If you don’t think your customers have the power to change the way others think about your product, think again.
During the first game of the Monday Night Football season, ESPN introduced a new down and distance graphic on the bottom of the screen. The problem – every time the down changed, it lit up in a bright yellow color. Guess what else is bright yellow? The penalty flag graphic.
For the better part of the first half, the Twitter universe was out in full force– and they were not talking about the action on the field. Comment after comment was simply about the confusion of watching the game and thinking that every play was a penalty. On what should be the best night of the season, ESPN was getting killed on social media.
But give ESPN credit, because it didn’t need a day of reflection and meetings to get it right. They reacted quickly, and by halftime, viewers saw the normal black background and white lettering they had grown accustomed to seeing. ESPN even responded to the criticism on social media, commenting they were calling an “audible” and would make the change. The power of viewer feedback was felt at ESPN.
Effective use of social media can get your flight rebooked, announce the gender of your child to your family and friends, or even replace the daily press briefings of a president’s administration. Instant feedback and the way you respond to it can make or break a business. For ESPN, they were applauded for the speed in which they reacted.
Social media should be planned and executed like any other marketing tactic. For example, a marketing partner asked Babcox to manage its Twitter and Instagram accounts, and by mixing relevant content from our archives with new messages about the latest products, videos of those products in action, and messages to the industry, they have grown social engagement by more than 140%.
Do you have a plan to use social media for your business? Do you need help to find the right content to grow your audience? Does an executive in your company tell you to “do social media” but doesn’t understand what this means? Let the experts at Babcox Media help build a winning strategy for your brand using content for your social media channels.
Randy Loeser is the Publisher/Executive Director of Content & Video at Babcox Media. Connect with Randy by email or call (330) 670-1234 ext. 285.
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