Lock 3 Park, Social Media Consultant (2008)Following the success in 2007, I volunteered to create a social media campaign for Lock 3 Park. The goal was to give the venue a stronger Web 2.o presence.
The Lock 3 Park Blog was created first and featured plethora of social media ideas including:
* Weekly concert photos from Flickr
* Various contests, including a scavenger hunt for 60's performer Peter Noone tickets was created, where Lock 3 patrons fond scattered throughout Akron area malls and bookstores.
* Viral videos featuring behind the scenes Lock 3 Park personnel and a very popular YouTube video between Mayor Plusquellic and Barney Fife at the Hamburger Festival.
The social media campaign also included a bi-weekly concert postings on Twitter and a successful MySpace page, where incoming bands, their fans and Lock 3 patrons interacted with each other, (by the end of the season, Lock 3 Park MySpace page was just as popular as the blog as received over 5000 viewers).
The biggest highlight of the social media campaign involved the band Great Big Sea.
Prior to their performance in August 2008, I cultivated a strong relationship with the Canadian band's fans on their forum. During our forum chats, many of their fans wanted to know the specifics of Lock 3 Park.
Although there were pictures on the website, there was nothing to let concert goers know about the intimate detail of the park like size, seating, etc.)
I immediately created a viral tour of Lock 3 Park, where a tour of the grounds including the stage and concession areas. I wasn't sure if the tour worked until a woman walked up to me at another Lock 3 Park concert.
She told me she was from Akron, but moved before Lock 3 Park was built. Her sister found the virtual tour online and sent her the links. After watching the links, the woman told me that the video gave her a greater understanding of the venue and it made her experience quite enjoyable
A few weeks before the Great Big Sea show, a viral contest for concert tickets was launched, where fans were encouraged to make a YouTube video to their favorite GBS song.
The winners were a husband and wife team from Canada who created fun video of their daughter singing their favorite GBS tune, (they had another video featuring their other daughter)
After the winners were announced, the couple became almost as popular as Great Big Sea on their forum.
By the end of the year over 100,000 visited Lock 3 Park in 2008, I co-presented the topic social media at the Sales And Marketing Executive International luncheon and received the Emerging Leader Award from the Summit International Awards.
But I would remiss not to mention that none of this would have been possible if Deputy Mayor Lieberth and our marketing director Maria Nagel didn't allow me the latitude to try this pioneering form of marketing in Akron.
By taking the initiative and creating a social media plan, I not only shined a brighter spotlight for Lock 3 Park, but I also found my calling as a strategic online media/marketer.
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Kevin Lockett is a social media strategist and pop culture blogger in Akron, Ohio. In 2009, he launched the green jobs platform Hirejam.com to help Ohioans find green and renewable energy positions.
Mr. Lockett can be can be reached at kazwire@yahoo.com , Hirejam@gmail.com, Linkedin, Facebook or Twitter .
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