Today, she runs her own rapidly growing destination, drawing nearly three million page views every month.

Successful professional bloggers aren’t hard to find, but a few things are remarkable about White’s success:

1. She writes a do-it-yourself carpentry blog. With White’s help, droves of women are discovering they can build beautiful, stylish things.
2. She started with dial-up Internet and does it all from her home in the Alaskan interior (where record-smashing temps recently hit -40° F).
3. White succeeded accidentally. She never expected that simply sharing what she loves could support her entire family.

This self-described “homemaker” has an innate knack not only for woodworking but for business as well.

Turns out, this blog Cinderella tale is all about sharing your personal story. Oh, and relentless blogging.

Do-it-yourselfers find hundreds of easy – and free – building plans on White's site.

Three Months – One Million Page Views

Delta Junction, Alaska, population around 1000, is about 100 miles southeast of Fairbanks – and more than 2000 miles from the nearest Pottery Barn.

Delta Junction, Alaska, population ~1000.

But that’s not a problem for Ana White, who grew up in this Alaskan interior making forts and other projects from salvaged wood and nails. After she and her husband painstakingly hand-built their home, she relied on her handy skills to furnish the place and make extra money selling her furniture.

But White really wanted to share her passion for woodworking with others. In October 2009, while reading a friend’s blog, she clicked “Get Your Own Free Blog” on Blogger.

She started by posting her carpentry plans for a farmhouse bed, the same one she made for her own home. Then, every single day, this stay-at-home mom with an infant in tow blogged more designs for items like dining tables, shelves and storage cabinets, adding up to nearly 400 posts that first year.

Without White doing anything else, the blog hit one million page views in just three months, and then reached more than one million page views every month following. She’d struck a chord with an audience eager to furnish their homes at a fraction of retail prices.

Fortunately, those readers proudly told their friends about their handiwork.

“This is a one-woman show from remote Alaska with no experience, no connections, no network,” White says. “I’ve just got a real passion for what I do and a huge desire to share it.”

What she also has is her story, which she shares on her blog and in many of her posts. Readers – many like her – get to know about her husband, daughter, extended family, home, town and weather.

High-Value Content – Always Free

Today, White’s site, “Ana White Homemaker,” has more than 500 plans. Despite suggestions to charge for plans, she’s insistent on keeping them free.

“I needed to be able to provide plans for free so women could look at it and it would create confidence in them that ‘I can build this’,” she said. “I knew that for me, as a mom with a single income, a really limited income, at home all day, it needed to be free because I myself couldn’t have afforded to pay $10 a plan.”

All 500-plus designs on White's site are free for readers.

But she stresses “free” content doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the business seriously. From the start, she committed to frequent blogging and continues to post new plans a few times a week. With so many audience photos coming in, she started a brag blog dedicated to featuring fans’ work.

White started a second brag blog just for readers to share their work.

Facebook: Fans Helping Fans

Blogging alone was enough to grow the site at a nice clip. The addition of a Facebook page increased traffic, but has largely become a community for her fans to share their work and help each other.

With a base of more than 50,000 fans, those posting questions know they will get an answer from other fans or White herself. The audience – and even White – learns from those responses.

Facebook fans share their handiwork.

Fans enthusiastically help each other with tricky building questions.

White stresses that she’s specifically chosen to allow fan postings to be publicly viewable, while many other fan sites do not.

“Ninety to ninety-five percent of the content on my Facebook page is from my readership,” she says. “What you’re seeing is not filtered. I feel like it should be an open and transparent forum where people can ask questions and post.”

The Payoff: Making a Living and a Life

White admits the first year was tough work, with long days of writing and making designs, photographing projects and blogging relentlessly while caring for her daughter.

In year two, the payoff came. The site’s high volume gave White the credentials to secure marquee advertisers like Lowe’s and other retailers appealing to women. Now, the site supports her family, with extra to invest in growing the business.

The momentum continued, with her plans appearing in numerous home magazines (without sending a single pitch letter), the chance to contribute designs for HGTV.com and now a book deal from Random House.

All press has come to White without a single pitch letter.

 Readers Help Design the “Momplex”

White recently added a whole new dimension to her blog and story with the “Momplex” project. Last summer, she and her husband started building a duplex for both of their mothers and now are letting readers decide much of the home’s design.

Sharing progress of the duplex White and her husband are building for her mom and mother-in-law, the "Momplex," adds to White's story and gets readers involved.

Readers might not want to check in daily for furniture plans, but they may want to see updates on the Momplex.

When White asked readers to weigh in on which kitchen design they preferred, more than 1300 readers indicated their preferences by “liking” one of the Momplex kitchen mockups.

More than 1300 fans voted on the Momplex kitchen design.

“My community is full of really smart people, so we’re actually getting a better product with their input,” she says. “It’s helped us make a better Momplex.”

Pinterest: The Game-Changer

Now in its third year, White recently discovered an interesting change in her site’s stats. Just three months after showing up as a referring site, Pinterest has taken over as the number-one source of traffic to her blog.

“Google, Facebook and direct traffic – none of those are the top referrers. Six thousand unique visitors a day are now coming from Pinterest. It’s dominating my traffic,” she says.

Pinterest lets members “pin” images of their favorite things to virtual pinboards. Their followers see those pins and can choose to “Like” or “Repin” those images to their boards. Highly visual, Pinterest works perfectly with the photos on White’s carpentry blog.

Fans of White's designs enthusiastically "pin" images on their Pinterest boards.

She considers Pinterest a potential “game-changer” in her industry, with extremely viral person-to-person sharing. As a membership-only site, that traffic is also likely of higher quality than from other sources, she says.

As for encouraging “pinning,” White added a “Love this? Pin it right now!” button on all pages of her blog. She also gives readers photography tips to enhance the quality of their photos, which in turn helps increase pins.

White encourages "pinning" with a button on every page of her site.

While White has her own pinboards on Pinterest, she rarely pins her own content, preferring to let readers share freely and naturally what they like.

Reader-Inspired Content

White’s content model has also changed since she began. Though initially she blogged all her own ideas, now nearly all new design ideas come from readers. A fan will snap a pic of an antique or something in a catalog and post it to Facebook, asking if White will design plans for it.

“I look at myself as a servant to my readers. What do you want me to design a plan for? And then we go from there,” she says.

Nearly all of White's new designs now come from reader suggestions.

Not content to just sit back and rest on her handcrafted farmhouse bed, White continuously looks ahead to the next thing.

“If you’re on the Internet, your business goals and your business plan can change overnight,” she says. “You always have to be on your toes and be aware of technology emerging and be willing to adapt to your readers.”

What do you think? Is what you provide visual? How are you tapping into new social media avenues like Pinterest? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.

But LinkedIn? The stodgier cousin of the group? Not so much.

Yet for PostcardMania, a fast-growing, Florida-based postcard marketing company, unlocking LinkedIn has been a bottom-line booster. It’s not just for job searchers anymore.

Every week, the company consistently counts at least two dozen fresh leads coming directly from LinkedIn – more than Facebook and Twitter deliver.

That’s added up to more than $72,000 in revenue just from LinkedIn.

How do they do it? Here, PostcardMania shares its formula.

Hint: It’s about attractive content offered at just the right time.

PostcardMania consistently creates high-value content – such as the CEO's blog – to drive people to its site.

A Content Marketing Pioneer

When Joy Gendusa started PostcardMania in 1998 with just a computer and phone, she combined two powerful ideas:

1. Give away free and valuable marketing advice that was typically only available from pricey ad agencies
2. Offer affordable direct-mail printing for small businesses

Since the beginning, PostcardMania has used free advice from on-staff sales and marketing consultants as a major customer acquisition strategy.

Now with 175 employees and $19 million in annual revenue, it’s a model that continues to serve the company well.

Today, Gendusa’s free-advice strategy extends beautifully into social media channels. In addition to taking its own advice – mailing 140,000 postcards every week promoting its services – the company actively participates on major social media sites.

However, the company’s success with social media was not a direct route. Early attempts with a couple of marketing agencies added fans, followers and LinkedIn connections but only brought in a lead or two every couple of months.

“My boss said, ‘I can’t afford this. I need ROI (return on investment)’,” said Ferris Stith, PR & social media manager at PostcardMania.

This past August, the company brought social media marketing in-house, putting Stith in charge. She and Gendusa realized the potential of LinkedIn to connect with their audience – small businesses like dental offices, repair service companies and insurance brokers.

LinkedIn has become a solid lead generator, topping Facebook and Twitter for the company.

By experimenting, Stith arrived at a winning process for LinkedIn that truly generates leads for this business-to-business company:

#1: Create compelling content

First, you need attractive content to move people from LinkedIn to your site. PostcardMania actively creates articles, blog posts, reports and customer case studies for the different industries it targets.

“Content makes all the difference,” Stith said. “Where I’m sending the person determines how many leads I’m going to get.”

The company packs every piece of content with valuable information. No fluff. Then, Stith finds multiple opportunities to share links back to that content.

About 80 percent of the time – usually with special reports – links go to a landing page requiring the person to fill out a form to access the content, turning that contact into an official lead.

Special reports for each industry are among the top lead generators.

#2: Establish your face and voice

Stith and Gendusa agreed that Gendusa, as CEO, would be the face of PostcardMania on LinkedIn, but Stith would post. Stith spent months learning Gendusa’s voice and absorbing her marketing knowledge in order to contribute as Gendusa would.

Stith posts and responds as Gendusa for all inquiries that are not personal messages to the CEO.

Stith posts as CEO Gendusa when answering questions.

#3: Build contacts and message them

When Gendusa receives connection requests, Stith reviews the person’s information and usually accepts the invite. After that, she connects one-on-one with the individual with a friendly message.

“I’ll say, ‘I see that you work at this company. Are you the owner? How’s business going?’” Stith said. She keeps conversations going by often ending with a question.

Stith stresses that she stays very conversational, and never salesy. She also keeps the messages about the other company and their needs, rather than talking about Gendusa or PostcardMania.

“Hard selling is not going to work,” Stith said. “I see so much of it… The post has to be super-helpful. Give real information.”

In the course of conversation, she might point a dentist to a gallery of visual examples of other postcards or to a video and/or written case study showing how another dentist brought in new business with postcard marketing.

“Case studies and sample galleries are really successful depending on the conversation,” Stith said.

PostcardMania shares links to written and video case studies in the specific industries of those they connect with on LinkedIn.

When contacts aren't sure what to put on a postcard, Stith shares links from LinkedIn back to a gallery of samples.

Or, Stith might also point the contact to a special report just for that industry, such as the “8 Ways to Build a Dental Empire” piece.

“Usually when people read that report, dentists call and usually buy pretty fast,” she said.

Special reports, tailored to industries, are particularly big traffic generators.

#4: Join groups and contribute

Next, Stith joins LinkedIn groups for the various types of small businesses the company targets, and judiciously contributes to discussions and questions about marketing.

Within groups, Stith uses the LinkedIn “Discussions” feature about once per week to share valuable content that links to PostcardMania.com. Fellow group members can comment or ask questions right on those discussions.

Just recently, the company generated the most leads yet (53) from a piece of content – with the blog post, “8 Ways to Grow Your Local Business for FREE!” Each of the eight ways was a “snippet” with links to get more information, each of which collected the person’s contact information.

Stith posted a link to "8 Ways to Grow Your Local Business for FREE!" in all the groups she's part of.

Traffic coming from LinkedIn to the blog post ended up generating 53 new leads.

If someone seems like a good prospect based on his or her profile and comments, Stith will click the “Reply Privately” link to take the conversation offline and connect with that person.

“I introduce myself in a way that’s not off-topic,” she said. “‘Joy I agree with you on ABC.’ Then I ask questions.”

Additionally, PostcardMania answers marketing questions posted on various forums.

By answering questions and including links to relevant content, PostcardMania connects with prospects in target industries.

#5: Cold-message contacts

Also part of her regular LinkedIn group activity, Stith “cold messages” contacts who might be promising prospects.

Again, given the nature of LinkedIn, she’s careful to be conversational, not promotional.

“I’ll introduce myself and say, ‘I see you’re in this industry’ and ask a question like, ‘how’s your business these days?’ It’s a very light touch introduction.”

600 Leads – Just From LinkedIn

PostcardMania meticulously tracks all leads. In roughly the past year, the company generated approximately 600 leads, which Stith said amounts to approximately $72,000 in actual business – all just from LinkedIn.

She notes that their close ratios for social media match those of traditional media activities such as postcards, indicating that social media does deliver quality leads.

However, not all social media pulls the same weight. While Stith uses Facebook and Twitter, her B2B audience responds best to LinkedIn.

“Twitter generates traffic to our site but doesn’t necessarily convert,” she said. “Facebook is the more social aspect. Conversion on them visiting isn’t nearly as high as LinkedIn.”

What do you think? Is your social media marketing generating real leads beyond just fans and followers? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.

How can a little spare change possibly help fund the organization’s global network of hundreds of houses, family rooms and care mobiles (mobile care centers)?

A little change adds up – to nearly $25 million in donations last year with the help of social media. Donation boxes are the single largest ongoing fundraiser for RMHC, helping the charity serve 4.5 million children and families every year. 

In 2010, RMHC launched a “Day of Change” campaign to drive people to donate spare change at their local McDonald’s restaurants. Using social media to spread the word virally, RMHC generated 180,000 interactions on the global Facebook and chapter pages, ultimately increasing online donations in August 130% compared to August 2009 and significantly generating more to their donation boxes.

Your spare change may seem like a small amount, but when added with others', it can make a HUGE difference.

Moreover, social media provides RMHC families a new venue to share their personal stories online, giving potential supporters insight into the RMHC experience.

“Social media allows us to engage with supporters and families in a very direct, authentic and immediate way,” said Clara Carrier, PR and Marketing Manager Communications and Special Programs, RMHC. “From an awareness standpoint, from an educational standpoint and by positioning the charity in the marketplace as one that engages and shares in an authentic way what our story is… social media allows us to do that in very effective way.”

Story-Based Content

If you know about RMHC, you’ve likely heard of its Ronald McDonald Houses, which now number more than 304 Houses around the world. Because many families must travel far from home for medical treatment for their children, the Houses are a home away from home near hospitals, allowing families at little or no cost to stay close to children recovering from illness and injury.

RMHC also runs 168 “Ronald McDonald Family Rooms” at hospitals, where family members can rest comfortably right at the hospital near a sick child. Rounding out its programs, 43 Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles bring medical attention to approximately 150,000 children each year around the world, providing care such as pediatric cancer treatment in Poland and immunizations in New Orleans.

At RMHC, based outside Chicago, Lauren Fischer serves as the organization’s primary voice of the charity on Facebook and Twitter. In addition to her other communications duties, she spends about an hour or two a day posting content on the social media sites and responding to comments.

Once she posts, those conversations tend to take off on their own. The key? Content that engages people. Often, that’s a story about a family, a volunteer or a corporate donor.

For example, this month the charity launched a big push for volunteers. Each day, Fisher asks a question of volunteers or posts a link to a story about a volunteer or corporate donor, which resides back on the RMHC site.

"At RMHC, age is relative. It's about the whole family – getting everyone involved, young and old, in the health and well-being of a child."

In honor of volunteer month, RMHC shares stories of volunteers like Mary, who at age 92 has baked more than 900 cakes for families in the Austin area. It drew 166 “Likes” and 13 comments.

Despite the often sad stories of those whom RMHC serves – families facing difficulty – the social media sites remain overwhelmingly positive and inspirational.

“I would say 80% of the content we share is about inspiring our followers – the other 20% is about what we want them to do for us,” Fischer said. Sharing stories on Facebook in turn encourages fans to post their own stories more freely.

“Even with privacy concerns, people feel so secure about sharing their stories,” Carrier said. “They feel that, in sharing, they’re healing. They’re supporting other families going through the same situation.”

2010 Day of Change

During 28 days across August and September 2010, RMHC made a major push for spare change donations at its many McDonald’s locations. Posts leading up to the primary day, September 9, increasingly built awareness and excitement through social media and traditional channels such as direct mail and email.

The team created a Facebook event for that day, encouraging people to sign up to attend. In effect, they were pledging to visit a McDonald’s that day to drop off change. In total, 5500 people registered for the event, which showed up on each of their Facebook streams, encouraging a viral effect.

RMHC created a Day of Change event on Facebook, which drew 5500 attendees pledging to drop change at restaurants.

Following an ongoing effort, Carrier spearheaded outreach to “mommy” and other parenting bloggers regarding the event. A year before, she had started building relationships with bloggers, encouraging them to learn more about RMHC and attend a local event to experience a Ronald McDonald House firsthand.

“We learned that when mommy bloggers or anyone experiences what the House program does, they’re hooked,” Carrier said. “When someone has the opportunity to exchange stories with a family and understand what the program does, they’re immediately  supporters of the charity.”

In turn, more than 30 bloggers wrote about Day of Change, helping drive people to donation boxes and the RMHC website.

More than 30 parenting bloggers featured Day of Change on their blogs.

Empowering Chapters

Adding to the efforts of the global office, more than 100 RMHC chapters around the world used their own websites, newsletters, media relationships and social media to spread the word about Day of Change. The global office equipped them with a guide with key messages and assets specifically for the campaign.

For social media, that included suggestions such as encouraging RSVPs for the Facebook event and using the event’s Twitter handle, #RMHCDayofChange. Markets that actively communicated the event saw local increases to the donation boxes.

In Chattanooga, RMHC attributes a 32% net increase in box donations year over year to the campaign, while Austin saw a 17% increase.

Across all locations, online donations during the campaign grew by 130%. Plus, RMHC added valuable fans, followers and email newsletter subscribers – a jump of 748% for the latter – so the charity keeps in touch with new contacts.

Making the Case to the Board

Every nonprofit faces tough choices about how to spend resources that largely come through donations. RMHC must regularly report to the board on the impact of its marketing efforts, with social media results now included.

Happily, they can report that relationships with more than 100 bloggers, and a 1400% increase in Facebook interactions contributed to a 13% jump in website traffic in 2010. In response, online donations increased 9% for the year.

But Carrier and the team are careful to demonstrate – and place value on – more than just the numbers. A newly added analysis tool, Heartbeat software by Marketwire, measures the sentiment of the conversations on Twitter and Facebook.

Heartbeat is a cost-effective, real-time social media monitoring and measurement tool.

“The software puts a number on sentiment, which has helped tremendously with our board,” Carrier said. “We’ve spent time making them understand why Facebook conversations and Facebook sharing are important and giving solid examples.”

Ultimately, those conversations contribute to the bottom line by building the brand capital of RMHC.

“In the end the community supports our programs if we educate and share and have a call to action – and social media is allowing us to do that,” Carrier said.

How do you or can you engage your social media audience more with stories? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.

Practically every other online retailer – and Logos is 100% online – blasted customers with their post-Thanksgiving email promotions.

But this software company solely relied on social media, from testing its ideas to launching the promotion to letting the resulting word of mouth do the work for them.

In response, Logos generated $300,000 in sales in those few days – three times what it brought in during the same period the year before. Not only did it add to the bottom line, but also Logos significantly expanded its fans, followers and customer connections to support future efforts.

“Without social marketing, it [the promotion] would have gone nowhere because we didn’t spread the word ourselves,” explained Dan Pritchett, VP marketing and business development at Logos. “We wanted to give a reward to people who are socially connected in our community.”

Testing the Waters

Since opening in 1992, Logos Research Systems, Inc. has grown from a couple of programmers in a basement into the largest developer of Bible software and a worldwide leader in multilingual electronic publishing.

With 220 employees, the Bellingham, WA company partners with approximately 130 publishers to make over 12,000 electronic Bible study resources available to customers in more than 160 countries in a dozen languages. Typical customers are pastors and anyone with an interest in Bible study.

In recent years, Logos has run Black Friday promotions, but as of four days before Thanksgiving 2010, the company had not planned anything. With some of his marketing team already off for the holiday, Pritchett tested the beginnings of an idea using Facebook.

His simple post asked what customers wanted to see on sale for the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Customers responded enthusiastically, with 116 weighing in about what they wanted.

What do customers want to buy on sale? Just ask.

“I don’t think I had figured out what we were doing at the time. That first post was to help me get some ideas,” Pritchett said.

With that, the idea came. Pritchett didn’t want to publish low prices on the web that might live online forever, leaving customers to wonder when they might dip that low again. Instead, the promotion he conceived was designed to give customers deals on what they really wanted, rather than on what Logos wanted them to buy.

Here’s how the deals worked:

1. Logos asked customers to email in the three titles they most wished were on sale.
2. Sales reps then looked up the special prices for those items and replied personally to each customer.
3. Customers had just 48 hours to decide to buy any or all of the products.

“You tell me what you want to buy and I’ll give you great deal on it,” Pritchett said. “Let’s have some excitement on Black Friday, a virtual door buster.”

One Hour – From Concept to Launch

While the sale was unique in itself, the promotion was equally impressive. From concept to launch, Pritchett spent just one hour on the promotion.

He simply blogged about the sale, and followed with a post each on Facebook, Twitter and the company’s own forum. That was it. No emailing the customer base.

A single blog post, and one post each on Facebook, Twitter and the company's forum, launched the promotion.

From there, social media’s snowball effect took over.

“Originally we were considering emailing our entire customer list, but soon realized that the word of mouth had already spread far enough on our deal that we couldn’t handle any more business!” he said.

Fans began spreading the word to friends on Facebook and retweeting the link to the blog post. Some of those same customers posted and tweeted again after they purchased their sale items. Two bloggers created spinoff posts about the sale.

Logos further encouraged word of mouth by including hyperlinked Twitter and Facebook icons on the electronic receipt emailed to customers. Through Twitter and Facebook application programming interfaces (APIs), customers could click those icons to populate tweets and posts automatically with news that the customer had just purchased from Logos.

However, the biggest traffic took place on the software company’s own social site – its forum – home of 42,000 registered customers. The thread generated 241 comments and 13,182 views.

“Our users picked up the message and created their own thread on the forums. We didn’t even start it – they did,” Pritchett said.

Customers started their own thread about the sale, generating more than 13,000 views.

Staffing Up

The response well exceeded the company’s expectations.

“Immediately after posting the offer we began to receive email requests, and by the time our staff came into work around 6 am, we had hundreds of requests for pricing already in the inbox,” Pritchett said.

Logos beefed up the sales team to respond to emails as quickly as possible. Easing the launch of the sale, lower price points were already in the sales database, ready for reps to extend to customers when asked. Nearly all products had some discount associated with them, though at varying percentage reductions.

Yet, Logos didn’t see any direct costs for the promotion. Those scheduled to work later in the week simply changed shifts to that weekend. And of course, getting the word out required no investment.

“It was pretty magical,” Pritchett said. “There really were no other costs associated with it. No printing, no postage, no mailing.”

2,000 Products Sold

In total, the team handled about 2,000 emails, generating sales of 2,000 Logos Bible Software titles.

“Sales for the same period last year were $200,000 lower and we had a better economy last year – and our Christmas special was already available during a portion of last years’ period,” Pritchett said.

But the benefits go beyond the weekend’s sales. Through the promotion, Logos added hundreds of new fans and followers to its social media community. Plus, the company now has a record of what specific customers want but didn’t yet buy, and their most current contact information, which will empower future direct sales efforts. The company also plans to leverage the feedback from Facebook about what products customers wanted most.

“In one weekend the sales staff was able to generate a list of the top three favorite titles of 2,000 of our best customers!” Pritchett said. “For all the people who weren’t able to buy, we now have a great prospecting list, and we also have a better idea of the preferences of some of our most engaged consumers.”

What do you think? How have you used social media to learn what your customers want? Can you cut out traditional outbound channels like email marketing and rely solely on interactive means such as social media? Leave your comments in the box below.

These loyal fans now have an arguably easier way of showing their support—and connecting with each other—through Foursquare.

In a pilot for the 2010 football season, the NFL team rolled out Foursquare as a way to reward fans for attending home games or rallies during out-of-town games.

The results beat expectations. By December, Redskins fans had logged more than 20,000 check-ins at the home stadium FedExField and tens of thousands more at venues across the D.C. metro area.

“It’s pretty impressive given that Foursquare is so new and not as readily embraced as other social media tools,” said Shripal Shah, Sr. VP, Digital Strategy at Washington Redskins.

Redskins fans have logged more than 20,000 check-ins at FedExField this football season.

Rewarding Fans Who Show Up

In the past couple of years, the Redskins have built their fan bases on both Facebook and Twitter. But Shah saw Foursquare as a different kind of connection with fans – as a way to reward those who show up in person. In establishing a Foursquare presence, the Redskins became the first NFL team to have a badge on the location-based social networking site.

“We picked Foursquare for a couple of reasons,” Shah said. “A, it has the largest user base [among location-based services], and B, it allowed us to do a bunch of things, yet keep it really simple for our fan base. We didn’t want to make it too complicated. We wanted to make it fun and reward fans for coming to our games or watching the games.”

To unlock the Foursquare badge for FedExField, fans must check in within three hours before or three hours after each home game ends.

The team also established nearly 30 different “Redskins” bars and restaurants around the city where fans can get together and watch the games, and of course check in on Foursquare as they arrive. At once, the Redskins organization promotes those establishments that host its fans and gives fans a way to connect with each other.

A Simple Sweepstakes

The Redskins kicked off the Foursquare pilot by promoting it at preseason games on the Jumbotron and with preseason TV advertising. Additionally, it teased special Foursquare promotions through email and on its website.

In a major promotion this fall, fans were automatically entered into a sweepstakes and could win prizes by simply unlocking the Redskins badge at FedExField or at participating establishments. In a drawing of all entrants, the winner took away two loge tickets for a home game on Nov. 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the experience of tailgating with the GEICO caveman beforehand.

Shah feels Foursquare offers an easier way to manage promotions, as opposed to trying to do a similar offering with Twitter or Facebook.

“Through Twitter, this would take more steps,” Shah said. “It’s a simpler way to do it for the average football fan. We reward people for following or finding our stadium or venue and give them the opportunity to win tickets to Monday night’s game.”

Running a couple of months, the contest succeeded in building awareness of the Redskins’ Foursquare presence and growing followers and check-ins.

“The contest exceeded our expectations,” Shah added. “At our last game we had 3800 check-ins alone.”

Fans who checked in and unlocked the Redskins badge were automatically entered in a drawing to win coveted tickets and tailgating with the GEICO caveman.

Giving Fans Home Bases During Away Games

When the Redskins play away games, the organization holds a series of rallies at partner establishments. There, fans can check in and unlock a badge after three visits to a venue. Further encouraging them to join in, the Redskins give away prizes onsite and bring in Redskins cheerleaders. To date, Redskins fans have checked in at participating Foursquare restaurants more than 30,000 times this season alone.

In tying in Foursquare, Shah feels the Redskins are simply adding an interactive dimension to activities that fans are already participating in. They engage with the Redskins organization in a whole new way.

Redskins Rally Parties at locations across the D.C. area encourage fans to check in on Foursquare at supporting bars and restaurants.

“We use Foursquare as a way to extend the reach of how we’re promoting rallies,” Shah said. “We’re adding a layer on top of it. We’re really trying to connect fans together.”

Toward that end, fans have connected with each other on Foursquare, with hundreds sharing tips such as where to find the best parking deals at FedExField, where to sit at establishments and whether to order the Philly cheesesteak or grilled cheese.

A Winning Trial

So far, the Redskins consider the Foursquare trial a success based on the high – and growing – level of engagement during the season. Already, Shah is considering how to take Foursquare and location-based services a step further.

“We’re trying to open ourselves up to all the elements that this platform can allow us to do,” he said.

For now, the organization remains very satisfied with the level of participation, especially given the lower-profile nature of Foursquare compared to other social media tools.

“@redskinsdotcom has over 12,800 followers on Foursquare. This is close to total followers on Twitter. So growth – based on the total Foursquare user base being smaller than Twitter – has been great,” Shah added.

What’s worked for you in increasing your Foursquare followers and check-ins? As an individual, what types of promotions would make you more likely to check in? Leave your comments in the box below.

As marketers, we often look for the next big tool to differentiate ourselves. But did you know the most powerful content-creative tool was invented long before social media? It doesn’t involve keeping a Kodak Zi8 in your pocket, either. And you don’t need a fancy new Twitter strategy or some snazzy FBML.

The most powerful content tool is also the oldest. It’s the tool that brought us some of the most compelling moments in history—from fallen leaders to pop-culture confessions. It’s the tool that made Oprah arguably one of the most powerful brands on the planet. And the same one that Barbara Walters used to reach the most influential people of our time.

Your Content Advantage: The Interview

Yes, the interview. Powerful interviews create timeless content. Yet when it comes to blogging, we neglect to use our most powerful weapons. Master blog interview tactics and your content will surely make an impact—in any situation.

Interview-based content is valuable to your readers and more likely to be shared.

Famous rocker Glenn Danzig once said, “unfortunately, I have to say, one out of every 100 interviews I do, I get a real journalist.” So whether you write for yourself, your boss, a client or an industry analyst, leave the impression of a professional. Blog interviewing is a must-learn tactic.

Interviews can be recrafted into unique blog posts. The trick is asking the right questions.

Here are 11 lines of questioning you can use to extract great material:

#1: Informational Post

Q: What are the three biggest benefits to your target audience and why?

Many writers mistakenly focus on whiz-bang features, measures or accomplishments, but readers often have difficulty relating to these. By focusing on benefits, you push the interview subject to think outside of features and bells and whistles. Benefits are far more persuasive than features, and they are well-received by a larger audience.

#2: The Numbered List

Q: What are the [insert #] top questions asked by your [customers, readers, followers]? What are [#] more?

By using a two-part question, you force the subject to rank the priority of each item—space is limited. The second part of the question allows you to open it up, but you’ll know the items that really matter in your subject’s mind. Prioritized lists are important because many readers judge the value of your post by the first few items.

Numbered list posts often gain broad reach via social media. The two-part approach brings the reader in more effectively.

#3: The Mini Case Study

Q: Tell me about a day in your life—before and after the solution you chose.

By asking the subject to speak about his or her life, in personal rather than business terms, you’ll better extract how quality of life or work was improved. This leads to deeper and more unique follow-up questions and a strong emotional connection to your audience.

Ford continues to deliver a more “human” approach with case studies, making them more compelling blog posts for a larger audience.

#4: Link or Resource Round-Ups

Q: If you had a list of ‘best-kept secrets’ [websites, books, coaches] you’d recommend, which would you include and why?

By asking for resources outside the mainstream, you’re likely to get a round-up that’s far more unique than other round-up blogs that mention the same mainstream thing.

#5: Expert Guide

Q: What tips can you recommend that you’d only share with a close friend (and everyone reading this blog)?

This line of questioning will force the subject to think outside the box. The subject benefits because he or she becomes even more of an expert, while your readers will be all but guaranteed unique content.

#6: Common Pitfalls or Problems

Q: What are three hard-to-spot pitfalls that are critical to avoid?

Even people who have moderate knowledge of a topic know about obvious pitfalls. Focusing on the most difficult hurdles to spot will make you a hero in the eyes of the people you save.

#7: Predictions or Trends

Q: Looking out 3 to 5 years, beyond the obvious trends, what do you think will be the next big change in your industry?

If you focus more than a year or two in the future, you’ll push your subject to stay away from the obvious. Example: If you’re a marketer, you don’t get much value from your subject telling you that social media will be huge next year.

By focusing beyond the near future, blog posts are more likely to offer unique, rather than trending, insights. This means original content, more links and broader reach.

#8: Response to Another Blog or Current Event

Q: When you first read that [article, blog post, comic, etc.], what was your gut reaction

This phrasing gives the subject psychological permission to tell you his or her honest opinion and not necessarily the prepared one.

#9: Inspirational Post or Client Story

Q: What are three things you’ve told yourself that kept you going during your darkest hour?

This question immediately turns the interview subject from an interviewee into a coach and sage. You’ll be surprised at how this single powerful question can literally transform an entire interview.

Building an emotional hook early in the post inspired readers to continue reading and likely share the story with others.

#10: Personal Profile or Biographical Q&A

Q: What are three life memories you recall most frequently and why?

The memories we recall most are often the ones that have had the biggest impact on our lives. You’ll likely learn a lot about your subject by following this line of questioning.

Asking questions that make your subject a storyteller reveals his or her real voice and creates a more compelling storyline.

#11: Product, Service or Book Review

Q: What was the most difficult thing you decided to exclude from this review and what was your reasoning?

This question opens the interview subject up to a discussion about some of the things that may have been important but were not included for a variety of reasons. External factors like time, space, politics or other issues often don’t let reviewers include everything they’d like.

These eleven questions can help you craft great content for your blog. By interviewing, you’ll generate content that gives you tremendous reach.

I’d like to hear from you. What other lines of questioning have you used to enhance your blogging? Feel free to add your own in the comments below.

The American ice cream retailer, known for pounding and slapping customized creations on a “cold stone,” has long been a favorite of ice cream lovers – enthusiasm that has helped churn out 1,459 locations in the U.S. and 16 countries.

Like many retailers, the company long relied on traditional advertising to spread the word. But a YouTube video contest in 2005 set the company on a social media course.

Today, Cold Stone continues to innovate outside the kitchen, recently releasing what may be the first eGift feature on Facebook, and running contests that get thousands engaged even more deeply with the brand.

The payoff goes well beyond greater customer engagement; Cold Stone’s promotions add to the bottom line by moving people from their computers to physical stores.

$10,000 from eGift Sales

If you’re on Facebook, you’ve likely either given or received a virtual “gift” or widget from a friend, an icon such as a birthday cake or heart. These virtual tokens of affection allow friends to express their care.

This July, Cold Stone made eGifting more tangible. Now you can send Facebook friends a code for an actual ice cream creation eGift, ranging from $5 to $7, right from the Cold Stone Facebook fan page for delivery via Facebook or email. Like a gift certificate, recipients can instantly redeem the gift at any of the retailer’s American locations by showing a printout or the code on their mobile phones.

Cold Stone’s eGift Social uniquely allows Facebook friends to send codes for tangible gifts.

For a viral effect, the eGift shows up in the recipient’s News Feed on Facebook, so all friends can see it.

One of the first brands to enable eGift Social, created by First Data Corporation, Cold Stone links its social media presence directly with sales.

“The strategy, and really our goal, for eGift was more for that everyday gift,” said Suzanne Schutz, vice president of marketing at Cold Stone Creamery. “So, Veronica is having a bad day. I see that she posted something on her Facebook status. Very easily from the office in 2 minutes, I can spend $5 and send her an ice cream, and it makes her day.”

So far, the results are impressive, delivering on Cold Stone’s goal of increasing revenue for its many franchisees.

“We’ve sold in just over a month and a half, about 2,000 eGifts and we’ve added roughly $10,000 in incremental sales to the franchisees,” Schutz said. “Franchisees love it because they don’t have to do anything. It’s no extra labor. It’s all done in the virtual world, if you will, and then they just watch the sales come in. So they love it. We love it. Our fans love it. It’s definitely a win-win.”

Coupon Boosts Sales More Than 1%

In direct response to Facebook fans’ requests, Cold Stone decided to run a 2-for-$5 coupon campaign. The retailer posted the offer on its Facebook page and notified contacts by email.

Just 3 weeks in, fans had printed more than 500,000 coupons, with more than 20,000 of those from Facebook. Clearly, the campaign went well beyond just pleasing customers.

“Since we launched the campaign, we’ve seen sales increase just about 1 to 1.2%,” Schutz said. “We’ve seen a redemption rate of over 14%. For me as an advertiser, that’s a great ROI. For traditional advertising we would have spent upwards of $500,000 and we would have seen less redemption. I think our average redemption was .02%. So far, it exceeds what traditional advertising and print do.”

Fans ‘Eat Up’ New Flavors Contest

A summer flavors contest additionally drove fans to the company’s Facebook page and stores. Nearly 4,000 people entered the contest requiring them to post creative comments of 50 words or fewer about one of three featured summer flavors available in stores.

While official judges chose the winners based on originality, all entrants could share their entries and encourage their friends to vote for theirs. Entrants shared the news more than 3,000 times and more than 1,800 people voted through the application created by Wildfire Interactive.

“We saw 66,000 new fans over about an 8-week period,” said Anne Christenson, director of social marketing. “Obviously, it helps us gain some fans.”

The winners earned a trip to the Scottsdale, Arizona headquarters to work with the Cold Stone taste master on creating their own flavors. From there, Cold Stone will pick its favorite flavor to roll out at stores across the country in 2011.

A new flavors contest brought in 66,000 new Facebook fans.

Lowering the Cost of Sales

Cold Stone has made social media a major part of its marketing strategy, setting a goal of increasing traffic to stores by 3% through social media and non-traditional advertising like email, while reducing advertising spend.

“My main priority is profitability in driving sales,” Schutz said. “It is a lot less expensive than traditional advertising, say, a national billboard campaign or newspaper insert.”

The retailer focuses on four or five key promotions throughout the year, getting the attention of customers through Facebook, email, Twitter and YouTube. On YouTube, the company posts footage from events like its annual “World’s Largest Ice Cream Social,” which benefits Make-A-Wish Foundation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1NHu5nldUc

So far, every campaign with social media has brought a spike in store traffic and sales. Combined with lower marketing costs, the team has truly added to profit margins.

Currently, Cold Stone averages a cost of about 39 cents per coupon redeemed, compared to $3.60 per redemption with print advertising. Now more than half of the company’s advertising budget is dedicated to non-traditional activities like social media.

All that contributes to the company’s goal of raising sales for its many franchisees.

“We let our fans know about our new product launches or programs like eGift and our new flavors. And, in turn, we hope that our fans get excited about it, and then that drives them into our store, and ultimately makes the sale,” Schutz said.

How is your organization successfully driving visitors from social media sites to your shopping carts or cash registers? Let us know your comments in the box below.

In this post I’ll introduce practical ways to use good content for your tweets, everything from A to Z.

#1: Answers

Think about the questions your customers and prospects asked you this past week. Or maybe there are the repeat questions you’ve already answered on the FAQ page of your website.

To get started, create a list of questions, and answer them in your tweets one by one—paying particular attention to the most relevant at this time. For example, focus on seasonal questions, current rates and discounts, promotions and sales or commonly asked how-to’s in your business and industry. Save the list and add to it as you go along. What you don’t use this week may make even more sense a few weeks from now.

#2: Behind the Scenes

Anne Handley refers to this type of content sharing as the “insider’s view of your company,” where you have the opportunity to share updates about the projects and work you’re currently involved in. You can also use behind the scenes as an opportunity to welcome a new client or feature any other newsy development. Give readers or followers an inside look at your company.

#3: Case Studies

Dust off those case studies and offer them via your tweets for immediate download. Another option is to repurpose the material by pulling out 140-character messages that will wow your Twitter followers.

#4: Daily Deals

Use tweets to announce a daily deal you’re offering or one you’ve signed on with Groupon (or another daily deal site) by pushing out a message to gain optimal attention (e.g., “Today $6 general admission ticket to Museum of Science and Nature—up to a $12 value.”)

#5: Events

When you’re hosting or attending an event, you can send out a tweet to let followers know about it. Perhaps your company has a booth, so you might send out multiple tweets during the event to let know conference attendees where they can find you.

#6: Factoid

These types of tweets are the one-liner statistics that impact your industry or are current events and newsworthy for a variety of reasons. They demonstrate your company’s commitments and interests, and add personality to your business.

#7: Guide

Customers may be new to Twitter, blogs and social networking sites. You can use your tweets as a way to educate them about the process and integrate your blog posts with your Twitter messages. Tweets themselves can be teaching tools about social media marketing.

#8: Hashtags

Hashtags consist of using the # symbol followed by subject words; e.g., #followfriday. They help organize information and make tweets more searchable. They’re commonly used at conferences and live events. You can search hashtags to see what people are talking about. It’s also useful to do an advanced search on Twitter using hashtags as one of the search operators.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHitI26MmE

#9: Interviews

Twitter messages don’t need to be confined to single 140-character messages. An interesting way to use tweets is in conversations via Twitter interviews. Cindy King’s informative post offers 7 Steps to Successful Twitter Interviews.

#10: Joint Venture

Good Twitter content consists of certain netiquette—giving credit where credit is due by retweeting, or by using other mechanisms such as the word “via”— indicating that you came across the information somewhere else and are now writing about it, too. Twitter is naturally viral and as long as you “pay it forward” and think of Twitter as a joint venture, your tweets will become an important component of your social media strategy where you won’t simply be pushing out messages, you’ll be conversing with others and building your social network.

#11: Keywords

Web content (and print content for that matter) has always been about the use of keywords. Twitter is no exception. Good Twitter content makes use of relevant words and messages. Make a list of keywords that best describe your business and industry. Use these words as you compose your 140-character posts. Think quality over quantity. Make every character and tweet count!

#12: Live Events

Tweeting about live events fits Twitter like a glove. The immediacy of getting out messages about start times is particularly useful in the business world, especially when you’re at an in-person conference or hosting a live webinar. Sending out follow-up tweets about an event is also a great way for webinar hosts to answer questions that may not have been fully addressed during the event.

#13: Meme

In a recent post, 5 Ways to Get the Support of Social Media Influencers, Sam Rosen discusses the importance of memetic content. He writes, “No Fear is a meme. The Red Bull Flugtag is a meme. It’s something that people can identify with, make their own and share with others.” Think of the possibilities of short memetic-type tweets. If you have a tagline that speaks to people and gets your company and brand noticed, you can further expand its reach by including it in a series of tweets.

The point being that tweets can have a theme to them. You can extract messages from larger bodies of work and group them together in an ongoing series.

#14: News

Twitter has been instrumental in helping break important stories about local and global events. As Greg Sandoval writes on CNET news, “One-quarter of all Twitter posts include a link to another piece of content, such as a news story or video. Twitter has 190 million unique monthly visitors, so that’s a lot of content zooming across the platform.”

Want to announce important company and industry news? There’s great potential for getting the message out there on such a large platform and you can do it very simply and cost-effectively by pressing the “Tweet” button.

#15: Opinion

Using opinions in tweets is a good way to make it possible for your customers and followers to get to know more about you and your company. Opinion tweets can be seen as brief editorials. For example, if your product is environmentally friendly, you can create green-oriented posts that reflect issues beyond your product. It’s important to convey the image you want to be known for.

#16: Photos

As the saying goes, "Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words," or in this case, sometimes a picture is worth 140 characters!

Let’s face it, there are times when a photo is more effective. One industry that uses photos a lot is real estate. How nice it would be for people looking at homes not only to hear about an open house happening in their neighborhood but also to see a photo of the property?

Josh Catone describes five ways to share images on Twitter:

1. Twitter image sharing services
2. SMS or email
3. Brightkite or FriendFeed
4. Skitch
5. Encoded Tweets.

#17: Quotes

Business tweets can also be inspirational. They can motivate and influence thinking by using some of your favorite quotes.

• There are websites that categorize famous quotes by topic, and by Googling “quotes,” you’ll find thousands of sites to choose from.
• You can also use a quote from a book or magazine article you’ve been reading.

When planning your tweet, leave extra room for characters so you can be sure to give credit to the source.

#18: Real-time

To keep up with the flurry of information on a given topic, you may find it helpful to use a variety of tools to manage the influx of tweets. For example, on TweetDeck you can have a number of columns open to follow groups of people, see direct messages sent to you via Twitter, and organize by topic. That way you can stay ahead of the game and compose the most real-time tweets possible.

#19: Share Links

Many blogs and online news services offer integration with your Twitter account so you can share the link of the article with your followers as you read it. This is one of my favorite uses of Twitter. On the occasions when you come across a link you’d like to share and there isn’t a Twitter share widget already integrated for you on the web page, you can copy and paste the URL into a number of URL shorteners such as bit.ly or tinyurl, and add a few words about why you’re tweeting out the link.

#20: Tips

Got a product-related tip? A useful tidbit of information you’d like to share with your customers and followers? People are often looking for quick and easy solutions to manage their time and be more productive. Why not share some of your useful tips with them?

#21: Updates and Announcements

Updates and announcements from your business can be categorized as good to know, better to know and need to know. The Red Cross, for example, uses Twitter to broadcast important messages about emergencies and relief efforts.

#22: Value

When in doubt about what to microblog, think about what will add value to your audience today. What makes you the go-to company or service provider for your customers? Value tweets will remind them of why you’re an invaluable resource.

#23: White Papers

Ah, white papers. A list of content ideas for Twitter would not be complete without mention of white papers. Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner’s founder, is the author of Writing White Papers. White papers provide value to your readers and linking to them is an excellent cost-effective promotion tool. Why not get the word out on a frequent basis about your white paper offerings? Twitter makes it possible.

#24: Christmas Gift Ideas

If you’re a B2C business, you can use Twitter to give customers ideas about Christmas gifts and keep your products before their eyes through the holiday shopping season. With Twitter, you can continue to promote your products up to the last minute that they can be shipped in time to guarantee Christmas delivery.

#25: YouTube

Twitter can be used to link to a YouTube video. Videos are especially viral and people love them. For example, here’s a great YouTube video by Mari Smith on Twitter Hashtags.

You could tweet, “Checkout video on Twitter hashtags, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHitI26MmE”. (As discussed above, you can save on character real estate by using a URL shortener.)

#26: Zippy Writing Style

Twitter messages need to make the best possible use of 140 characters. This is where writing style comes into play. Good tweet content is not only useful in terms of all the types covered up to now. What makes a good tweet stand out is how the message is delivered. In other words, tweet lively and entertaining messages.

Final Thoughts About Twitter Content Ideas

Creating a mix of different types of tweets for your business will help keep them fresh, relevant and readable.

What Twitter content ideas can you add to this list? Which ones are you already using? Which ones do you enjoy reading most? Leave your comments in the box below.

Image sources: Flickr twitter image, Flickr alphabet image

In honor of this special day, I would like to help you grow your blog by sharing some tips we have learned over our last 12 months of explosive growth.

Before I share my tips, I would like to reveal the name of our mascot…

Our Mascot Is No Longer Nameless

Over the last few weeks we asked you (and your peers) to help us name our mascot.  Now that today is his first birthday, he finally deserves a name!

More than 500 names poured in, we narrowed down our top 5 favorites and then more than 650 people voted.

And the new name of our mascot is…  Well, you’ll need to watch this video to find out:

Congratulations to Dawn Barclay for suggesting the winning name!

Okay, so here are our tips for achieving successful blog growth…

#1: It’s All About Community

In the beginning, we had the mistaken notion that all that mattered was great content.  Don’t get me wrong, content is essential and always will be (see Tip #2).

Things really took off the moment we integrated our Facebook page into our blog.  Almost overnight, what I call “lurkers” (those people who read but don’t interact), came forward en masse.

At first they told us how much they appreciated our site.  But then they began to interact with each other, support one another and connect.  It was an amazing community that was building right in front of us.

This is a great example of community in action as readers are helping readers.

Here are some pointers when trying to build a community on your blog:

• Set up a Facebook page and be sure to actively engage folks as they write on your wall.
• Try to respond to as many comments on your blog posts as possible.
• Create events on Facebook that encourage folks to come together, like Expert Fridays, virtual happy hours or other Facebook experiences.

When people who share a common interest can come together on your site, you’ll be one step closer to explosive blog growth.

#2: Great Content Is Essential

I believe outstanding content is essential to ongoing growth.  But great content tied to a great community is the key to explosive results.  In the beginning, you might need to get your great content on someone else’s platform to ultimately grow your own.

Before this blog, I was a regular contributor to Copyblogger.  Brian Clark’s amazing site helped me build up my prior blog and set the stage for Social Media Examiner.

I’ve also seen many folks who write for Social Media Examiner achieve amazing results (like book deals).  So, great content in front of the right audience is really critical.

Here are the key components to great content:

• Your writing should be conversational and easy to read.
• Use lots of subheads, bold text and visuals to accommodate skim readers.
• Make sure each of your posts looks good to the eye.  If it looks appealing, people will consider reading it.
• Work on a compelling opening… That means you should master the headline process and create alluring openings to all your posts.

Notice the way the headline and opening were crafted for this post…

#3: Go Beyond Just Text and Pictures

Great content doesn’t need to be limited to the written word.  We discovered that there are plenty of people who prefer to learn by watching or listening.  Try mixing up your media.

From the beginning we invested in video.  We took a camera crew with us to major trade shows and interviewed experts from big brands like Starbucks.

We also did recorded phone interviews with high-profile experts.  We transcribed the content and provided audio recordings.

This interview with Chris Brogan is one of many we did over the last year.

Here are a few video tips:

• You don’t need a video crew. You can start out with a simple Flip video camera for on-site interviews.
• Consider doing live video broadcasts.
• Conversational video between two people is often more interesting than a talking head.

Here’s to Another Great Year!

Thank you so much for being an integral part of the Social Media Examiner growth story!  We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for faithful readers like you.

I don’t know what our second year has in store, but I’m excited to see what will unfold as we journey together through the social media jungle.

What are your thoughts about these tips? Do you have any to add? Please leave your comments in the box below.

Yet something was missing – the hard business case for social media.  Like most companies, Cisco knew it was benefiting from social media, but it couldn’t prove it.

The launch of a new router using only social media would provide the proof Cisco’s marketers were seeking.

The results surprised even the social media enthusiasts. With this single project, the company shaved six figures off its launch expenses and set a new precedent for future product launches.

“It was classified as one of the top five launches in company history,” said LaSandra Brill, senior manager, global social media. “It was the crossing the chasm point for us in the adoption phase of social media and helped us get over the hump of internal acceptance.”

Router Launch: Promotion Through Play

Up to that point, the traditional product launch went something like this:

• Fly in more than 100 executives and press members from 100 countries to headquarters in San Jose, California
• Take a few hours of the CEO’s or an executive’s time to prep and present
• Distribute well-crafted – but static – press releases to key media
• Email customers
• Run print ads in major business newspapers and magazines

For its Aggregated Services Router (ASR) launch, Cisco aimed to execute entirely online leveraging social media, and in doing so, engage network engineers in a more interactive, fun way.

Cisco met its audience where they were – in online venues and the gaming world. Here’s how:

Second Life – The company built a stage with big-screen monitors, chairs for the audience and palm trees for its flagship launch event – entirely in a Second Life environment. It then piped in video of executives presenting the ASR.

Network engineers or the press could board their own “personal transport device” to surf through a virtual router.

To generate pre-launch buzz, the team held a concert in Second Life featuring eight bands over seven hours.

An executive presents the new ASR in a live Second Life event.

A 3D Game – More than 20,000 network engineers learned as they played a 3D game, wherein they “defended the network” using the ASR. (Research shows that 17% to 18% of IT professionals play games online every day.) Top scorers went on to a championship round with the winner bagging $10,000 plus a router.

“If they’re playing games, that’s how they want to engage and that’s who they are,” Brill said. “How do we make that applicable to what they do at work?”

YouTube – Video gets eyeballs. Cisco’s “Future of Shopping” is up to 3.3 million views.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDi0FNcaock

Additionally, the company heavily used video to educate customers and the media about the ASR, encouraging them to pass along links via social sharing.

Video conferencing – The company’s next-generation video conferencing technology, Cisco TelePresence, brought customers together at local offices around the globe. Executives back in San Jose could see the audience’s facial expressions and vice versa.

Mobile – A video datasheet engaged engineers on their mobile devices.

Facebook – Hardcore network engineers could connect on the Cisco Support Group for Uber User Internet Addicts. How addicted are they? One member shared that he networked his community swimming pool so he could stay connected poolside.

“It allowed them to connect with Cisco in a new way, and build preference and customer loyalty,” Brill said.

Social Media Widget – Cisco assembled videos, collateral and images in a widget format and embedded it into “social media” news releases and launch pages. Bloggers and others could spread the information easily with the embedded code.

Cisco blogs – Videos and other content engaged bloggers and customers, encouraging viral pickups.

Online forum – Cisco seeded its Networking Professionals Technology Community Forum with launch-related discussion topics and gave customers an “Ask the Expert” function.

The whole campaign spanned three months with the launch in the middle. During pre-launch, launch and post-launch, Cisco kept the audience engaged by encouraging discussion with and among its audience.

Reaching 9,000 People

Compared to traditional launches of the past, the ASR launch delivered eye-opening numbers. More than 9,000 people (90 times more than past launches) from 128 countries attended virtual launch events. Without travel, the launch saved an estimated 42,000 gallons of gas.

Plus, top executives spent only about an hour recording the video presentation.

Print ads were largely replaced with media coverage, including nearly three times as many press articles as a comparable traditional launch, more than 1,000 blog posts and 40 million online impressions.

Yet Cisco wasn’t the only one recognizing the impact of the campaign. In fact, the company earned a Leading Lights award for Best Marketing.

Taken alone, the reach of the campaign impresses. But consider this: The whole launch cost one-sixth of a similar launch that used traditional outreach methods.

Social Media: The New Norm

The ASR launch effectively tore the lid off social media at Cisco, which now truly walks its talk regarding the power of networks. Since then, social networking comes standard with every product launch and print advertising funds have largely moved to social activities.

And media like video, Facebook and Twitter keep customers and the press engaged continuously. Cisco now runs live public Q&A sessions showcasing John Chambers, Cisco’s chairman and CEO, as he answers questions coming in via Twitter.

Live TelePresence sessions bring executives and customers together for face-to-face virtual meetings.

The company’s chief technology officer, Padmasree Warrior, communicates with nearly 1.4 million followers on Twitter.

With subsequent launches, the company has realized even greater ROI – now seeing costs just one-seventh of those before. But the networking company keeps pursuing even greater returns with social networking.

“Now that we’ve got that buy-in, we need to just continue to show the success of one campaign over another,” Brill said.

Tools like Radian6 and Symphony help the core social media team, now eight people, measure the impact relative to cost of each campaign. After every campaign, the team just sets new benchmarks to beat.

“Social media doesn’t replace the need for white papers or sales interaction. I think it helps accelerate and shorten the sales cycle,” Brill said. “There are studies out there that people who are involved in communities and engaged with the brand are likely to spend up to 50% more than those who are not. We want to try to prove that.”

What success have you seen using social media for launches of new products or services? What worked well and what didn’t? Leave your comments in the box below.