There are a lot of companies out there that are built around the social networking space, comapnies like facebook, myspace, twitter, etc. Then there are other companies that make offline products like Dell, Intel, Nike, etc, that are trying to leverage social networks to build connections and relationships with their users. What I haven’t really seen though is companies using their actual products to market their social media platforms, or the products themselves. It’s a novel idea for the enterprise and as you know my mantra is “be creative and be clever.” So I’m pondering ways that companies can use their physical products to either let users know about their online presence, or how the product can be used as a marketing tool in itself.
Keep in mind, this is more of brainstorming session then a “let’s figure out the logistics” session, I’m going for ideas here.
- What if every time I bought an Apple product I was given a certificate for $100 off that I could give to a friend that didn’t own a mac.
- What if every time I bought something from Prada (no I don’t shop there) I was given access to a flickr account where I could upload pictures of me in my new Prada clothes, users could vote on the best pics/outfits and could win free Prada “stuff.”
- What if the next time I got on Southwest airlines, right before showing me that safety video, Southwest showed me a screen with their blog URL and twitter accounts. All the users on a particular flight that then twitter about it have the chance of winning 3 free flights.
The point is that companies out there do a decent job of using social media to reach out to their users (most do not) which are already online. What I’m saying is that companies need to connect the online and offline together. How many people fly on Southwest every year? Millions? Imagine if they all new about the Southwest blog or twitter accounts, it would be huge!
I’m very curious to hear some of your ideas, on how companies can let their products do the marketing for them.
Thanks for reading
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