I was inspired to write this post after I saw Lava Row’s, Nathan Wright do a video on businesses on Locust Street in Des Moines that use Twitter. Kuddos, Nathan, your desk is in a more socially friendly neighborhood than our friends on Ingersoll Avenue.
So with that inspiration I am going to take this in another direction. How about businesses on Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines that aren’t using social media or could use some help)? Here’s the list of suspects who we think would benefit the most by taking the plunge…
Whylie Eyes – How about a microsite where you upload your photo and try on their variety of glasses from the comfort of your underwear? They could even tweet about it, send their selections to their friends and get feedback. I would be a fan of Whylie’s if they did something like that. They have a Facebook page with only 20 fans. Perhaps they should put a Facebook link on their Web site.
Boesen the Florist - I’m not sure what’s going on with Boesen. They have a new blog but have not updated since mid-August. The good news is that Boesen is now on Twitter but with only 7 followers they need some love. Show them the power Des Moines and get your Boesen follow on! As with all social media efforts, if you aren’t going to committ to doing it, don’t get in the game. I’m not sure if they have a strategy at this point, but I would suggest promotion-promotion-promotion! 
If Boesen reminded me through Twitter or Facebook on Fridays at 4 p.m. that I hadn’t purchased flowers for my wife in a while, I’d probably go there and do just that. I’d probably also have a better weekend. Think of what they could do to drive retail traffic around romantic holidays. Or, they could simply follow obit reporters!
Palmer’s Deli - If this is their twitter page I am bummed. Think of all the business they could create around lunch time. Think about what it could do for their catering business. They have a group page on Facebook with ten people as members. While spreading the mayo Palmers should also be spreading the word about their social media efforts through Twitter. I would follow them based on the Market Chicken dish alone!
Piggot Inc. - These folks have some of the coolest office furniture in town, but this might be the first time you are hearing about them. Even B2B business models can be successful utilizing social media. Perhaps the office manager types would like to get updates about their new lines of furniture. Interior commercial designers would like to know the latest and greatest as well. They could tell these folks all about it on a blog and drive people to their Web site through Facebook and Twitter. They could even have a YouTube Channel with before and after video. I’m just sayin…
The Mansion – What’s up at the Mansion? Tell us! Women that can afford your products have husbands rich enough for them not to work. Facebook is the Soap Opera of our time. Find the stay at home moms with cash to burn between the hours of 9 a.m. (After kid drop off) and 3 p.m. (Before kid pick up).
Zimms – I bet they have drink specials and happy hour and deals on appetizers but they don’t seem to be letting anyone know about it. What if they took the Mars Cafe approach, you know, “Come in and use the password _______ to get _______.
Wellmans - Even if they tweeted that they finally have french fries I would follow.
Star Bar - All the stars are on Twitter; Ashton, Ellen, Oprah, Shaq. Why not one more? I’m sure you could attract more local stars if you were.
Stam Chocolaterie - What would be better than tweets about chocolate to get people salivating about their products. Maybe Stam should take a look at what the folks at Chocolate Story Book are doing.
Dahl’s – I think we covered this one already.
Ingersoll Business Association – I found most of the listings for this post on their site. They should be leading the way on Twitter for the Ingersoll business community. Think of how they could promote Restoration Ingersoll and Ingersoll Live through Twitter.
Kudos to the following Ingersoll businesses that have taken more than an initial plunge…
Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure - Pretty active Facebook page – and they might even win the award for best small coffee shop Web site in the history of mankind. Seriously, look at their site.
Bridges Financial – Derek knows what’s up! Follow him as soon as you can or read his active blog.
G&L Clothing – Your size, your style, they’ve got it all. Except any presence on Twitter. (CORRECTION – Thanks to @jillh for letting us know about Twitter for G&L Kudos to them for a fairly active Facebook page. They offer a promotional newsletter that I don’t recive, but I imagine a lot of the content of that could be repurposed on Twitter.
Tandem Brick - No Twitter but they do have a Facebook page.
Ingersoll Wine and Spirits - Twitter account that’s pretty active and a Facebook page.
Vogue Vision – check out their twitter account.
I am sure there are other companies on Ingersoll Avenue that are using Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. Let me know and I will add you to this list. If I made any mistakes here, I apologize and will gladly tweet and blog about how wonderful you actually are.
Keep in mind, if you’re using social media as a marketing tool its important to have a strategy and to stick to that strategy. Don’t do social media just to do social media. If you need any help, you know where to find us. If you still don’t know what to do, check out Reel Social.
Thanks for reading and I apologize for the record setting number of tags this post has!
Author: Josh Fleming
www.lessingflynn.com
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey guys…thanks for recognizing our work on FlowersDesMoines.com (Boesen). It's great to see that Boesen is organically findable. We have the view that web and social media is a constant work in progress and we're willing to put things out for public consumption while they're being built vs. a big "tadaaaaa" moment at the end. I hope you subscribe to the RSS feed and follow @boesenflorist on twitter as the key team members are introduced to the culture of leveraging social media as a brand building and engagement tool. I think Boesen will gain a whole new generation of loyal supporters when we unleash the unbelievable company and people behind the Boesen name. Again, many thanks for for recognizing the site, twitter, profile, etc.
Moberg is also a big miss on Twitter/social media. They seem to be working on being more involved in the rest of the arts community, so it would be nice to communicate with them, just like other businesses.
Hi Josh, thanks for the shout-out! Don’t forget Vogue Vision – their VP (Rachel) is on Twitter at @eyewearprincess.
Thanks for your comments, and most importantly for reading. If you know of any others we missed, please send them my way.