Has it really been a week since our first ever issue of Louisiana’s Online Lagniappe? Between Codemkrs and our office countdown to Krewe du Vieux, the past seven days have flown by! But we’re back, ready to highlight some Louisiana companies doing great things online. If you think you deserve to be featured on SBN, send me an email at Flynn@onlineoptimism.com and I’m more than happy to review your work.
Let’s start with a little jazz…
Preservation Hall
It is admittedly a little easier to get likes on Facebook when you’re a beloved landmark of New Orleans. But by featuring both their brand as well as the artists that play at their locale, Preservation Hall does a wonderful job at using Facebook for promotion – particularly for a place that opened its doors more than twenty years before Mark Zuckerberg was born. By using mostly pictures that only their behind-the-scenes access allows, they bring the normal Facebook fan into a world that most of us wouldn’t normally see. In addition, creating events for all of their stand-out sets and concerts allows Facebook users to both announce that they’re attending, and invite friends along to the show as well.
Marucci Sports
While we’re trying to cover mostly businesses that stay local with this column, Marucci’s new website design was so gorgeous we had to make an exception. The large, Baton Rouge based manufacturer of baseball products’ stylish, flashy, and dare we say bold new website is a beautiful showcase of an e-commerce site. With ginormous (yes, that’s a word) pictures, intuitive ways to browse, and social media / reviews smartly incorporated onto each product page, every company selling their products in 2013 could learn a lot from reviewing what Marucci is doing.
IN Exchange
Continuing the e-commerce theme, IN Exchange’s strength is using social media to promote their fair-trade sales. While some companies concentrate on connecting with consumers on a personal level (see last week’s column for more on how @Fleurtygirl does that perfectly,) IN Exchange instead uses their feeds to push discounts, coupons, and contests. Both strategies have merits, and we’ve often found that for our clients, a mixture works best. No matter whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, their own website, or in store – IN Exchange does a great job at helping consumers find their latest deals.
Just a Few More
We don’t want to say too much since they’ve already been covered extensively on this website and other local tech sites, but if you haven’t checked out at least the top three Codemkrs apps (do it on your phone) – Eat Now, Gigs Guru, and Digital Tip Jar – well then you’re just missing out on what the future of Louisiana’s mobile-optimized thinkers are up to.
Send In Your Lagniappe
Is your business doing incredible things online? Drop me a note at Flynn@onlineoptimism.com and it might just be included in next week’s column.