Social media can be a minefield if you don’t know how to navigate it. Over the next few days I’ll be posting mini case studies showcasing brands who’ve nailed it and ones who need work. Let’s start on a positive note, with the innovative General Electric.

When I used to think of the GE brand, my grandmother’s kitchen mixer would come to mind. Well folks, times have changed and GE is now one of the most creative brands out there. The new slogan is Imagination at Work and, when I think of GE now, I think of social media innovation. Big time. Any company wanting to step up their social media game could learn a few lessons from GE.

So, what is GE doing so well?

• Content – General Electric consistently posts interesting, thought provoking content on all of their social networks. Most notable is Pinterest, where their beautifully curated boards are a joy to follow. In their own words, they’re “Pinning things that inspire us to build, power, move and cure the world.” The brand is very active on Instagram as well, and has also become a prolific Vine user.
• Engagement – There are no robots at the wheel of GE’s social media ship. What has got to be a social media dream team proactively starts conversations, gets people talking and consistently follows up with unforgettable interactions. Not convinced? Read this.
• Risk taking – General Electric recently announced details of a partnership with Quirky, a crowdsourcing site for inventors. Smart move on GE’s part if you ask me; not only do they do a wonderful social service by fostering innovation and creativity, but think of the hundreds of thousands of patents they could add to their collection.

Brand highlight: COME ON (<— read that in the voice of Gob Bluth), look at this Vine they made for Pi day!

Final verdict: Killing it. In all the right ways. See General Electric in action on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.