Not just because I’d like a trip to the Breeders Cup at Del Mar and a possible meet-and-greet with jockey Mike Smith and trainer Bob Baffert and a tour of the Del Mar backstretch.
That would be wicked cool.
I also figured the campaign would be good experience for me as an author who has to do her own marketing. Check it out:
Quick recap
Just go to The Horsey Set Net to see my reasoning. If it takes you a while to come back because you get lost reading, that’s hunky-dory.
Or if you’re itching to get back to Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat, that’s kind of the point.
Dinosaur or a zombie?
Social media platforms have clobbered blogging. Some sages of the internet insist blogging is dead, but it’s not dead yet. My blogs are still active, but less so. More “Monty Python” …
… than “Game of Thrones.”
Social media platforms are free, and–in theory– they don’t take up much time. Twitter has been described as microblogging.
I can see why social media has hijacked the interwebs. On social media, you can keep up with your family, find long-lost school chums, see what your favorite celeb enjoys, and geek out on cat-dog-horse photos. Plus, social media is where most of us announce our news, personal or business. It’s one-stop shopping. Why click around when you can scroll?
Back to the #BCSweepstakes
The contest is run like the Kentucky Derby, on a point system. When you sign up for the “celebrity experience” you want, you’re sent to a page with convenient social media posts targeted to the platforms you use.
When I signed up, I saw that the contest is run by Social Toaster. The first headline on the Social Toaster webpage, when I first checked it out, was “All your fans are on social media.”
Yup. They sure are. They’re looking at cat pictures, aahing over family photos, and sharing videos of kids and horses.
So am I. Not because I’m looking for the fans, but I love that stuff, too.
On my #BCSweepstakes Backstretch Experience page, I see I can compose my own Tweets and Facebook posts in my own words. (I’m not on Instagram. I know. Bad author.) As long as I use the hashtags and, especially, post through the page, I accrue points.
But you know what the whole #BCSweeptstakes reminds me of?
Street teams!
Street teams are super-fans who started out promoting the bands they love.
Romance writers picked up the process and tweaked it. You do promo for your fave author, you can receive gifts, etc. You get to join your own Facebook page, and you’re part of a special tribe.
I half wonder if street teams aren’t kind of five years ago, though. I hear less about them, probably because many street teams are often made up of authors, too, who are readers with deadlines and day jobs and families. Readers also have day jobs and families and even outside interests. But I also detected a quid pro quo, Clarice vibe thrumming strong through everything I read about street teams.
The #BCSweepstakes is a contest. Play the most often and you may be rewarded.
Extra credit for original content?
One thing I noticed about my posts for the #BCSweepstakes is, they don’t get many shares, sort of a shadow currency in social media.
Now, granted, I’m used to that. I have niche interests. I also don’t post the same post six times a day, either. Even with hashtags, groups, and streams, a tweet has about a five minute life in the social media firehose. No wonder FOMO – fear of missing out – is such a driving force.
Nor was I live posting from horse races, especially Breeders Cup #WinAndYoureIn races, until I attended the Whitney Handicap. I don’t live near a track. Saratoga is about four hours away. Keeneland involves a plane flight.
I’ve written several posts on both blogs referencing the #BCSweepstakes, complete with hashtag, but I doubt creation of original content gives extra points. The part of me that recognizes Hermione Granger as a spirit animal loves going for the extra credit. Irresistible. Even if it’s not available.
Cuz that’s how I roll.
- #BCSweepstakes
- #WinAndYoureIn
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