6 ways to use selfies in your marketing
A selfie is a type of self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone. Selfies are often associated with social networking, like Instagram. They are often casual, are typically taken either with a camera held at arm’s length or in a mirror, and typically include either only the photographer or the photographer and as many people as can be in focus. Selfies taken that involve multiple people are known as “group selfies” or “ussies”
You have probably heard about the most shared ‘selfie’ of all time: the “best photo ever” taken by Ellen Degeneres at the 2014 Oscars. The start studded photo posted on twitter within 48 hours had over three million retweet.
This has brought up the question in many marketers’ minds today: Can businesses use ‘selfies’ to achieve even a small fraction of the reach that Ellen’s photo did? And if so, how?
If you would like to capitalize on the popularity of selfies in your own marketing strategy, here are 6 genius ways you can do so!
1. Contest: Get fans and followers to take selfies with your products.
Hold a contest that encourages your fans and followers to take photos of themselves with your product. Get them to not only post the photo to your Facebook wall or with a contest hashtag on Twitter or Instagram, but also to share the photo with friends to increase your reach.
2. Contest: Get fans and followers to take selfies at your place of business.
This is the same idea as in number one, however this one is ideal for local businesses. Hold a contest where the best ‘on location’ selfie wins! This one is great for generating a buzz for your local brick and mortar business.
3. Create a selfie app relevant to your business.
In some niches, creating an ‘insert yourself into the selfie’ app can be a fun and profitable way to get some attention online. There has been an explosion of selfie apps in the past year or so, but by creating one that’s specifically relevant to your audience, there’s always room for one more!
4. Offer a discount in exchange for a selfie.
How much is increased exposure worth to you? 5% 10%? More? Offer a discount to your customers or clients with every selfie posted to your wall, or posted with a relevant company hashtag on Twitter or Instagram.
You may want to encourage people to take a photo with your product, in your business, or somehow incorporating your logo.
5. Hold a cause-related selfie campaign.
If you are looking to raise public awareness about an issue or cause while expanding your reach at the same time, holding a selfie campaign could be a good move for you.
For example the New York Public Library’s 2013 selfie campaign, for instance. In light of severe budget cuts, library management knew they needed to do something outside of the box to generate buzz about their services.
They installed photobooths outside 2 of their locations, and encouraged visitors to take photos and then tweet the results. These photos were then automatically posted to Flikr, further expanding their reach.
6. Feature a fan’s selfie.
Ask your fans or followers to submit a selfie with your product, and then choose one image to feature as the ‘Fan Selfie of the Week’. Kind of like a contest, but the ‘prize’ is simply the adoration of, and recognition by, the rest of your fans!
The use of selfies shows no sign of diminishing, particularly on social media, so why not leverage their popularity by incorporating them into your marketing strategy?
(sources: en.wikepedia.org and Kimgarst.com...follow@Sinach & @Daily_Trust)