Story and photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – Want to know how to make social media work for your business? Check out this example using dessert as a catalyst for social media.

Social Media (Can Be) Free

Social media works best when it is social – that is, people talking about me, not me talking about myself.

Using Dessert as a Social Media Driver

In this example, I’m imaging a restaurant.

I want to encourage people to talk about me on Twitter.

So I put table tent (small ad in a frame) on all the tables in my cafe or saloon.

The table tent reads:

Tweet Me

Get 50% off Dessert

In the small type, you set some simple rules:

• Use @CafeHal
• Use these two hashtags: #food #triangle
• Say something nice about your experience. Whatever you liked best.
• Show the tweet to your waiter to get 50% off your dessert

Now, you’ve got other people talking about you. And, you didn’t have to pay hard cash to a smart aleck like me.

That’s how you use dessert as a social media driver.

What’s your innovative idea for social media?