Whether terrified or fascinated (or both!) by sharks, there’s a lesson for all of us in marketing when we look at the creative ways the Discovery Channel keeps Shark Week’s 723,000 Facebook fans engaged.
Shark Week fans are a committed bunch! They follow Shark Week on Facebook for facts, videos, and even sneak previews of upcoming episodes. They watch the Shark Week Twitter stream during the episode, competing with one another to be the first to correctly answer trivia questions. And after an episode, fans go back to Facebook to catch un-aired scenes from the latest show, or share ideas and points of view with the other fans.
What the Discovery Channel understands is that while we tune into TV for our favorite episode, we are also flanked by our iPads, smart phones, laptops, etc. with another ‘view’ to the show. While the TV is on, we are "always on" working across the various social media channels. Knowing this, they carefully guide us from one social media channel to another and maximize on the show’s ‘experience’ across the fan base.
I see a parallel with TV programming and business events. Both have a start and end time, and there’s opportunity to engage with our fans/prospects before, during, and after the event. If B2B marketers embrace the Shark Week system of engagement when we plan our business events, we will ensure attendees are prepared and welcomed as they arrive, engaged during the event, and stay engaged with us after the event.
What tactics have you used (or experienced) that made you feel the event organizers were dedicated to giving you a great experience from beginning to end?
