Want to learn the secrets of running a successful Facebook page for your business? Our Facebook Page Spotlight series is designed to showcase the amazing things businesses and brands do to create quality engagement and loyal fans. Best of all, they are things that every business can incorporate into their strategies without having to break the bank. This week, we’re going to look at how UPS creates viral engagement by highlighting the everyday heroes in their workforce.
How UPS Began on Facebook
UPS began on Facebook like most businesses: creating a historical timeline of their company history, from their first print ad in 1907 to focusing the majority of their status updates on industry-related news and corporate updates. In 2010, when their activity began to pick up, updates consisted of environmentally friendly logistics, job opportunities, and event announcements revolving around discussions about – you guessed it – logistics. Engagement on these posts was in the double digits with mostly likes, a few comments, and low amounts of shares.
Showcasing Drivers As Heroes
In 2011, UPS started sharing talking about things other than logistics, including personal stories of heroism from within the UPS family. Engagement started to pick up, but the wall posts didn’t hit critical mass due to the fact that fans had to leave their Facebook page to get the full story on the UPS blog. Anytime you send people away from your Facebook page, the likelihood that they will return to it to like, comment, and share is going to be diminished.
In 2012, UPS started to experiment with wall posts about their heroic drivers sans the external link to their blog. While the referral traffic back to their website was lost, the resulting engagement on Facebook was phenomenal.
Unlike some Facebook fan pages that have one-hit viral wonders, UPS learned from the experience and began to highlight ordinary drivers doing extraordinary things whenever they happened.
While their other wall posts continued to get triple digit engagement (which is usually good for most businesses), they would intermittently see explosive engagement on the stories about their drivers.
Their formula is simple: a short paragraph identifying the driver, their heroic story in a nutshell, a call to action to celebrate the story, and a photo of the UPS driver in uniform by his or her truck. The results? Their brand spreading like wildfire throughout Facebook, and for good cause.
At the beginning of 2012, before they began sharing these amazing stories, their fans totaled 16,836. Now, they have 1.1 million fans. While it may not all be based on their viral stories, you can bet it had something to do with them.
Takeaways for Your Business
While your business may not have one million fans and your employees may not find themselves in situations like these, you can still get viral engagement by sharing their personal stories of inspiration. Did your team go out and build a house with Habitat for Humanity this year, or are you delivering toys to the underprivileged in your neighborhood this holiday season? Does one of your employees volunteer at the local animal shelter every weekend? Share it on your Facebook page! Your employee’s acts of kindness will inspire your fans to engage with your business. And who wouldn’t want to work with a company full of such admirable people?
At a time when organic reach is at an all time low, it’s important to find ways that connect with your fans beyond talking about industry news, corporate shakeups, and product launches. Let your fans inside the heart of your company, and you will reap the rewards of fans that will look forward to more heartwarming stories.
Just be sure to remember the formula for success: the name, the story, and the photo!
