Earlier this week watching The Today Show, I found myself relieved that I didn’t live in New York City. Like most humans, I have a fear of snakes and a venomous cobra on the loose from the Bronx Zoo certainly sounded like no picnic.
The end of the story focused on the the cobra’s now famous Twitter account and it left me intrigued. I logged onto my social media platform and chuckled at some of the snake’s tweets. The tweets were amusing, and many focused on local, New York businesses. Talk about turning a PR nightmare into a promotional home run!
It got me thinking about the power of social media in the local space. Which is good, since that’s my job. The tweeting cobra serves as a great reminder to businesses looking to capitalize on social media. Here are two reminders the business world can take from the cobra:
Show Us Your…Personality!
Use social media to breakout of “corporate speak”. Consumers are drowning in reality. Use social media to give us something fun and light once in a while. I mean, why do you think “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” is so popular? Sometimes we need to escape from reality.
It is possible to create a smart and fun promotion without sacrificing your brand, or pissing off the legal team. Spend a few minutes to think of clever, yet relevant ways to showcase your company’s personality using social media. Its the perfect medium to let us get to know your company and engage us about things we care about. Not to mention, you may find some things I’ll actually comment on your Facebook page. Let’s face it…I’m not likely to comment on the Facebook post about your annual conference, but I may answer a question about my favorite dessert shop.
Local Businesses Need Social and Mobile.
Social media is local media. Mobile is local. So, all three must be accounted for in successful marketing efforts. Local applications like Foursquare and Facebook Places mean we are constantly sharing our favorite local businesses while on the go. Consumers are tweeting about the lunch special at the local hamburger place, checking in at the coffee shop and sharing tips about restaurants online.
I’ve already convinced you that social, local and mobile are the new word of mouth marketing. The Bronx Zoo Cobra tweeted about NYC restaurants, museums and other hot spots. I agree with the Washington Post…the clever tweets were some of the best advertising NYC has received in some time.
In less than a week of tweeting, the Bronx Zoo Cobra managed to gain over 210,000 followers, promoted dozens of places in NYC and created an online buzz most businesses (not to mention PR firms and tourism boards) can only dream of. And, the Cobra did it in only 63 tweets!
What’s even more interesting is that we all know the account is fake, but consumers appreciated the cleverness of the tweets anyway. It reminds us is that your business can showoff your personality on social media, and use it to drive real business. So get your creative juices flowing and get social already!
What have the events of the past few months taught you about social, local and mobile? Share with me in the comments.
