Blogging in the Alleghenies – a social media adventure

Navigating the ever-changing waters of social media marketing is becoming more challenging by the day. Apple recently announced the 100,000^th app for the iPhone. A study from the Association of National Advertisers revealed that two thirds of marketers have now used social media in some capacity. Some brands have even chosen to market exclusively through social media channels (VW GTi and Olympus EP-1).

So how does one go about breaking through the clutter? Here’s an example from the tourism space that might be a model for you. Mullen’s Pittsburgh office partnered with GearJunkie to launch Choose Your Own Alleghenies Adventure. This was fundametally a contest to win an all-expenses paid trip for two to The Alleghenies in Southwestern Pennsylvania. But, it became a social media adventure as Gear Junkie Stephen Regenold and the contest winners descended on The Alleghenies for a series of hiking, off-road cycling, fly fishing and kayaking adventures. Gear Junkie blogged daily about the experiences of the group and captured photos and video for future YouTube and podcast promotions. The video captured many outdoor attractions for the first time, highlighted by the recently opened Allegrippis Trail system—32 brand new miles of International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) singletrack.

RESULTS: The contest received more than 2,000 registrants, garnered more than 3.2 million paid media impressions in addition to more than 160,000+ direct impressions on the site and, ultimately, began a great dialogue in the social media space.

So whether you’re a travel destination, an automobile company or a consumer electronics brand, social media marketing channels are navigable with a little bit of knowledge of known entities and partnerships with key influencers in niche categories. Great content doesn’t hurt either.