February 13, 2012
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Justin Ravnell
One morning in March 2009, Mari Luangrath (pictured) woke up to a horrible phone call from her website designer. The message: The site for her soon-to-launch Chicago-based online cupcake company, Foiled Cupcakes, wasn’t ready and wouldn’t be for another two months. After a mini freak-out, Luangrath began to brainstorm ideas for how to build awareness and buzz while she waited for her site.
She first jumped on Facebook, created a business page and then started posting thought-provoking questions to anyone who’d listen.
“On Administrative Professionals Day, for example, I posted the question, ‘Why is your admin the best?’" she says. “I then said that once we opened, I’d gift a free dozen cupcakes for whomever gave the best response. It got the conversation going about our brand.”
From there, she was on to Twitter. A newbie to the network, Luangrath was a little confused at first, but soon caught on by honing in on her target customer demographic as well as Twitter influencers and initiating conversations about everything but her business.
“I wasn’t into the hard sell,” she says. “Instead, I’d talk to people individually about things they were talking about. The back and forth helped develop relationships and eventually we would get around to chatting about Foiled Cupcakes.”
Next up: LinkedIn, a social network she approached in a purely creative fashion. Instead of pushing her company, she rented out a series of spas and invited her target demographic to hosted manicure/cupcake parties. The plan worked beautifully. Not only did it create buzz about the company, but goodwill as well.
Two months later, it was show time. With a whopping 2,000 followers already on Twitter, Luangrath contacted her 10 most influential and asked them to check out her newly launched site.
“I thought they would give me critiques, but instead I had orders flowing in within two hours,” she says. “It hasn’t slowed down since. Today, 90 percent of my business comes from social media.”
Strategy breakdown
Whoa. 90 percent?! Luangrath backs up this number by saying she and her team develop personal relationships with each customer and follow up on every order by asking how clients heard of Foiled Cupcakes. Almost everyone cites Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or the company’s blog, "Do I Have Cupcake On My Face?!"
What’s her strategy for social media success?
Starting with Facebook, Luangrath uses the site to interact with her customers by asking for ideas and input. She (or members of her team) will respond to every comment, which inspires even more comments. She will also give away free product often.
“If they share a great idea, I will give a free box of cupcakes, no problem,” she says.
Luangrath stays away from selling on Facebook. For example, instead of promoting Valentine’s Day specials, she will re-post a self-written blog entry, like "5 Fun Tips for Valentine’s Day." Readers who click on the link will not only be directed to the blog, but to her sales site as well.
Over on Twitter (Foiled Cupcakes now has more than 8,200 followers), Luangrath is a fiend, posting as often as 40 times per day. What does she post?
“I post personal things, lowest common denominator topics to relate with people, such as the frustration of sitting on the subway, the weather, I post pictures, etc.,” she says. “These are the types of things that get people talking.”
She also retweets on a regular basis and tags others with whom she'd like to communicate. For example, she’d love to get her product on The Martha Stewart Show, so she’ll include the show’s handle, @TheMarthaShow, in many of her tweets, just to get producers’ attention and keep her company top of mind.
Her LinkedIn strategy has changed a little over the past two years. These days, she offers a subscription cupcake service (which delivers cupcakes to your door) for her business clients, and if they sign up, she will send them an invitation to a secret LinkedIn group.
“I keep the group private and offer special deals and tips on various things to those subscribers,” says Luangrath.
Luangrath’s blog is the most static social media tool in her armory, but she still utilizes it to announce promotions, product changes and contest winners. It is more like a newsletter, she notes, but is good to have, especially since followers can put it on their RSS feeds.
Social media advice
Want to pump up your social media strategy? Take note of Luangrath’s three pieces of advice.
1. Be human. Customers want to relate to brands and feel as though they are talking to human beings, so talk about every day topics and encourage conversations about things other than your core business.
2. Always respond. Reply to every comment or tweet received. Don’t have the time? Hire a marketing assistant. Luangrath’s assistant commits two to three hours per week to replying. Constant conversation builds engagement among clients.
3. Be strategic about your time. Social media tools can be a tad overwhelming, so focus on the few you like and work to build the network you desire. Spreading yourself too thin can dilute your efforts.
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Justin Ravnell 3 months ago
I second that!! I really enjoyed the article too!