• Be Authentic - The dancer in the video nailed authenticity. Whether the dance was a pre-meditated "Hey, look at me!" stunt is unknown, but to everybody watching he was simply a fan grooving to the music in his own special way. We’ve all seen what happens when a campaign “tries too hard.” The results aren’t pretty.
• Engage rather than Interrupt - A good social media campaign doesn't scream "We want you! Come join us!" Rather it conveys the message that the door is open and you're welcome to check us out and see what we're about. In the clip, the dancing guy doesn’t approach people to get them to join him. Instead he does his thing in a very visible place and waits for others to approach. Had he approached people they likely would have felt that he was an intruder and rejected his overtures.  Because his dance was interesting enough (see #3), another concert-goer decided to check out what he was about. When he arrived, the newcomer was greeted appropriately and made to feel welcome. This put the terms of the engagement on the side of the newcomer who immediately felt comfortable and therefore stuck around. People view social media as a way to interact with brands, business and people that they are attracted to – but they want to interact on their terms. The minute they begin to feel like a target, they'll run.
• Do Something Interesting - The dancer's dance was not polished, rehearsed, or particularly skillful, but it didn't matter because it was interesting to watch and caught people’s attention. Had he simply been standing up there doing the 8th grade sway nobody would have noticed or paid any attention.  People noticed because he was original. Imagine, if there were twenty other people on the hill doing the same dance it wouldn’t have been nearly so compelling. Quick caveat though… don’t get so carried away with being interesting and original that you abandon your brand identity.  Remember to remain authentic (see #1)
• Timing and Location - Had our dancer been doing his dance on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue Bridge at 8:30 a.m. on a Tuesday morning he'd have been avoided like the plague. At that time and place his audience would have been completely engaged in another aspect of their lives - getting to work, a meeting, or shopping, and as such would be completely closed to his message. Before you begin your social media campaign you’ll need to have a solid understanding of your audience and where they congregate and engage in conversation about your brand. For example, Facebook is huge and a large portion of your audience probably spends time there.  But is it where those people are engaging in conversation about your brand? If you’re selling project management software, the answer is probably no.
• Engage the Right People Early - In the clip, the 3^rd guy to join the party was a big guy who looked a little like the character Hurly from the TV show Lost. For whatever reason (his looks, his dance style, or perhaps the group that he was with) others found him interesting and were attracted to him as well. No matter the subject, people look to experts for guidance and opinion. A successful social campaign will identify those leaders and reach out to them. Ideally, through traditional PR activities, your company has already identified these leaders and has an ongoing dialog with them. If what you are doing/saying/selling are interesting to them, they'll probably talk about it. If not, it's a good indication that you've missed your mark - either you're targeting the wrong leaders or they simply don't see the interest and value in what you are doing. Either way it's a good indication you should re-examine your strategy.

• Brand Enthusiasm - Turning customers into fans, driving repeat purchases
• Sales - Using social media to create first-time customers or to introduce your brand
• Loyalty -  Decreasing customer churn, improving customer service

Tell us what social media strategies have worked for you!

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