22 Feb Sweet Cow Ice Cream

I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m writing a blog about Sweet Cow Ice Cream.  Now, first of all, no one should ever question someone writing about ice cream….ever.  But I found out about Sweet Cow Ice Cream because my wonderful, brilliant sister who lives in Colorado frequents Sweet Cow at least once a week.  What makes this establishment so different is not only are their ingredients made fresh daily but their menu board is so darn creative that I wanted to give a shout out to this solepreneur.
“Each day at sweet cow, we expand on the normal parameters of milk, cream, and sugar to make our ice cream recipe book one of the finest. We serve top shelf ice cream using natural flavorings and fresh, premium ingredients. It’s some yummy stuff.” And from what I hear, “yummy” is an understatement.  Drew Honness is the owner of Sweet Cow and his menu board ranges in flavors from Lucky Charms to “The Big Lebowski”  And if you’re wondering what flavor that is, just remember what Jeff Bridges’ character “The Dude” drank every second of the day.  If you can’t figure it out, call me, and I’ll tell you.  That flavor alone has motivated me to book my trip to Colorado (to visit my sister of course) and visit this great establishment. 
Because my niche is Facebook Marketing, I want to discuss Sweet Cow Ice Cream’s Facebook page.  I’m using this as an example so I can explain to you why having a GREAT Facebook page can be very powerful.  There are many critical strategies that Drew could implement on Sweet Cow’s Facebook page that could turn his loyal fans into SUPER fans.  And by SUPER fans I mean people who not only buy Sweet Cow Ice Cream but also talk about Sweet Cow to everyone they know (even strangers).
Currently, Sweet Cow has over 1300 followers on Facebook.  That’s a decent number but what I’d like to see is more people “talking about” Sweet Cow.  That’s where the social reach really counts.  One suggestion I have for Drew is to create a well designed Wall Image.  This is the image on the left hand side of his Facebook Page (where his great logo resides).  A wall image should be approximately 180 x 540 pixels so it takes up a good portion of the left hand side.  This would allow readers not only to see more of that great Sweet Cow Logo, but Drew could also include his website, contact information, a tag line and maybe the “flavor of the week”.  The goal is to create a memorable experience on Sweet Cow’s Facebook page.  The longer a fan stays on the page, the greater the chance he/she will share that page with other friends and get the social conversation going. The other strategy I would suggest is for there to be a Welcome Tab with an email opt-in.  If one of the goals is to capture information from your fans (e.g. name, email address), you can offer something to them for “liking” your page.  For example, “click the like button” and you will receive a special offer.  That special offer could be a free scoop of “goin postal” (yep a real flavor and no, I don’t know what it is).  The fans only get the free scoop once they enter their name and email address.  These are now fans that can receive your newsletter and future promotions, etc.  Again, just a few suggestions which apply to any business Facebook Page.
I think people misunderstand Social media as a whole.  I recently read an article by Chris Hannay called “How to Measure Social Media Success” .  We need to remember that Social media shouldn’t be a goal in and of itself – it’s a tactic a business can use to reach an objective, such as selling more widgets or improving customer service. It’s the difference between: “We need a Facebook page” and “We need to learn more about our customers through our Facebook page.”At its heart, the best thing about social media is the conversation. It’s a chance to interact and get to know your customers.
 Sweet Cow Ice Cream is the perfect example of a business that could truly benefit from a great Facebook Page and create an ongoing dialogue with its fans, offer up recipes, have not only flavors of the month but fans of the month (look at Zappos).  So Drew, if this blog makes it into your in-box, please give me a call at The Social Calling.  I would love to work with you.  And I encourage any small business owner that could use just a few tweaks to their business strategy to give me a call.  I will provide a free consultation and figure out what works best for your business.