How Ford is Leading the Race in Social Media

It’s hard to ignore how well a massive company like Ford has tackled social media. The automotive giant is arguably one of the best brands on social media right now and what I like about them is that they aren’t shy about sharing their strategies. Ford’s head of social media, Scott Monty, has been really open about their strategy of humanizing the brand and adding value in a “140 character society.”

So, what makes Ford so great at social media?

fordNostalgia – Did your dad drive a Mustang? If he didn’t, I bet he wanted one. Just try saying the words “Shelby Cobra” and see how long he goes on for. Few brands are as iconic as Ford and their social media team is using nostalgia to keep their audience talking. Through posting vintage photos of cars and trucks and quotes, like the one pictured to the left on Facebook, they’ve got the audience telling their own stories about the brand.

Conversation – I mentioned about Ford’s genius move of getting their audience to tell the brand stories for them. Well, this creates a prime environment for Ford to engage in meaningful dialogue with their audience. Whether it’s a story about Grandpa’s first truck or the car a father and son team lovingly restored, Ford’s social pages are full of stories and Ford does an excellent job at celebrating them.

Contests – Whether it’s sneaking a peek into the design of the upcoming Mustang or . Ford has also been smart about using social media contests to drive buzz. Their brilliant #Fiestagram campaign generated thousands of photographs on Instagram and the Fiesta Movement Campaign saw Ford handing the keys over to 100 bloggers for a six month long, all expenses paid, test drive.

Plus, they’re funny. Take this, Jeremy Irons.

Final verdict: Trailblazer. In every way. Catch up with Ford on FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagram and Ford Social.

 

Xplornet Gets a D- in Engagement

Xplornet

Rural Canadians depend on Xplornet for high speed internet access. Unfortunately, as is the case with many companies who service rural markets, they have been left in the social media dust of larger, rival companies like Bell and Rogers. At this time last year, Xplornet’s Facebook page was a ghost town and their Twitter stream was barely updated.

To their credit, Xplornet does seem to be stepping up its efforts and I can personally say that I have received great customer service resulting from a tweet. However, the overall effort still comes across as weak.

xplornet

Blog – Xplornet has launched a company blog. It’s poorly laid out, which means it doesn’t actually look like a blog at all, and it’s difficult to find. Some of the content is outdated – even though the audience is a rural one, I’m pretty sure most people know that Google is a verb by now.

My Recommendations:

  • Write shorter, more engaging posts and make it easier to find and share them.
  • Get  rid of the Captcha system and use a back end spam blocker.
  • Ditch the corporate responses. Not every comment needs to end with regards, the customer service rep’s name and their job title.
  • Change how posts are tagged. I find it icky that blog posts which have nothing to do with Xplornet’s services are tagged with the names of all of their internet packages.

Twitter – Over the last few months, Xplornet has been providing quite good customer service on Twitter. However, it’s all reactive. I don’t see anything proactive there. While responses to customer complaints are good, it would be better to have some positive tweets displayed when you land on their page.

My Recommendations:

  • Start engaging. Retweet and thank people for positive tweets when they show up.
  • Be human. Can the corporate speak and let the reps talk like humans.
  • Share. Find relevant content and share it. Show some behind the scenes action. Humanize the brand.

It’s difficult for a communications company, especially one that works in rural locations. Services go down due to remote locations and weather and when people get frustrated, social media is rapidly becoming the first place to air frustrations. However, by being proactive, heated situations can be diffused and by humanizing the brand, a company can begin to build customer loyalty.

It currently seems that people are with Xplornet because they have to be, not because they chose them. If I were in charge at Xplorenet, my goal would be to be the company people would choose even if another company entered the market.

Final verdict: D-. Not a complete fail, as progress is apparent and it’s nice to see them making an effort, but  they still have a long way to go.

General Electric: Social Imagination at Work

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.

GE

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.

 

Volvo Uses Social Media to Give Away the Last Ever C30

Volvo C30

I always liked the Volvo C30. I remember sitting in one at the Toronto Auto Show a few years ago and admiring the well thought out design. Alas, I never owned one and now it looks like I never will. After making 900,000 of them, Volvo is killing the C30. But this post isn’t about me lamenting the loss of something I never had, it’s about how Volvo is leveraging social media to send the little hatchback out in style.

Volvo C30If you live in the UK, you’ll have a chance to win the last ever production Volvo C30. The catch? You’ll have to find it to win it. The contest will see people tracking the car through a website and the Twitter hashtag #LastEverC30.

Starting on June 13, every time someone uses the hashtag they will be entered to win other prizes and the car will move slightly closer to the UK from its starting point in Gothenburg, Sweden. When it arrives in the UK, Volvo will release four clues to its whereabouts, giving people a chance to find it and win it.

This is a brilliant move on Volvo’s part. The brand is well known for quality products, but so far, that hasn’t translated into engaging young drivers.

This is a great way to get the younger generation involved with the Volvo brand and generate some street cred.

Do you live in the UK? Will you be looking for the #LastEverC30?

Westjet: A Social Media Case Study

In just 16 years, WestJet has grown from a small company serving five western Canadian airports to a successful international airline that flies to 85 destinations in 15 countries. Social media plays a large part in their continued success.

A few statistics:

Facebook: 385, 169 likes

Twitter: 192, 355 followers

YouTube: 2,145 subscribers | 2.935, 619 video views

From WestJet’s website: “This social media presence allows us to make meaningful connections with guests, and potential guests, even when they are not traveling.”

 

Greg Hounslow, WestJet’s social media advisor, approaches WestJet’s social media strategy with common sense. The airline is not active on every network out there, sticking with Facebook and Twitter, along with a well-curated YouTube page.

Here’s what I notice most on both Twitter and Facebook:

  •  Immediate responses to inquiries and concerns
  • Personal interactions, no canned responses
  • Willingness to go above and beyond to solve problems
  • Sense of humour
  • Genuine respect for customers

WestJet’s social media presence is more than a sales tool. It’s a culture of sharing and WestJet customers share more than most. Logon to Twitter on #wingletwednesday and you’ll see enthusiastic travelers sharing their view with Westjet and the world. Use #BlueTag for sweet deals. If you’re looking for a job, #WestJetJobs will let you know when the airline is looking for a new owner.

Basically, they’re on top of it. They even beat the press when something does go wrong.

I flew with Westjet for the first time this January and experienced their amazing customer service first hand. Our flight was delayed by more than four hours but the crew were incredible and made everything tolerable. I’ve never seen a happier crowd on a flight, let alone a late one leaving the Caribbean for a Canadian snowstorm!

Have you ever flown with WestJet? Was it a good experience?