Social Networking

One of the industries that has really benefited from the use of social media is the entertainment industry.  I am specifically talking about businesses that hold music events like ACL or the Frank Erwin Center. I have “liked” both of these businesses on Facebook for a while and I love getting up to date information about their upcoming events. I am a big fan of music and love going to see live music shows. If there is anyone coming to Austin I usually know about it very quickly through Facebook.  These businesses benefit from having a free Facebook page and a chance to be viewed by millions in an instant. Their marketing goes beyond just local promotions. These businesses also have the ability to access fan information that can be used to better understand customer needs. The fans benefit from exclusive up to date information about the businesses marketing campaigns or other events. I like how they both connect and engage the user by giving “insider type” information, and space to express your thoughts or feelings on certain topics. ACL creates a buzz a year before the event happens but people are tuned in to see their updates to find out when they are going to sell tickets, announce the lineup, and volunteer opportunities. During the ACL three day weekend they announce special guest appearances, special signings, giveaway free VIP upgrades, food specials, and etc. It’s a good way for vendors in the event to partner up with ACL to promote their products. ACL has a huge following on Facebook and some of these vendors might benefit from their following. These ACL status updates are used to promote but also serve to engage you and better the experience. The updates that also call for your engagement are those that ask questions like “Who are you excited to see??” or “Beautiful day in Austin, ACL starts today!!” and people either reply or hit the “like” button.  The Frank Erwin Center recently has revised their marketing strategy and has included Facebook in order to announce upcoming concerts and ticket sales. Their target market seems to be mostly focused on students since it’s affiliated with the university. Because of this target market, they also tend to use Facebook to advertise career opportunities. These businesses understand that people like to know exclusive information (like access to presales) and they use Facebook to encourage you to sign up for their exclusive emails. I rarely check my email but I do check Facebook various times a day. When there is an update about an event from either ACL or Frank Erwin, I know to check my email in order to get the presale information.  I think both of these businesses have chosen the right social network for them but there are certainly others that Groundswell referenced like LinkedIn, or Hi5. These two networks target totally different groups than Facebook does like work professionals and young teenage girls. Groundswell also speaks about focusing on the relationship rather than how the social tool works which I definitely agree with. These businesses that I referenced really make me feel like a part of their community. It’s like knowing the right people to be able to make the moves you need to make things happen. As fan on Facebook, I am able to find out about special events and I can plan accordingly to either fit the event into my schedule or prepare to get tickets through a presale promotion. I like how they develop this connection that I have to them by giving me up this up to date information and how they keep me in the loop of the live music show world.  One thing that I did notice that this other site called Groove Tickets is doing is that after the ticket sale it shows you who is attending the event. The customer has a chance to create a page with in the groove ticket domain and add themselves as attending the event. I thought this was neat but have yet been inspired to create another social network type account under groove tickets.  I think that maybe this could be an idea for Facebook to maybe integrate in their event applications since so many users already use it for personal invites or businesses use to promote their events.  A suggestion like maybe after the ticket purchase link it somehow to your Facebook page where you can see who all is attending and therefore gives you an opportunity to maybe make plans with people you may or not know.  I definitely think there is far more room to grow in the social networking experience and I can’t wait to see what other things may develop!