We do a lot of work with social media and have helped run some pretty successful campaigns. With all of this experience we have found one secret to be true in every case. Good news, it is easily repeatable and your Mom has known about it your whole life. Let me tell you a story.
On August 7, Brandon Cook wrote a post on Facebook describing how a manager at Panera Bread helped his Grandmother who was in the hospital suffering from cancer. The next day Brandon’s Mother shared the post with Panera Bread. Yahoo’s Blog describes the post
Apparently, Brandon’s grandmother is not a fan of the soup that was being served at the hospital, and really wanted a bowl of Panera’s clam chowder. Only problem: The chowder is served only on Fridays.
So Brandon called Panera and was told by the manager, Suzanne Fortier, they would make an exception for his grandmother. When he arrived at the store, he was given a box of cookies as well as the requested chowder.
The post went viral and and of August 16th is currently at 607,000+ likes and over 26,000 comments.
This was not part of a campaign or part of a planned strategy, this was the action of a kind individual. Panera Bread had a Facebook page that encouraged interaction and sharing and because of the power of social media, hundreds of thousands of people are now familiar with the story.
With all the marketing strategies and technology of today, the true secret to ultimate business success is still the same as it’s always been. The secret, is in how we treat people – treat people with respect and kindness.
