Some people jump into Social Media and make up the rules as they go along, some people fall in and flub the rules as they go, others are lucky enough to have someone to guide (read: drag) them in and teach them the ropes. At different times I have filled all these roles: Jumper, Flailer, Dragee and Guide. That’s the thing about social networks, we all have to start somewhere and the more the merrier. I’d been pushing my friend to be more active on Twitter and a weekend trip to Seattle seemed the perfect time to give her a gentle shove.
She’d recently discovered Instagram and with her visual arts and design background it was a more comfortable fit than just simple text-based Twitter. One night, while enjoying a delicious dinner at Lark in Capitol Hill neighbourhood, we were really impressed by the flavour of the cucumber soda from a local company called Dry Soda:
Delicious by it's lonesome. note to self: use with #Pimms. @ Lark Seattle instagr.am/p/LwZXTZMgqC/—
zenija esmits (@mylassitude) June 12, 2012
We were so taken with the one Dry Soda we’d tried that we tracked down a sampling of their other flavours and hauled them back to our hotel room. After polishing off the Wild Lime, I arranged the bottles on the window ledge, my friend shot and shared through Instagram and the image above went out on Twitter:
One soldier down. Delicious @drysoda @ Sheraton Seattle Hotel instagr.am/p/LrKdkVsgtY/—
zenija esmits (@mylassitude) June 10, 2012
A couple of days later it was retweeted by @drysoda:
@mylassitude In fact, we love this shot so much that we'd like to feature and attribute you and your awesome shot on our website! Thoughts?—
DRY Soda (@DRYSoda) June 11, 2012
After getting her permission, they then shared the image on their website. This is something they do regularly and is a great way to encourage and connect with fans of their product.
I retweeted the image with my food blog Twitter account, which was then re-re-tweeted by Sharelle Klaus the CEO of Dry Soda on her Twitter account, @CEOdry:
I love this shot! RT @kitchenettefind: RT @mylassitude: One soldier down. Delicious @drysoda @ Sheraton Seattle Hotel instagr.am/p/LrKdkVsgtY/—
Sharelle Klaus (@CEODRY) June 12, 2012
I just think this is a really fun example of how brands can interact and build relationships with fans and customers on Social Media.
Have you had any interesting online run-ins with businesses or brands on Twitter or Instagram?
Related articles
- What’s Your Favorite International Soda? (drinks.seriouseats.com)
- The 10 Best-Branded Companies on Instagram (hubspot.com)
- How is Social Media Affecting Your Business? (elocal.com)
- Do You Say Soda or Pop: The Eternal Debate (fox4kc.com)
- DRY Soda. (veggiefitness.wordpress.com)
- Some Practical Social Media Advice for Beginners (blogs.constantcontact.com)
