And the microMARKETER is…
I went from having no takers for a free copy of Greg Verdino’s new book microMARKETING to a bunch! It goes to show that timing in social media sometimes makes all of the difference (I sent my last ditch effort tweet on Friday at 3:52pm). Thank you everyone for submitting!
While there were some great examples of microMARKETING shared, there was one person who, for years, has exemplified microMARKETING at its core. And that person is Connie Reece.
Micromarketing
“Think and act small, because in the era of microcontent and microcultures the biggest marketing opportunities lie not in the one big thing but in lots and lots of small things.”
Including peas… especially petite peas. (A little pea humor is appropriate. You’ll see, keep on reading!)
Micromaven
In 2007, Connie started the Frozen Pea Fund—the first grassroots fundraising effort started solely on Twitter— to help support her friend Susan Reynolds and other women living with breast cancer. The word spread through the Twitter community and beyond and to date, the Frozen Pea Fund has raised over $40,000. But it’s not just that Connie was cool enough to start a fundraiser on Twitter. It has more to do with the fact that Connie understood how to genuinely connect with people to provide mutual value and to build meaningful relationships.
Her efforts have earned the attention of large media outlets, including TechCrunch, the BBC’s technology section, Twitter’s blog (Does that count? I mean Biz posted it himself.) and The Washington Post. However, these traditional media efforts wouldn’t have happened without a lot of smaller microcontent efforts happening first.
Microcontent
It’s amazing the statement someone can make with their Twitter avatar. But that’s exactly what happened with this movement. A few people added peas to their avatars, which then spread to over 300 people adding peas to their avatars to help support and spread the word. Check out all of the “peavatars” on Flickr (I bet you’ll see people you know!). Not to mention all of the blog posts that were been written.
Microculture
When people bond over a common cause they tend to form microcultures. That’s exactly what happened with everyone who supported The Frozen Pea Fund. A lot of connecting, supporting and fundraising!
Happy reading Connie! Keep on being the micromaven that you truly are.
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Thank you so much, Beth. So many, many people made the Frozen Pea Fund a success, I wish I could share this with all of them. I do promise to send it to Cathleen Rittereiser (@cathleenritt), co-founder of Frozen Pea Fund, after I’ve read it.
In some ways the greater success of FPF was the community we built — or rather discovered — on Twitter. Other have come behind us and launched bigger and better fundraising drives. I wish them great success; I can only wonder if those who participate will become a tightly knit community. I’ve met many of the original supporters of FPF and continue to maintain relationships with them. No wonder I’m such a Twitter fan!
.-= Connie Reece´s last blog ..Social Media Engagement Guidelines- Surviving a Snark Attack =-.
I can’t think of a more deserving winner. and your write-up, Beth? Wow! Connie *is* micromaven of the first order and I’m so glad to know her! Enjoy the book Connie.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Beth Harte, bViral. bViral said: Harte Marketing – And the microMARKETER is…: I went from having no takers for a free copy of Greg Verdino’… http://bit.ly/aN6BiL [...]
Greg, your words mean a LOT, as does Beth’s write-up. I’m proud to know you both. Thank you.
.-= Connie Reece´s last blog ..Social Media Engagement Guidelines- Surviving a Snark Attack =-.
Connie you are more than welcome! And what a great idea to share it with Cathleen. When Twitter was in it’s infancy, you took the chance to do something proactive and bring a community together to help others. As far as I am concerned, you carved the path that so many are following today.
Now that is some great Micro Marketing. Congratulations Connie and I wish you much success for the future of Frozen Pea Fund and may we all learn from your example.