Learning from the Biggies...

I'm watching my beloved San Francisco Giants play the Mets. They had a bit of a rough go of it with the loathed Dodgers, and lost last night to NY. Still only a game and a half back in the Wild Card, so I'm holding out hope.

I've always had a dream of working for the Giants (or work my way up with another, albeit inferior, baseball team). I think it would be fantastic.
Now that I'm interested in PR and social media, I think this could actually someday be a possibility. As I always say, I'm willing to start at the bottom, short of selling malts or foam fingers. I don't think I have the patience. Or the lung power.

In my free time, I read a lot about companies that have embraced and successfully used social media. I hope that in learning the stories of other companies, I can contribute this knowledge to my long and happy career with the San Francisco Giants :)

So today I've compiled a little list of three big companies that I think have done a wonderful job venturing into the new Internet frontier with gusto.


1. Southwest Airlines

I follow SW on Twitter. Along with 471,000 other people. They're fun. And they're everywhere--Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. They saw the importance of social media early, and dividends have been paid in terms of sales and brand awareness.

They always provide new content on twitter and on their blog, Nuts About Southwest, in the form of discussions, videos, photos and contests.
Most importantly, they encourage employee participation (even by the CEO).

The idea that an airline website can attract such traffic baffles me, and is something to be commended.

2. Zappos.com

A SHOE COMPANY! So unlikely, right? Well I follow Zappos on Twitter also. And the blog. Again, it is not about solely selling shoes online. It's about engaging customers and would-be customers and giving a large company a more human side.

Like Southwest, they encourage their employees (more than 400 contribute on Twitter). They even offer classes. The CEO seems to spend more time contributing and less time policing his employees' posts. Interestingly, he says he's not concerned about social media as a marketing tool, but rather as a way to connect with customers (which means no need to measure ROI--a huge stress factor these days).

3. Whole Foods Market

I've been very impressed by Whole Foods' efforts also. Great for my fellow foodies!

According to my reading, the object of the blog (Whole Story) is to extend the conversation in the market (recipes, tips, ingredients and experiences) to the online realm.

AND, the CEO has an UP-TO-DATE blog! What a great way to humanize the company if your CEO can find the time.

Also looks like they're trying to localize it a bit, realizing that customers of Whole Foods in Los Angeles, CA may have different interests than customers of Whole Foods in Overland Park, KS. Very thoughtful, and a great way to keep customers feeling engaged and appreciated.

There are so many more of these. I can't get enough of reading about companies that have surpassed traditional press releases and e-blasts to make themselves stand out. Great inspiration for a newbie!