Saturday, October 10, 2009

The Power of Social Network Marketing & People


At Build Texas Media we like to imagine that if you give folks the opportunity they will show you their best side. This theory certainly held true last week. Actually let's back up a bit to Sunday, October 4th when our client, Lisa Cohen and her daughter Leah volunteered at the Orange County Children's Book Festival in Costa Mesa, CA. While she and her Mom were painting kids faces (Lisa owns Creative Parties for Kids) a thief got behind the booth where Lisa stashed Leah's MacBook. When Lisa went to look for it under her costumes, it was gone. Lisa was horrified.

As a single mother, Lisa and Leah struggled to make ends meet. The computer was a rare gift from Leah's father. It was the family's only computer. As Lisa said, "Our whole life is inside that little black box."

She called BTM. I said I would do what I could. I had an idea to apply social networking skills to the problem. First I became both Lisa & Leah's friend on Facebook. I threw around the idea of posting pleas for help on FB and Twitter. Instead I woke early the next day. I think it was Tuesday. I must have fallen asleep with Lisa's problem on my mind. She was distraught when she called me. The thought I woke with was a memory of Ryan(my brother) & I talking about much success his friend had marketing his Web Series on Craigslist.

I decided I would apply the CL principle that says it's not if you place the ad, it's WHERE you place it. In this case, I chose the community section near the top left of the page. Lost & Found. What happened next was surprising. I was thinking an angel benefactor or company (Apple?) might step forward and help the Cohens. Lisa depended on having MacBook handy to do business. Much of her communication with her clients was done online. Leah had her school work and SAT prep notes on the Mac. She was also Secretary of the Thespian Club. All her Club notes were on the Mac. Everything was on the Mac.

What happened instead was a staffer from Fox KCAL 9 News spotted my CL post and relayed a message to a News Producer who told Mark Liu. Mark sent a reporter out to Leah's OC School for the Arts in Santa Ana. They shot a short piece for that evening's news. Lisa called me and excitedly reported the day' s events. She claimed it was my CL ad that lead to the news filming.

Mark Liu at KCAL 9 in Los Angeles confirmed by phone Lisa's assumption that the news team read the /Craigslist ad. Encouraged, I found the video on KCAL's website and copied the URL. I posted the video on both Lisa and Leah's wall. An anonymous donor saw the video posted somewhere on Facebook and sent Lisa an email with a receipt attached for a brand new MacBook for Leah.

I was already a believer in the power of social network marketing. Seeing good intentions manifested using these amazing online tools is astounding. It also makes us feel good.