Here at Doejo, we love seeing social media used creatively. After spending a lot of time on Hootsuite and Facebook, scanning our newsfeeds, we picked our favorite eye-catching local businesses. With all of the wildly dynamic brands in Chicago, it was a tough choice. The five we picked all have at least one thing working really well for them. Here are a few of the accounts we think are doing social media right.
Divvy Bikes – @DivvyBikes
Care for the customer — Facebook and Twitter are the new customer help lines
Although Divvy just launched its bike sharing program a few weeks ago, they are already blowing up on Twitter and Facebook. The best part about Divvy is the way its team interacts with followers and customers on Twitter. Divvy’s social media accounts show that the company cares about its cyclists by answering questions promptly while thanking them for their support. Divvy also regularly posts photos of new stations on Facebook and Twitter, keeping customers updated on its fast growth. Another thing Divvy does right is customer engagement through contests. Recently Divvy posted a competition calling for followers to send their best photo of the new Merchandise Mart station (the winner gets $10 off an annual membership). This is a great way to get others buzzing about those powder-blue bikes.
Glazed and Infused – @GoGlazed
Visuals are key, especially if it’s a picture of drool-inducing doughnuts
Glazed and Infused is doing right by its doughnuts on social media. The donut business keeps followers engaged and drooling with constant updates on new doughnut flavors and shop snapshots (featuring customers at work or in line). It’s hard not to run to the nearest Glazed and Infused location to pick up a dozen donuts after seeing a picture of its latest creation in your newsfeed. Glazed and Infused also keeps customers up to date with job listings for their shops and partnerships with other companies like Bow Truss.
Metro Chicago – @MetroChicago
Looking to its rich history for interesting posts
Metro is one of the main stops for indie and punk-rock bands passing through Chicago. Luckily this Lakeview venue makes sure we never miss a show with Facebook and Twitter updates on the latest ticket sales. Another reason we love Metro’s social media accounts is its flashback posts that feature old posters or pictures of past shows. The team there also knows how to engage fans with fun social media contests. We love the fact that they’re handing out free tickets to the US Air Guitar Semifinals to the winner of their Instagram/Vine air guitar contest. Speaking of video’s, the concert hall’s Tumblr account often posts loads of great music-related videos too!
Headquarters Beercade – @HQ_Chicago
Tailor advertisements to your audience, even if it means Photoshopping posters of really bad sci-fi movies
What’s not to love about old school video games, craft beers and Internet memes? For these three reasons we love Headquarters’ social media accounts. Headquarters totally won us over with its clever advertisements (see image below). Through its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts, Headquarters makes us feel nostalgic for ’80s video games we’ve never played and thirst for craft beers we’ve never tried. This West Lakeview super bar knows exactly who its target market is and caters to them through playful posts and funny memes. The bar also has plenty of interaction with followers on Facebook by posting “mind games” and rewarding winners with gift certificates and T-shirts.
Threadless – @Threadless
Show off your products
We really like Threadless’ hip user-submitted designs, so it only makes sense to like them on social media. If you’re a witty T-shirt buff, or just really appreciate thoughtful designs, you should follow Threadless. Not only does Threadless alert customers of sales, but it also shows off new designs and encourages followers to participate in contests like this one in partnership with the Art Institute’s new French Impressionists exhibit. While we don’t go to their online store daily, we still see a lot of the new inventory thanks to Facebook and Twitter posts.
Uber Chicago – @Uber_CHI
Engage followers through contests, or offering free ice cream on a 90+ degree day
I scream, you scream for Uber to bring us free ice cream! We love Uber’s recent contest asking for RT’s in exchange for a chance to win free ice cream. On a hot day like Friday, how could you not? This campaign had everyone running to Twitter to enter the contest. Brilliant! Seriously, they may just be the masters of social marketing after this stunt. Since most of their clients are tech-savvy 20-, 30-somethings, social media is important. Uber shows how much they care on Twitter by reaching out to customers and answering their questions, posting photos of the Uber crew on Instagram, and keeping followers updated on new Uber features.
