Social Media: A Sprint AND a Marathon

For the past couple of weeks Andy and I have been rolling out an exciting local social media strategy and engagement campaign for a local restaurant management group here in the Jackson, Miss. metro area. It has been a BLAST to work locally and to work with such a passionate client who is ALL in – and totally get it. It’s a rare treat to get to play in our own backyard, so to speak, and tonight the treat was all ours.

After a day out of town to work on-site helping a brick and mortar boutique launch their new e-commerce project, Andy and I opted to take our middle daughter out to dinner at our clients’ cafe (one of three restaurants in the group). For this particular restaurant, we are six days into the launch of a Facebook Page presence with a goal to increase guests IN the restaurant during this immediate push. We were looking for immediate results – so the past week has been a sprint to get that initial boost. Our fan base topped well over 1,000 today (celebration all around) with interactions between ownership, staff and guests along with rave reviews from guests exploding all over the Page wall almost continuously. But that’s obviously not our endgame. Our endgame has everything to do with measuring a bottom-line increase, right?

So, tonight we walked in, and the typically slow dinner hour (this is definitely a place primarily known for breakfast and lunch) was bustling. By bustling,  I mean that most tables were filled at 5:45 pm. By the time we settled in and walked up to the counter, two registers were three deep in customers. A few minutes later, the tables were full, the order counter was filled with happily networking guests, the restaurant was filling orders quickly, busing tables efficiently, and serving up the most beautiful fruit salad that has ever landed on my table anywhere (Did I mention there was yellow watermelon in my salad?).

As I watched, the enthusiastic shift manager skillfully navigated and managed his staff through a much busier than expected Tuesday night crowd. He led by example by filling needs where they happened: working the cash register, order window, kitchen AND not missing an opportunity to sell (out of) day-old and “after 6″ discounted pastries, take-out and much more. When we left (they needed our table, or we would have watched until the end), all tables in the main restaurant area were full, there were people ordering and the food looked amazing. The manager texted us later to let us know that tonight was a “major improvement” over the previous week. (Yes, that’s text messaging, and yes, we text with our clients all the time. It’s part of our accessibility motto – we also Facebook chat and Tweet). P.S. It was a RAINY/STORMY evening this week!

So, the sprint was a winner… The initial boost appears to have happened… And for us, it was definitely a runner’s high.

But here’s my point.

Sure, we won the sprint. But we’re also staring straight into the miles and miles of marathon that lie ahead. You see, launching social media right means launching with a sprinter’s attitude. Go big or go home. Cross promote off-line, draw a crowd, grab attention – all the while, be thinking LONG TERM. If you don’t continue to deliver that promise long-term, keep it relevant, keep it valuable and most of all, keep it REAL, then over the long-haul, social media will kill you. (Why? Because you will have done the worst thing: you will have disappointed your customers because they thought you were going to do something – that you didn’t.)

Everyone says this: It’s NOT about numbers REALLY. It’s about long-term relationships. And that is all oh so true. But when you get together a group of folks who CARE about your business through a Twitter following or a Facebook Fan Page or some other method, you’ve gotten together a group of folks with whom you can engage, educate, cross-promote, convert – over and over and over again… They can talk, tell their friends, recommend you, participate with you and help you build your community. They will be more loyal, and your retention rates will go through the roof.

IF YOU STAY IN TOUCH.

What good are a bunch of followers and fans if you don’t talk to them? Carry on conversations (those work two ways), say thank you, reward them, engage them… Ask their opinions, give them exclusive updates and behind the scenes information. You certainly can’t do all of that in a week (the sprint) and expect it to last for the lifetime of a customer. Every week is a new week, and a new opportunity to be a better friend, a more valuable resource, a greater source of comfort, a more relevant alternative, the go-to guy, a more important connection, a more impressive experience…the first and last thing they think about in your category.

When you examine your social media strategy – and really, any marketing strategy – do you launch with a big, fast sprint that sets the stage for a win at the marathon?

What say you? What have you done to make the sprint successful? To maintain the discipline of the marathon?

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