5 social media tricks to steal from Coke and Dell

The first message noted that the darksome beverage was on sale at local grocers. The second stated, “When you open a Coke, 12,607 bubbles are born. Happy birthday, bubbles!”

Which was more successful? No, not the news of a discount. Until two years ago, birthday bubbles become “the most retweeted commercial tweet on the entire Twitter platform,” says Adam Brown, president of the marketing consultancy adMAGINATION.

There’s a moral to this story, Brown, who led social media at Coca-Cola and Dell, told an audience at Ragan’s 6th Annual Social Media for PR and Corporate Communications Conference at the Walt Disney World Resort. Tell a story—even if it’s just about the birth of a bubble.

In a talk titled “Finding the right balance of social media for your business,” Brown offered these tips.

Share your value to prove your value

In the past, the chief marketing and communications officers slunk into meetings with their fellow chief executives knowing that their departments were cost centers, not profit centers. Rarely did they have something else that other leaders wanted, Brown says.