August 5, 2010
The Power of the Unexpected
By: Katie Morse
It’s no big secret that the Old Spice campaign has been a success. News outlets and blogs including the Financial Post, AdWeek and Mashable covered it, thousands have tweeted about it (myself included), and millions have watched the videos posted on YouTube.
I happened to stumble upon Jason Falls’ post while wandering across the Internet doing some research for this post, and his definition of engagement really struck a chord.
What successful engagement means to me is this:
Did you get something from your audience that can make your business better?
That can mean profits. You sold stuff = Successful engagement.
That can mean ideas. You got feedback on your product or service you can use = Successful engagement.
That can mean referrals and recommendations. You got customers to tell other people you’re cool = Successful engagement.
That can mean digital merit badges. You got people to link to you, follow you, Re-Tweet you = Successful engagement.
We’ve been trained to expect certain outcomes. If we Tweet about a company, they may respond back via an @ reply or a DM. If we write a blog post, we’re used to seeing comments. Many businesses send gifts to their top customers around the holiday season, and many customers have been conditioned to expect these gifts to arrive as the year comes to a close.
Now, the OldSpice campaign was certainly successful, but what really struck me as the most important lesson is this: How can your business use the power of the unexpected to “wow”?
OldSpice did it by recording video responses to Tweets and uploading them in rapid-fire succession to their YouTube page for viewers to watch, enjoy, and share. It may be just one example, but it’s one that worked to help increase sales over 50% in the last three months alone (according to Brandweek).
Going back to Jason’s definition of engagement – here’s the question to answer. How can using something that’s a bit unexpected help your engagement?
Starting off by defining what engagement means to your business is a necessary first step. From there, things become a bit more clear as most will already know the expected path to achieve those goals. The trick is how to put a twist on them to make them work for you and your brand.
So the next time you’re responding to a Tweet, writing an email, writing a blog post, or planning your next marketing campaign, try thinking of ways to incorporate something a bit unexpected into the mix.
I’m curious about your favorite examples of companies that have done this. Share your examples and thoughts in the comments!
I love this. It's so true, and not just for SM engagement. I've long thought that the companies who "win" are those who give 105%. You don't have to WOW me every single time, just show that you've put a little effort in. Small mail order businesses do this well. Just toss in a boomark or a sticker or a handwritten note or something. That additional little personal touch really makes the difference in creating that human connection.
Agreed! I think the key in your comment is remembering that wowing people doesn't mean doing something totally outrageous — so often, the little, extra efforts make all the difference in the world. I've run into a few different companies — and small ones, at that — that have taken those extra steps to show they're listening and they care, and those small things have made me a fan for life.
Thanks for the comment, Jeremy!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ilikerashersrss, Social Solutions, Bryan Cromlish, Reputation Manager, Teresa Basich and others. Teresa Basich said: New post from @misskatiemo on the Radian6 blog discussing the power of the unexpected in social medi engagement: http://bit.ly/bCe02R [...]
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I've got one. A week or so ago I commented on a post on the Sinek Partners website. I've been a fan for a while, but it was my first post. I did something unexpected – I told Simon that I was his biggest fan (probably not quite true, but it has to be close). But what he did trumped my comment – he CALLED me. Dug my phone number out of a chain of links and called me at the office. Fan for life? You better believe it.
Agreed! I think the key in your comment is remembering that wowing people doesn't mean doing something totally outrageous — so often, the little, extra efforts make all the difference in the world. I've run into a few different companies — and small ones, at that — that have taken those extra steps to show they're listening and they care, and those small things have made me a fan for life.
Thanks for the comment, Jeremy!