Fun Stuff Friday: Show and Tell (and Learn)
Show and Tell - explaining the rain game, by woodleywonderworks on Flickr. CC BY.
Much of social media is a giant game of show and tell. Whether users are sharing photos on Facebook or brief anecdotes on Twitter, they are, to one extent or another, doing the same thing they did when they stood in front of the class in elementary school to explain why they loved their new Transformer toy so much. Businesses engaged in social media can use this predisposition toward sharing and storytelling to discover new, valuable information on consumers. The key is to get directive.
What if, once a week, your business encouraged its customers to engage in a game of show and tell with some specific parameters? Here are a few examples:
- A performing arts center might encourage its patrons to describe the best concert they’ve ever attended, and then use that information to tweak and modify the concertgoing experience accordingly.
- A health-conscious food company might solicit its customers for their guiltiest culinary pleasures, then post healthier alternatives that utilize the company’s products.
- An outdoor supply company might ask its following about the one piece of camping gear that’s saved the day more than any other over the years, then highlight that item (and items like it) more prominently in their online store.
Yes, this is what businesses are doing every day when they ask questions on Twitter, on Facebook, and on their blogs. But by framing the question as a game, by calling back to an activity that many customers will remember from their childhoods, businesses can develop intelligence on their consumer base in a fun, unique, and far less overtly sales-driven way.
What do you think? Let us know, then get out there and have an amazingly fun Fun Stuff Friday!
