Enjoyable Brand Pages on Facebook

I follow a lot of pages on Facebook. My pages are an odd mix of personal interests (tech, fashion, food), brands I had to "like" in order to enter a sweepstakes (yes, I'm a sucker like that), companies I've worked or volunteered for, and friend's companies.

Most of the companies I follow update their pages rarely, if at all. Some of them post only when something noteworthy happens within the company. And then there are the rare few that post frequently and awesomely.

Here are a few that stand out in my news feed:

Pepto-Bismol posts these hilarious one-liners that are usually timely and culturally relevant (but sometimes just totally random). For example, during March Madness they wrote, "On this game day, if you overindulge, ask not what you can do for Pepto -- ask what Pepto can do for you." I think for a potentially awkward brand that doesn't have much content to share, they're doing a great job of of being engaging and funny.
This one's a little bit nostalgic for me. I've been a Jones Soda fan since high school (which was decidedly pre-Facebook), but they've really taken social media in stride and used it as another way to connect with their already enthusiastic fan base. They've always had a very hands-off, organic method of marketing that appeals to a generation that's totally jaded when it comes to advertising. On their Facebook page, they sometimes ask questions as basic as, "How was your weekend?" and get hundreds of responses. I think what I love most about their page is the complete lack of gimmicks. It's very authentic and transparent, and it's clear that whoever runs the page loves the company as much as it's fans do.

Rent The Runway is a fabulous company that allows you to rent designer dresses for a fraction of the price and then return them a couple days later. They post fashion news, celebrity gossip, company news, promotions, etc. Pretty standard fare, but I guess what I like about it is that everything is relevant to the interests of their readers and not overly sales-y. My favorite part about their page is that they allow users to upload pictures of themselves in the dresses they rented. It's fun to see real girls wearing these gorgeous designer dresses, and certainly gets me thinking about the next occasion I might have to rent a dress...


The Museum of the City of New York puts up photos of its artifacts, which is cool in and of itself, but they also do really entertaining posts like a "Friday Mystery Image" competition, and timely posts like an Elizabeth Taylor paper doll on the day she passed away.

Oh boy, cat's out of the bag. I'm a geek. I am super excited about Game of Thrones, and that's in no small part due to their excellent marketing tactics. From their Facebook page, I found out that they're at Wondercon today and allowing people to sit in the Iron Throne. So jealous. They also use their page for posting wallpapers and posters, notifying people of where their Tom Colicchio food truck will be (!), posting loads of video, and promoting their game "The Maester's Path." A very good campaign overall, and excellent use of Facebook.


It's worth noting that none of these companies had to "trick" me into liking their pages using sweepstakes or exclusive content. The Pepto-Bismol page was actually recommended to me by a non-marketing friend - just a random consumer who thought it was hilarious. The others I either sought out, or liked because I follow the brand's other outlets and wanted to keep up with them on Facebook also. The way I see it, the takeaway is simple. Make sure your fans know you're on Facebook, and provide your followers with interesting, timely, relevant content every day.

What are your favorite brands to follow? And I'm not just talking about brands that have done big, fancy Facebook campaigns - I'm talking about the brands that you actually enjoy hearing from every day in your news feed.

10 comments:

dellen said...

Pepto-Bismol! Bingo! I LOVE hearing what they have to say and they do a great job about commenting back to people. Especially when the person talks about abusing Pepto in some way. What a great company! I recently liked Peeps on Fb and they are pretty fun, they post a lot of pictures of the huge chick peep in different cities. NPR and Chelsea Lately are informative, in different ways, of course!

Ice Creem Dreem said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ice Creem Dreem said...

Hi Adrienne,

I really like your blog! Do you ever accept products to try? Let me know if you are interested by shooting me a quick email at khara1212 at gmail.com.

Thanks!
Khara

Jamie Thompson said...

Good post, Adrienne. I'd be very interested in getting your take on other "stuff" brands are doing / could do to wade through the noise on Facebook.

Have you heard of Pongr? I work there and am interested in putting together a feedback panel of Millennials.

Jamie
@Jamie_Thompson

Jobs said...

I know you guys won't know this brand, it is small. But they have a great feedback rate with the people who like them on FB. Junk Mail. Go check them out.

Print Management Software said...

Thanks to update your past. I search blog exactly appear to your blog. Yes I agree this is very powful content. Bye Regards

Anonymous said...

I love reading all your articles, keep up the good work....well done.
Science Jobs

test said...

Highlights about kollywoodthendral.in

Published in Telugu and English
Latest updates about film and music reviews are posted as soon as possible, we are setting up a next level standard in updating latest content for our closest competitors.
Downloading of your favourite actor/actress wallpapers has never been so easy with our clearly categorized sections. It is very convenient to find and easy to download your content.
Faster update and latest views on all kind of movie reviews
Downloading wallpaper facilities of your favourite stars
Up to date information on the Events taking place in the industry
Most recent and accurate news of the industry
Previews and Reviews of new releases.
Reviews and ratings of Music releases.
Accurate information of the dates on movies and music releases
Trailers of the upcoming movies, which helps you to judge the same.
Photo and Media gallery
Press meet, interviews and views from star cast.
Find your favorite Telugu Movies Reviews, Actors and Heroines Gallery only at telugu movie news

Anonymous said...

Hi Adrienne,

I am a student at the University of Missouri and a member of the YAYA Connection team. We are a student-staffed, professional agency that provides businesses with insights on the Youth and Young Adult market (ages 18-24, also known as Generation Y).

I have recently been reading Ask a Millennial, and I am a big fan of your work. I love your honest reflections on what is and is not working for marketers. This post in particular made me want to look more into Pepto's facebook. It sounds hilarious and awkward... yet engaging. I now know where to go when I start getting heartburn in the future...

Would you be interested in our agency writing a guest post for your blog to provide Ask a Millennial a YAYA perspective on marketing to our generation about any relevant topic you'd like?

Here is an example of our past posts about topics relevant to our generation: http://yayaconnection.com/2012/amazon-firing-up-the-tablet-market/

Please let me know if we can contribute to Ask a Millennial!

Moe Leneweaver
mjleneweaver gmail.com
YAYAconnection.com

Anonymous said...

I love reading all your articles, keep up the good work....well done.
Chemistry Jobs