How Social Media Integration Can Enhance Your Shipping Container Experience

When big events like Bonnaroo, SXSW, Burning Man, Coachella, and others happen, a little town gets built. And in these towns, there’s a strong sense of community. For your brand to be part of that community, it has to contribute to the experience. The best part, though, is that when you integrate social media marketing strategies, people don’t necessarily have to physically be there to feel the buzz or participate in the excitement.

How do you create experiences that your audience wants to talk about and that will help you enhance social engagement?

Give the Experience a Unique Identity

Rather than being Brand X over in the corner, give your experience a name. Turn it into a destination. Dedicate a hashtag to the experience so that people can search for it on Twitter, and then use geosearching to keep track of who’s talking about you and what they’re saying. This allows you to integrate the experience into your social media campaigns and engage audiences, whether they’re there in person or 1000 miles away.

Have Fun

Social integration can be done in any number of ways, whether it’s a unique touchscreen demo, a fun interactive game, or a promo product people can get their hands on. That’s the goal. It’s not getting foot traffic in there; it’s generating an authentic experience that they’ll remember, talk about, and share.

Tying It Together with “Milk’s Favorite Cookie”

The Oreo Trending/Vending project at SXSW tied all of these elements together, creating a fantastic – and effective – experience that people are still talking about. Oreo captured trending topics and printed them into 3D cookies. Ever had a Grumpy Cat cookie? Yum.

People who weren’t there in the actual space could still influence what was going on inside the shipping container experience. And for those who were there, Oreo made an effort to contribute to the community in a meaningful way. It wasn’t about selling cookies; it was about being part of the overall experience and providing value to consumers. And printing cookies? That’s just cool.

Not only was it a great experience at the time, but it created indelible memories for participants – both physical and virtual. When Millennials or Gen Zs are deciding on a good cookie for their kids in a few years, they’ll have Oreo top-of-mind because of the outstanding experience the brand provided.

So why stop at the container? Why stop at the event? When you integrate social media and leverage your experience, you can extend your reach and continue to engage audiences in a consistent and effective way.