If you haven’t seen the ‘Puppy Love’ commercial from the 2014 Super Bowl then you missed one of the fan favorites. This Valentine’s Day, you should connect with your customers and try to create a ‘Puppy Love’ moment. You need to tell your customers who you are and what you do, but you also need to let them know you care.

Tell your customers who you are

Budweiser is a huge brand that is already well known. They can use puppies and Clydesdale horses for their commercial because everyone already knows the product and the brand. If you were new to Budweiser and knew nothing about their product, this commercial would leave you thinking they operated a puppy adoption farm. They’re relying on viewers to look for Budweiser to learn more about the products they offer. The goal of this ad is to bring value to the audience.

Tell them what you do

The very last two seconds of the commercial are the only time the brand is even mentioned. There’s not even a product placement anywhere in the commercial. That is, about 1.5% of the commercial is used to mention the brand while the rest of the time is dedicated to entertaining the viewer. Telling a nice story during a Super Bowl commercial is great – if you have the budget for an $8 million one minute spot. Most businesses are not in the same financial position. However, you can use this approach on your own social networks with a more modest budget.

Let your customers know you care

The thing Budweiser got right they let their customers know they care. Had they created a commercial that was all about the brand and the product, few people would have taken notice and even fewer would be talking about the company today. Similarly, your social media marketing efforts must include some level of giving in addition to self promotion.

A good guide is the 80/20 rule. That is, 80% of your messaging should add value for your audience and 20% should take value for yourself. In this regard, Budweiser is spot on. The parent company, Anheuser-Busch brought in about $40 billion in 2013 spending $8 million on a Super Bowl ad only accounts for about 0.02% of that. Using the 80/20 rule, they still have a lot of money to spend generating value for their audience.

For more tips and best practices on connecting with your social network, contact us at Dapper Goat!