Anyone in the experimental marketing business will tell you there’s been a bit of a social media revolution in our world. I know it’s impacted my business—I’ve witnessed it grow from…we should try this, to becoming an integral part of both my business and client campaigns.
So, if you’re doing a little back and forth… to tweet, or not to tweet? I’d like to tell you—tweet!
I’m sure you’ve heard the arguments in favour of tweeting. In short, it can be used by event marketers to target customers as well as increase sales. Twitter can promote your event before, during, and after. Moreover, twitter can be done in real-time (perhaps, on event day… ‘on the fly’ would be a better way of phrasing it), it’s informal and easy. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it?!
Now, I’d like to write specifically about how twitter was a valuable contributor in an event we were recently apart of. But before I do so, I’d like to give you some background. In celebration of Earth Day, on April 21-22, we partnered with Ford of Canada for their EcoTour. Ford invited members of the Canadian media to travel south of the border to the Ford Rouge Centre in Dearborn, Michigan; where they were given an exclusive behind the scenes look at Ford’s commitment to sustainability.
To kick things off, participants had the option to go back in time with a visit to the Henry Ford Museum, which is home to “American’s greatest ideas and innovations.” Iconic items such as the 15 millionth Model T—the last car of the Model T series, is on display. Fast forward to present day innovation and some of the highlights of the media’s visit included: a Changing the Fabric of Ford presentation which revealed recycled content such as plastic bottles are used in vehicle fabric, in the Bio Materials Lab Tour participants learned that a variety of natural plant-based products (rice hulls, coconut, kenaf, cellulose from trees) are used in creating vehicles and a trip to the Rouge Centre. The Rouge Centre plant is a blueprint for Ford’s sustainability and recycling programs. F.Y.I…more than 20 million pounds of cardboard, paper, plastic and wood has been recycled and the Rouge has North America’s largest living-roof (10.4 acres).
It was a jam packed (in a good way) two days that resulted in the media tweeting in real-time all about their visit. Imagine…in just 140 characters information about Ford’s brand is communicated to the world. Check out some of these tweets.
Data was collected for mentions of (‘#FordEcoTour’) over the course of the two-day event. Here’s a snapshot of some of the analytics:
- Total Tweets: 336 (average = 250)
- Total Potential Social Impressions (PSIs): 1,531,883 (average = 1,154,666)
- Usages of #FordEcoTour: 333
- #FordEcoTour PSIs: 1,528,111
That’s a lot of potential social impressions or exposure for Ford over the two-day period. I have to say…twitter like the Model T, is a great idea and innovation. A tool that every event planner should have in their marketing vehicle arsenal to generate buzz—be it for your client, or your business. It’s time to tweet!
