It has occurred to me that everywhere I go I literally run into or barely miss running into someone who is looking down at their phone and not paying attention to where they are going. I try my hardest to dodge them doing my best Neo from the Matrix impersonation but sometimes it’s just not meant to be. You can imagine the surprise that comes over someone’s face when we crash into or at the last second narrowly escape hitting each other. Many look like they have just seen a ghost or their ex for that matter. I promise you I have never seen so many people with such quick reaction times or stop and go athleticism except at an NFL game. What would possess someone to walk and dare I say drive without looking? The answer: Social Media.
According to Statista (2018) seventy seven percent of the United States is said to have at least one Social Media profile. You heard me seventy seven. This number is only expected to grow in the coming years (Statista, 2018). So with all the eyes figuratively glued to it, it is not an accident that entrepreneurs and businesses alike have integrated Social Media into their overall marketing plans.
As much as Social Media can connect brands (this includes individuals/celebrities) to potential consumers it must be done correctly. This week in CMGT 541 we read Jab. Jab. Jab. Right hook. by Gary Vaynerchuk which provided us a foundational framework about Social Media marketing for those who know nothing or very little about the subject. One of the ideas that resonated with me was that Gary mentioned how human and engaging to consumers some of Reggie Bush’s post were and how this works well for Reggie’s brand (Vaynerchuk, 2013). This got me thinking about brands that do some of what Gary mentions in his book that successful brands do as well brands that in my opinion are doing Social Media well.
This leads us to Dollar Shave Club. Dollar Shave Club is an online men’s care company who is most well known for their shaving products (Dollar Shave Club, 2018). Consumers can sign up for shipments of razors and other men’s care products to be delivered directly to their home several times a year (Dollar Shave Club, 2018). This company is taking the advice of Gary Vaynerchuk to the next level. Men make up most of their target audience and it shows by the level of crass humor and topics of discussion within their Twitter account. Keeping with the Jab. Jab. Jab. Right hook. idea Dollar Shave Club engages and jabs their consumers by tweeting out other topics besides new products or upcoming sales. They give advice on how to shave everyday with sensitive skin, how sitting on your testicles all day is bad if that’s all you do and articles regarding bacteria on dirty changing tables (Twitter, 2018). Not pushing products all the time (jabbing) allows consumers to build a relationship with the brand instead of seeing them just as a corporation trying to take their money. Following these jabs over a period of time there was just recently (right hook) a recent post about a Black Friday sale (Twitter, 2018).
I see many similarities between the examples of successful firms given by Vaynerchuk in his book Jab. Jab. Jab. Right hook. and what Dollar Shave club is doing within their Twitter account. In my opinion, more companies should follow their example as I believe it is currently and will continue to pay dividends for them in the future. If you don’t believe me, let me shave you some time…I mean save you some time and provide the link so you can see for yourself. https://twitter.com/DollarShaveClub?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
References
Dollar Shave Club. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/how-it-works
Twitter. (2018). Dollar Shave Club. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/DollarShaveClub?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Statista (2018). Social media usage in the United States – Statistics & Facts. Retrieved from https://www-statista-com.libproxy1.usc.edu/topics/3196/social-media-usage-in-the-united-states/
Vaynerchuk, G. (2013). Jab. Jab. Jab. Right hook. How to tell your story in a noisy social world.