Marketing Blog: FootPrints

by Julie Walsh, on January 14, 2011, filed under: Branding, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Walker Sands

Like most of us on a typical Friday afternoon, I was struggling to find energy and focus to get me through my day.

I innocently tweeted my need for caffeine. Little did I know my “innocent tweet” would launch me into one of the most unique social media experiences in my life.

Within 30 minutes of posting my need caffeine on Twitter I received a reply from @PopChipsChicago suggesting I put some “pop” in my afternoon by having some of their all natural chips. No sooner after seeing their reply, I received a huge gift basket to my desk filled with PopChips and a personal note from the PopChips Chicago team.

This is an exemplary experience in 1 to 1 marketing and using social media to build your brand. PopChips is doing a lot of things right, and other brands should take note.

First, the PopChips Chicago twitter account is always interacting with their followers building brand relationships via social media channels. In this experience, PopChips listened and responded to one person at the right time, showing how effective engagement and 1 to 1 marketing can be.

I personally will now be a loyal PopChips customer for life because of this experience. As soon as it happened I immediately shared it with my sister, the rest of the office and many friends.  Because of the uniqueness of the experience these people are also likely to share the story with someone they know, creating a powerful and impromptu viral marketing campaign. Rapidly, my PopChips story was shared countless times; which brings me to my next point: timeliness.

I am thoroughly impressed that the entire experience took place in under 30 minutes. Getting anywhere in Chicago in less than 30 minutes is a minor miracle alone, but is also a great lesson in timeliness. If you are going to retweet or reply to a follower on twitter it is best practice to do it in under an hour so it is still timely and relevant. In the social media information age, news gets old pretty fast.

While I realize my experience with PopChips is not feasible for every brand to replicate, it is certainly an excellent lesson in 1 to 1 marketing. Needless to say my Friday afternoon definitely experienced a “pop.” Thanks PopChips Chicago!

About this contributor: Julie Walsh is a Media Relations Specialist for Walker Sands and is currently working on her master’s degree in Public Relations and Advertising at DePaul University. As a Media Relations Specialist for Walker Sands, Julie supports the team and their clients by developing pitches, securing placements, building media distribution lists, and research. Julie received her bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University in Strategic Communication.