Here in the U-Haul Social Media team, we pride ourselves on in-the-moment communication with our customers. We like to offer tips, advice, how-to’s, and in general, just be in the moment with our audience. It’s always nice when we can create a good Twitter conversation with our audience- it gives us that warm and fuzzy feeling.
Earlier last month, one particular social conversation gave us butterflies. It all started with a tweet sent by @AfterEllen; it was linked to a blog post with tips on decorating after moving in with your girlfriend. Among the helpful tips and suggestions, one particular book shelf comprised of recycled pipes struck our eye. Our sustainability initiatives at U-Haul extend from the way we design our equipment, to choosing to offer recycled and biodegradable moving supplies. So, for us it was too cool not to chime in. We sent a little tweet back exclaiming that we loved the ideas, mainly the aforementioned bookcase.
We thought, if we were lucky, we’d get a favorite back from @AfterEllen, but this particular day, there was a shift in our Twitter world. Not only did @AfterEllen favorite our little tweet, but they responded. (It brought out the inner teenage feeling- you know the one you got when your first crush responds back to your note.) Our banter went back and forth for a few additional tweets, garnering dozens of retweets, favorites and shares from our collective communities.
If that wasn’t enough of a win for us, our conversation landed a community highlight spot on Buzzfeed. You can read that article here.
For us, this is a great example of the importance of engaging with your community via social channels. Sharing your own branded content is great, but the real magic happens in moments like these. It gives your brand a chance to be human and relevant.
