In a recent video post, Time Managing Editor Josh Tyrangiel explained how to tell a story across multiple media. I found this fascinating because it reminded me that social media is about telling a good story.
Think about it. Why else are companies getting into Social Media if not to give their customers a compelling story to share with friends and colleagues? After all, you need to have a story worth talking about if you want them to spread positive word of mouth.
Here are some examples:
- A confused customer asks for help on a company's fan page in Facebook – and both an employee and a fan offer to help, even though they live in completely different areas of the country.
- A dissatisfied customer posts a Tweet asking for an earlier appointment. Six minutes later, a customer service rep tweets back "Can you DM the info to me, I will take care of ya–"
- A happy customer purchases a baby stroller, shoots a video review, shares it on YouTube, and someone else leaves a comment saying, "My wife and I were just looking at this stroller – and will probably go for it."
- An executive at a retailer shares a fun and interesting photo on Facebook showing what his employer used to look like, thus making a connection with the past and sharing it in the present.
These are all real-world examples from H&R Block, Comcast, Graco, and Meijer (*).
Bottom Line:
Don't pigeonhole Social Media solely as something that's "cool." Use the tools and platforms to empower your fans and advocates to share a really good story with their friends and colleagues.
(Hat tip to Guy Kawasaki and Alltop for the video)
(*) Disclosure: Meijer is a client of my employer, Empower MediaMarketing. This is my own opinion.
Your Turn
Do you have other examples to share of companies using social media to help fans tell a good story? Please share it.
