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Every once in a while, I have such a positive social media/customer service experience that I am compelled to tell everyone I know about it. And isn’t that the beauty of social media? The reason we all diligently post, retweet and engage our customers online. Social media is an evolving and powerful marketing tool that few truly utilize but when a company does…marketing fireworks!
Rackspace is one of these companies. A few weeks ago, I was tweeting along when someone asked for a hosting company recommendation. I recommended Rackspace, as I always do. This recommendation did not come with any expectation of reward or an affiliate link. I recommend Rackspace simply because I love their product and they have never let me down. So off goes my recommendation. I pat myself on the back for contributing to my online community and go back to getting lost in endless links and information.
The next day, I receive a tweet from Rackspace thanking me for the recommendation. Wow, that is a nice touch…but wait it gets better. They ask me to email them because they want to send me a t-shirt. What?!? You are going to send me something free! Yep, there I am in the same consumer mode I marvel at with my own fans. I am as excited for a free t-shirt as I would be a $100 bill being handed to me by a stranger. I immediately send them an email with my address as well as a now written testimonial of their services. Next, I proudly tweet that I am getting a FREE Rackspace t-shirt…yep I am that much of a dork.
Within 2 days, I receive the following package from Rackspace Customer service…a t-shirt and a handwritten note. I am now as fanatical about my experience with Rackspace as I have ever been…almost as much as their fanatical customer service.
Ok so let’s recap this experience
Rackspace received
– One 3rd party recommendation
– Four retweets and shout outs that were spread out over time
– One written testimonial
– One geeky girl sending them her picture online with their tshirt on
– One extreme brand evangelist
– One blog post with link back to their site. That would be right here in case you are interested in their hosting services
– One personal billboard (ie me) wearing a very cute and comfy t-shirt all over San Diego
– All for the price of one t-shirt and shipping
It is safe to say that I will be implementing similar efforts for all my brands. What special things do you do to engage your customers?