This will be a short post, but there’s a story I want to share. The highlight of my week last week was a package from GE. Not because they sent me a package of goodies (although I’m definitely not complaining!), but because of the how and the why. I was already harboring a not-so-secret crush on the company’s social media team, and now it’s blossomed into love. As it turns out, they love their social community just as much as we love them.
General Electric is great with branding and social media (in fact, that’s where the story starts!). It turns out, they also know how to surprise and delight and make this girl super excited. Here’s what happened:
The Story
One day, not too long ago, I shared a blog post that mentioned GE’s marketing (which is awesome). My friend retweeted me, and we started talking about GE:
Love this! “@bberg1010: Great Examples of ‘Boring’ Businesses That Act Like Humans in Their Marketing bit.ly/13bpclS #likeablechat”
— Bridgette Nealon (@B_Nealon) February 20, 2013
@b_nealon Same, I’m actually obsessed with @generalelectric‘s Pinterest boards!
— Brittany Berger (@bberg1010) February 20, 2013
That’s when General Electric stepped in and the ‘being awesome’ started:
@bberg1010 Brittany, we’re glad to hear that. Which board is your favorite?
— General Electric (@generalelectric) February 20, 2013
@generalelectric Definitely either “Mind = Blown” or “Hey Girl.” But those badass machines are pretty cool, too. 🙂
— Brittany Berger (@bberg1010) February 20, 2013
You see, this wasn’t my first time tweeting some love for GE, which I’m sure they noticed. (Sidebar: it also wasn’t the last. They ran a delicious promotion for Pi Day last week.) So, we exchanged a few more tweets, ending with them asking me to follow them so that they could direct message me.
I followed them, and they asked for my address so they could send me “a token of appreciation.” I gave it to them, expecting something small…literally, a token or something. I thought maybe it would be a sticker or some leftover free swag that they give away at trade shows, career fairs, etc. But no, I received the care package pictured above (please excuse the poor photo quality and awful lighting!). It contained a handwritten ‘thank you’ note, some cool magnets, and season 1 of New Girl, one of my favorite shows!
What I Loved
There is so much that I loved about this “care package!” A few things:
- Sending me New Girl DVDs shows me that this was a very personal gift. They obviously don’t send the same goodies to everyone that they thank. They went through my Twitter feed to find out what sort of thing I would enjoy the most. They probably did this on a Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, when my profile was filled with New Girl live-tweets.
- The magnets and ‘thank you’ notes were more brand-related, so it was still a GE-related goodie bag.
- The ‘thank you’ note from the social media team asks me to share a picture of how I’m using my magnets, encouraging me to continue our conversation on social media. This package wasn’t the end of the conversation, but a catalyst to continue it. As you can see, I’m using the magnets to hold up my Beyonce tickets, which are practically my most prized possessions right now!
- Finally, I get to watch season 1 of New Girl. Over. And. Over. Again. I get to be adorkable with Jess, and curmudgeon-y with Nick, watch Schmidt fill up the D-bag Jar, and just sit back with Winston and observe the ridiculousness that goes on in that loft.
