Did I mention it was FREE? How to use social networks to glean free stuff

One of my favorite Pinky and the Brain episodes features Brain creating a Papier-mâché copy of the Earth, luring the entire population to mock Earth by offering free t-shirts in order to take over the real Earth.

By simply offering something free, Brain was able to lure mankind out of their homes, up a ladder and on to a fake planet.

Sound familiar? Sound like Twitter? Sound like your favorite brand on Twitter?

One of the strongest marketing tools brands are utilizing on social media platforms is the giving away of merchandise, desired items or access to exclusive items in exchange for something the company sees as valuable: information and/or access to user’s platforms or increasing brand visibility.

One of the key elements of a strong social media program is the engagement of a company’s core user base to provide honest feedback as well as to assist in the furthering of the brand’s visibility to the user’s audiences. One of the fastest ways to get someone’s attention, to help secure them to your brand, is to offer them something they want, for free. This is not new, after all, it was even written as the presence of a cartoon.

So how often is this technique used? Check out the number of times the following words appear on Twitter:

• Free: 35,400,000
• Discount: 116,000
• Contest: 317,000
• Giveaway: 588,000
• Promo code: 16,700
• Discount code: 8,750

Does it work for brands? Does it work for consumers? The answer is a resounding yes.

Brands: Check out the below case studies in which each company had great successes launching on Twitter. Pay close attention and you can see what they all have in common. Yep, that’s right. They all launched their presence on Twitter with giveaways:

• Large brand: Marriott offered 25 free trips to Hawaii via www.marriotthawaiitweets.com. This contest ended with over 500K media and web mentions and 5600 Twitter followers.

• Niche brand: Rancho Bernardo Inn launched their twitter feed with a staggered Survivor Package room rate that started at $212 and went as low as $19 a night. Results? 9,000 media and web mentions, 700 Twitter members and 725+ room rented with 10 days of launch

• Large brand, local market: 7ElevenSoCal is the Twitter handle for 7-Eleven’s Southern California stores. This Twitter feed launched with giveaways for coffee coupons in exchange for following or sending notes to @7elevensocal directly via Twitter. Through giveaways and interactions with guests, their recent event celebrating Slupree’s Birthday included sending over 500 people into designated 7-Eleven stores.

What makes giveaway so successful? In this economy, consumers are looking to cut costs without reducing their experience. Companies that give back on an individual level are perceived to be friendly and more customer service focused. And for the companies themselves, these giveaways are being used to drive in-store traffic and from there, hopefully, repeat business.

In each case, the client is giving away something they can afford to part with that resonates equally with their audiences. Marriott gave away 25 trips to Hawaii and received well over $1M worth of media coverage, 7-Eleven gave away coffee coupons in the morning and Slurpee coupon in the evening. Rancho Bernardo attracted attention with a $19 room rate, but ended up selling rooms at all levels.

Consumers: And consumers! If you haven’t thought to look at Twitter before you hit the road for a vacation, you’re missing out! Here are just some of the ways you can take advantage of Twitter’s freebies.

First determine what you want discounts on: Do you shop? Do you eat? Drink? Go to clubs? Do you travel? Before you leave the house, before you buy, before you book, search Twitter for whisper words, discount codes and access pass terms. In fact, here are just a few I found this week:

• @Febreze_Fresh: RT this if you agree That Tim McGraw is Febreze Fresh for a free sample of febreze! http://bit.ly/acAUi
• $89 blogger hotel room rate at Westin St. Martaan
• Free tickets and backstage passes to a Nine Inch Nails concert
• Free cupcakes from Sprinkles

Time is now to take full advantage of all the freebies available through social networks. What other freebies have you found?

Related posts:

• How does RegFD apply to Twitter and other social media channels?
• What are some of the social media trends that are being implemented in higher education?
• Lessons Learned: Easy Tips on How to Create and Grow a Social Media Program
• Lessons Learned: Starting and growing your social media program
• Social Media Don’ts

Tagged as: free, how to use social networks for free stuff, serena ehrlich, Social Media, startup army, startuparmy