Learn Social Media by Example: Vistaprint Gives Back Campaign

The Vistaprint Giveback Giveaway by Overdrive Interactive. Vistaprint is a one stop shop for small businesses marketing and printing needs. They offer services ranging from printing marketing materials to providing marketing services such as copy-writing and design.

The company touts serving more than 8 million people per year and provides its services in 20 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.

What is it about?

Vistaprint, as an online business, already utilized its social media profiles on Twitter and Facebook and benefited from the interactions that it had on those medium. According to Trynka Shineman, chief marketing officer of Vistaprint North America, they have seen their community grow exponentially on those social media profiles. Therefore, they wanted to thank their community for connecting with them on a very personal level and allow current members to win some great prizes and potentially attracting some new members as well.

All you have to do is go to the “Vistaprint giveback giveaway” website and enter your name and email and share the contest on Twitter or Facebook for a chance to win. The campaign duration was the week of 1/17/2009 ending on the 23rd of January.

Buzz Generation

Although the campaign is very young, it has already been reported on by Yahoo, MSN, and CNN Money generating interest in the campaign that reaches beyond the social media sphere and it has been well received by social networks with messages on Twitter and Facebook promoting the campaign and thanking them for it.

Facebook reactions

Traffic Stats

Twitter: 225 tweets 1,900 Following 979 followers 25 Listed (1/17/2009)

Facebook: 6,168 fans

Why did it do what it did?

The campaign seems to generate success judging from the reactions and sharing that is going on through Twitter and Facebook. Since the campaign gets people to participate in it by sharing the contest with them it is highly viral, having great prizes also helps people to maintain Vistaprint’s brand in a positive light.

Having it featured on MSN Money and CNN Money opens the campaign to an entirely new audience that is different than the social media audience and helps to highlight some of services they provide through social media. This, indirectly, helps promote not just the brand but provides some real life examples of their support channels that exist in social media.

Customer Support

What do you think of the Vistaprint campaign? Did you hear of the company previously? Are you going to participate? Let us hear your thoughts about it…