How To Successfully Integrate Social Media With Traditional Promotions
Winners of wine prize at Himmarshee Twineup
It’s a given that social media is rapidly taking its place at the public relations table alongside traditional media. Some say the old is being replaced by the new. But, wait, not so fast. If you sift through your bag of traditional techniques, you’re bound to find many that translate beautfiully into the new social media language.
Sure you can offer an e-mail, instead of a traditional coupon, tweet out specials and contests. But how can you build an event using social media? Here’s a good–and tangible–example of a new way to promote a time-tested favorite: the wine tasting.
Take a restaurant known for its exceptional food and extensive wine list. Add a Twitter personality who is a popular wine enthusiast to host. Using the increasingly common Tweet-Up formula, combine the two for a wine-tasting, and differentiate by calling it a #Twineup. Create an online invitation like Tweetvite. Promoting the event through Twitter and ask friends to retweet your message.
Traditional PR (like a guest shot on a morning TV show) doesn’t hurt either–and yields a roomful of happy imbibers. And while most will tweet right through the event, a few are, inevitably, sans mobile device and have never even used Twitter!
How can you employ successful tactics you have been using for years in tandem with social media?