February 27, 2012
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Shane OConnor
John Hlinko helped launch MoveOn.org in 1998 and was also a leader behind DraftObama.org, the highly viral online campaign created to get traction for then-Senator Barack Obama as he embarked on his presidential campaign, Additionally, he has coached companies like Walmart, Microsoft and Disney on crafting successful viral marketing—the man knows a thing or two about succeeding in the world of social media. So it comes as no surprise that his book, Share, Tweet, Repeat, is rife with insights that inspire, and are realistic for small business owners, regardless of their social media expertise or even their budgets.
We recently asked Hlinko about social media and viral marketing for small business owners.
How is viral marketing especially important for today's small business owners?
Small business owners have to be particularly concerned with maximizing efficiency and return on investment. All businesses care about this, of course, but with small businesses, a bad month or two can mean the difference between make and break. The good news is that a small business that executes a viral marketing plan successfully could have the potential for truly explosive growth—doubling or tripling in size, or even more.
Can you point to an example?
When Georgetown Cupcake opened in Washington, D.C., in 2008, they started a “secret cupcake of the day” promotion via Facebook and Twitter. Each morning, they would send out an update with a “secret”-flavor cupcake. If you were one of the first 100 people to come into the bakery and tell them the secret flavor, you would get that cupcake for free (one per customer). Every morning, Georgetowners who didn’t even know about the promotion would pass by the bakery, see a huge line, and think, “Wow, those must be the best cupcakes on the planet”—which only added to the hype. Since then, the owners of Georgetown Cupcake have not only opened up additional stores, they’ve also managed to land the reality show DC Cupcakes on TLC. And with 32,000 Twitter followers and 150,000 Facebook fans, they’ve built a base of people they can leverage for a whole host of promotional efforts.
You say that successful viral marketing is "ultimately fueled by spread-worthy content." What is that, exactly?
It really comes down to one key thing: Spread-worthy content will make someone look good (smart, cool, etc.) if they spread it. If your content will do that, it is far more likely to go viral.
In an era of corporate skepticism, how are small businesses uniquely positioned to use social media to create a sense of trust between themselves and their consumers?
Take Facebook advertising. Right now, you can set up ads for your business’s Facebook page that are geographically targeted and show when any given Facebook user’s friends have already “liked” your business. This is quite powerful, since it serves as an instant endorsement from a trusted source, and thus boosts credibility. Small businesses, especially those with a specific geographic reach, are perfectly positioned to capitalize on this.
Who within a small business should craft the tweets, Facebook status updates and e-mail messages?
Quite simply, the best writer on your team. Great content is what engages and spreads. If you have several strong writers on your team, they can all create content, but it’s key to assign someone who can act as an editor, just to ensure that messages don’t conflict and that any ongoing narratives are maintained.
You encourage businesses to interact with their fans. But are there ways of interacting with Facebook fans and the like that will actually hurt a business?
I think the big lesson is to avoid spending much time engaging people who are just plain jerks. And for almost any effort, there will be some of those. Constructive criticism is fine, of course, and that’s a different story. If you can sway an honest critic, then odds are you’ve made an evangelist as well.
What do you tell the small business owner who wants to know one or two things she can do right now, with her small team of eight people and no social media budget, to get her company's message read and spread?
Figure out who on your team is the most adept at social media and make him or her responsible for making sure things get done. Next, create a Facebook fan page for your business, and do enough targeted advertising to get it to a critical mass of fans. Let’s say you own a new wine shop in Des Moines, Iowa. More than 3,000 people live within 10 miles of Des Moines who list “wine” as an interest in their Facebook profiles, so there’s your automatic target. A good page like this can be up within an hour, is reasonably easy to maintain, and a few hundred dollars’ worth of advertising is probably sufficient to draw enough fans to make the effort worthwhile.
What's the biggest mistake a small company could make when it comes to social media?
Not giving someone responsibility to lead and drive the effort. It’s fine to let different people contribute, but unless someone in particular is charged with driving the effort and is responsible for its success, it’s way too easy for your social media goals to get pushed to the back of the queue.
Heidi Pearson is a Twin Cities-based writer, editor and stylist whose work has appeared in varied print and digital publications covering everything from finance and technology to lifestyle, home and garden.
Note: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of FedEx.
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Shane OConnor 3 months ago
Hey Jefferson! I'm a liberal Democrat who owns 2 businesses and I have a day job. P.S. I attended a lowly community college. Get your head out of Roger Ailes' Ass.