.
Are there other smaller scale social media success stories that you think deserve recognition? Post a link in the comments below and tell us why.
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