Simple Ways to Build User Engagement
Some of us LugIron folks attended this week’s Austin Social Media Breakfast. We heard about PetRelocation.com and their social media strategies from Kevin O’Brien, CEO, and Rachel Farris, director of PR and new media and employee number 2.
Their talks inspired me to think about some basic ways that you can build user engagement in communities whether it’s on Twitter, through blog entries, in a community you build yourself, or on Facebook.
Some background on their business – they do corporate relocation for people’s pets when someone moves for their job. Their community is an amalgam of groups all over the Internet. There are the raving pet fans – they are mostly on Facebook. There are the relocation professionals – they interact on a group on LinkedIn.
Tell stories – Rachel highlights a pet move of the month and posts a photo about the move also. On their Facebook fan page, they have testimonials from people who have moved with their pets.
Be social – Kevin talked about integrating social interaction into every area of the business, even transforming accounting. Each interaction from sending invoices to receiving payment has an opportunity to socialize.
Think neighborly – Another quote from Kevin that stuck with me was “We don’t want all the land, just the land next to ours.” Because their market is so focused, they don’t have to build the biggest site or community. But related sites could be their community “neighbors,” like Dogster and Catster.
Remember the little guys – One of the most “sticky” stories on their site is about Larry the Lobster, a 70-year-old lobster in a New York City restaurant tank who was mentioned on Bloomberg. Even though PetRelocation didn’t end up doing the relocation, he was freed in the ocean near Maine, and the audience delighted in the story.
Everyone loves a t-shirt – They gave out t-shirts that said Be social on the front with their Twitter handle on the back. Here in Austin, we still don’t tire of t-shirts. When I first moved here before the boom, my 20-something programmer friends wore nothing but free t-shirts and cargo shorts and we always knew what they were working on or what they represented because of their shirts. T-shirts are a often physical representation of an event, and events are a great part of building community and engaging people.
How about your ideas for uncomplicated user engagement practices?
-->