My wife asked me what brands had I noticed doing a good job during this pandemic lockdown, and I immediately couldn’t think of anything. She’s a writer and turned to her computer to write about that, brands missing an opportunity.
But then I thought about it and remember something. One brand had grabbed my attention and I didn’t really notice it as such. I am a subscriber to Soundstripe, a royalty-free music resource that I use for my videos. This is not an ad for them. I do like them, their music choices, their interface, the price. But as a brand I hadn’t gone any further with them. They have a blog that I don’t read. I don’t even remember how I chose them, I did and I’ve been happy enough. I might consider a different resource in the future.
About 22 days ago, they put up a post on either Facebook or Instagram, or maybe it found me via email. Anyway, it was about a Daily Challenge to keep our creative juices flowing during the stay-at-home phase of our lives. They were committed to 30 days of challenges, and I thought I might actually participate, so I did Day 1, which was a drawing exercise. I posted something I did on Procreate with my iPad, put it up on a platform, tagged them liked they asked with #KeepCreatingChallenge. There was a $100 prize, which naturally got my attention. I didn’t win.
Day 2 was much more involved, make a video about takeout from your favorite restaurant, and the prize was only $50. I lost my motivation to compete right then. I had actual work to do and couldn’t get sucked into a full day of making a video at a chance for $50. But here’s what happened: I kept watching for what’s next, thinking maybe I’d jump back into the game if I found the time and the challenge fit my day.
As a result, I’ve been made aware of their blog, which is where they post the winners. I checked it out to see those winners and found some I respected and some I feel I could have beaten if I had tried. I also learned Soundstripe has a podcast called Keep Creating. I just went and subscribed.
But the biggest takeaway is that the brand supports creativity. And the subject matter is relevant to what is going on in the world today. The prize money isn’t much, maybe $2000 total budget to be given away, but it’s something unemployed creators can hope for, and somebody does win, so they are helping people.
It’s a perfect example of how to do social media that promotes your brand, without “selling” your brand. They offer something useful, and pitch in money to help the world. And along the way pick up dedicated followers and make them true advocates.