Social Media Superstars: The Second Award Ever!

Two weeks ago I announced the start of my Social Media Superstars Award. I gave the first ever to TD/Canada Trust and people were pretty happy about the series. It got a good response and frankly TD earned the award for all the reasons I told you here 

Anyways it is time to dish one out again in honor of a company doing social media well, or at least trying to do it well. This week, the company I am highlighting is also Canadian. So Go Canada! Two awards. Two weeks in a row. Both to Canadians. Wow! Listen, I would love to give this award out all the time – every week, but frankly not enough companies are doing this well yet. So, for companies still figuring this business out, read my posts and figure out what you can be doing. Learn from these examples.

Why M & M Meat Shops? Let me tell you.

This company is doing Foursquare well. That is entirely why I gave them this award. They do a few other things in little bits. So for instance I have seen them giving bloggers some things to give away to their audience and I have seen them on line a bit. That is a start, but on Facebook a few months ago I spied that when I checked into my local M & M’ s on Foursquare, I unlocked a badge that was also a coupon. Hold my iPhone up and show the cashier and she gives me $2 off my $20 purchase.

Well, holy moses that iPhone is finally earning its keep. (Just kidding my iPhone is a workhorse and handles more than my laptop does most days.)

This isn’t really a great tool to gauge this particular company because I have never ever tweeted out a problem. I have no clue how responsive they might be to that. I may try it now actually just to report. Anyways when I unlocked the coupon on my iPhone it rapidly got me $2 off, so that is a different kid of responsivity, but worthy of noting.

Checking in on Foursquare is something most of us really enjoy doing. So this should be standard. It isn’t particularly creative, but still I don’t see anyone else doing this. And yet it is so simple it really should be happening all over town. If you are a brand, or a company, ask yourself why you aren’t doing this yet? Is there a valid reason to ignore free advertising. Because here’s what I do when I check in somewhere. I also tweet that I am there to my 7,000 followers. Oh and chicken wings are on sale today only and I am stocking up. Then I see that $2 bonus and I am jumping for joy tweeting again. Sweet use of social media. This should be standard practice everywhere. Honestly only a few are doing the Foursquare on their phones and, odds are, they are really connected like me. So get with the game everyone else! Also I didn’t have to print out that coupon or clip it from a paper. Dang, I love paperless coupons!

M & M’s is not really active anywhere on line yet. They probably should be looking at TD’s example of social media department’s and get crackalackin, because social media is where its at and you are missing out if you don’t take the opportunity to meet your customers where they live. Occasionally they give things away on line with their roster of bloggers they send freebies too. Come on now, you can do better than this. No reason there isn’t a whole team on line and also no reason there isn’t someone really amplifying the Crohn’s and Colitis BBQ. Last week it passed by without much notice on line. A couple of tweets and that is it. They also need much better Facebook and Twitter presence.

Dear Mac Voisin: I know you have a personality. I think you need to communicate that better on line so let’s talk. I have spoken with you – many years ago now and I know you are super interesting too – I think I interviewed you once for a story or something. Missing the boat in a lot of ways here. The evolution of your business is here. Embrace it and get out in front of it.

Now, my only big beef about the Foursquare coupon that I loved. (Get yours before they change it) is that once my darn iPhone died before I could show the cashier the coupon. That made me angry, but I was telling the cashier all about it and she was like: “Oh technology! Ha Ha!” Pretty sure everyone in the store that day thought I was from Mars. I was like Oh I have a coupon and it’s here on my phone, but my phone is dead, darn it. Do you know anything about that and Foursquare, I asked. Blank stares. 

So, now here is another suggestion. If you are going to run a killer awesome smartphone promo like that, then make sure all the cashiers and staff know what they are doing and how to ring it in and get them enthused about it. It is all that and a bag of chips.

I look forward to the day when I can check in on Foursquare all over town and net rewards. 

I know these grades are only okay. But I like what they are trying to do her at M & M’s I just think they need a bit of help executing, and coming up with a whole strategy.

Here you go M & M’s – Tada! The second ever Social Media Superstars Award! Now don’t rest on your laurels, make some changes and make me wanna give you As next semester!