Say what you will about Microsoft, but judging from their most recent endeavor, it’s clear that the company knows how to use social media marketing to spread brand awareness. As you’ve probably heard, the game FarmVille has become something of a phenomenon, with over 82.7 million people playing the game through Facebook. As if it needed to be said, 82.7 million people represents a population that’s statistically significant, to say the least.
Because Microsoft’s Bing is a relative unknown in the world of search, being able to build a brand identity through social media means far more to the company than it would for, say, Google. In an attempt to harness the hyper-popularity of FarmVille to bring more attention to their brand, Microsoft offered FarmVille users in-game currency in exchange for becoming a fan of Bing on Facebook. The move appears to have worked, as the amount of fans has over quintupled since the promotion started, rising from 117,000 to over 590,000.
The offer of in-game currency for social media capital is made in the game through a prompt offered to users who were actually playing at the time. It allowed players of FarmVille to immediately become fans and reap the benefits of doing so all without leaving the game application itself. While a rather convenient, if unnecessary, process for users, this was important for Bing as it allowed them to have a more significant engagement with people who they knew were actively involved without the FarmVille network. This makes them more likely to spread word of the offer, thus further increasing Bing’s brand recognition.
While the obvious thing to take away from this is the power of social media marketing, it also highlights the development of another important trend: the value of virtual goods.
The typical kind of promotion offered by companies through social media channels involves granting rewards such as discounts on items, food, or even cash have often been unsuccessful. While not necessarily bad in and of themselves, real world promotions can often come with added baggage like being forced to purchase something to take advantage of a discount, or sticking users with various services or charges. This generally isn’t the case with virtual items, as they can be acquired immediately and users are immediately aware of whether the deal is what it says it is on its face.
To keep its newly found fans engaged with the Bing brand, Microsoft has posted status updates about FarmVille, to some apparent general success. Over 1,996 comments have been left by users in response to the post, which translates into more brand engagement with users.
Written by Kenny K.