This is part three of a four-part write up of a presentation prepared for the women of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) – Jessamine Chapter. The businesses and social media examples featured are those that I felt are most relatable and approachable.

By Ashley Thiesen Caldwell
www.TheModernConnection.com

Spirit Telecom, a telecommunications company, is a noteworthy social media case study. Spirit’s headquarters are in Columbia, SC with many other branches all over the state.

Led by Step Ahead Web Strategies, Spirit launched a “Magic Phone” Kindle giveaway in February of 2010. Using Twitter, they asked people to tweet about whom they would call if they had a magic phone. This could be anyone, dead or alive, which solicited some very interesting replies.

The tweet also included a #hashtag (or a way to categorize tweets), a way to invite your other Twitter friends to “use” the magic phone and a link to the Sprit Web site, which featured details about the giveaway.

I like this promotion because not only was it brand consistent (a telecom company playing a phone game), but it was fun. People liked participating in the #magicphone contest because they got to play the “what if” game. I think the chance of winning a Kindle was a perk.

Since the contest, Spirit has continued to maintain their company Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and blog, which focuses on education and communication.

What We Can Learn From Spirit Telcom

1. Be consistent with your brand – Using a phone game for a telecom company makes sense. When selecting your own social media tactics, strive for brand consistency.

2. Use what’s popular and what works – The Charleston Twitter community is very active and close-knit. Spirit used this to their advantage by creating a community through a popular platform.

3. People like freebies – Again, finding an incentive for people to take action is sometimes all it takes. According to the Step Ahead blog, the competition drove 4,500 hits to the Spirit Web site. Could this have been done without the allure of a freebie? Perhaps, but it’s nice to reward those loyal participants and brand evangelists.

4. Maintain regularity after a promotion – Post-contest, Spirit has maintained a significant online presence using social media platforms. This shows that they are serious about the relationships they’ve built and will continue to put the effort in to the online community, even after the promotion is complete.

About the author: Ashley Thiesen Caldwell is the founder and owner of The Modern Connection, LLC, which is an Internet marketing business with a social media focus based out of Charleston, SC.

Comments are closed.