This Thursday, June 30, is Social Media Day, a worldwide celebration of the revolution of instant, real-time media. In honor of social media and its influence on the collegiate retail industry, we bring you a three-part series of articles focusing on stores connecting with their students by using this forum to its fullest.
In order to keep activity going on their Facebook Page during a time they expected to be fairly stagnant, the Montana State University Bookstore created a Summer Spirit Photo Contest.
“We want to make sure we maintain that sense of connectedness between students and the store over the summer months,” said Mark Frisby, director of MSU Bookstore. “By driving more awareness to our social media and website, we also hope to increase our fan base.”
To participate, students simply have to take a fun and creative photo of them wearing any of their favorite MSU gear, including everything from lanyards to t-shirts, and send it to a designated email created for the promotion.
The store then uploads each entry into their Summer Spirit Album on Facebook where users can vote for the one they most enjoy by “liking” the picture. At the end of the contest, the entry with the most “likes” will be rewarded with a spirited prize package including a Montana State University branded blanket, metal water bottle, and car decal.
To get students excited about participating, the store marketed their contest almost entirely through social media. As a way to gain student attention, MSU Bookstore posted a unique digital postcard to their Facebook wall detailing the rules and submission details, while status updates reminded students to send in their photos.
Hoping to enhance participation further, the store also wanted to use the contest as a way to connect with the incoming freshmen class.
“It was the perfect opportunity for us to encourage future MSU students who are on campus during orientation to find us on Facebook,” explained Janel Huntzicker, marketing coordinator. “We have a 20” QR code in the front of the store that is linked to our Facebook Page, so it’s easy for students to find us and participate in our photo challenge. We will also have it at our freshmen orientation booth.”
Though the contest runs until the end of August, the store has already received several entries, including some taken internationally, showing the true reach of their school’s strong spirit!
“We’ve received entries from both students and alumni; there’s been really positive feedback so far, so I would say it’s been a success!” Huntzicker said.
In the future, the store plans to look into similar ways to keep their students engaged.
“Social media has an increasing impact on our store,” added Frisby. “We hope to continue using it to drive more traffic and online business.”
For information on how to integrate successful social media promotions into your store’s marketing plan, talk with your MBS representative.
