Recently, an article about Eight O’Clock Coffee and its Facebook video caught my eye, probably because we drink so much of the stuff around here.  The brand has posted a “how-to” video about joining Facebook on its website geared towards customers who have yet to be members of the social network giant.  As the Eight O’Clock spokesperson mentions in the video, sharing a cup of coffee and using Facebook share the characteristic of connecting with friends and family.  The video is easy to follow as it goes through the steps of what Facebook is, how to join, adding friends, writing a status message, posting on walls, and…of course…how to become a fan of Eight O’Clock Coffee.

Eight O’Clock’s strategy of leveraging Facebook is smart.  According to the TMPDM/comScore Local Search Usage Study, 71% of social network users make a purchase after conducting a search.  Creating a Fan Page and a video about Facebook helps to integrate the brand with the social media crowd.  Using video to get this message across, rather than other means like a blog, helps to tap into the increasing online video trend.  According to eMarketer, the number of U.S. online video users is expected to increase by 8.63% to 167.5 million users by the end of 2009.  Another study by Forrester Consulting, shows that 25% of content watched by U.S. active online video viewers are commercials or promotional videos.  Clearly, Eight O’Clock Coffee didn’t implement this campaign blindly and are using current online trends to their advantage.

Their strategy seems to be working.  Posted in mid-December, the video has been generating positive feedback from brand fans who are reporting that they or their friends have joined the social media site because of the video.  This video will help to keep the brand in these users’ minds because Eight O’Clock Coffee has built trust by showing them how to join Facebook and will stay connected as the users will most likely become “fans” of the brand.

Eight O’Clock Coffee is also benefiting from a customer service perspective on Facebook because the fan page allows them to understand the consumer.  For example, the Accumul8 Rewards Program, a program that allows customers to earn points in exchange for Eight O’Clock Coffee related items, is scheduled to end on December 31st.  After doing a quick scan of their fan page wall, I found that many users are disappointed that it’s ending.  This sentiment is great for Eight O’Clock Coffee to know, as it could be a factor in whether or not the brand managers decide to bring back this incentive program.

This is just one example of the many ways social media is changing the face of advertising and customer service as we know it.  How can you make social networking work for you?

Sources: TMPDM/comScore Local Search Usage Study 2009;  eMarketer, November 2008 (Note: Views any form of video advertising (in-stream, in-banner, in-text);  Veoh Networks, “Watching the Web: How Online Video Engages Audiences”; Forrester Consulting, October 8, 2008.