The Seattle Aquarium is Otter-ly Great!

At first glance the Seattle Aquarium Facebook page looks just like any other. It has a cover photo of an upcoming event, a profile picture of the actual aquarium and many posts, including many by their “friends” and “fans”. It has many friends that seem to adore it and man likes by adoring fans. But this is more just a Facebook page, it is a marketing tool used by the Seattle Aquarium that builds a lasting relationship with the customer.

There are three things I can see the Seattle Aquarium (SA) is doing well with their social media Facebook.

1.         The SA uses the cover photo option on Facebook to advertise about upcoming events. This is the first thing a visitor to the page sees so by doing this, SA lets people you like the them know of events which will in turn draw people to buy tickets to the aquarium.
2.          The SA has many photos on their page. In addition to their own photos, friends are able to share their own photos with the SA. This lets friends (or customers) feel as if they are part of the SA experience and thus they have a good feeling towards the aquarium that translates into more paid visits.  Notice that SA comments on the photos to let the friends know they are appreciated.

Notice the interaction between Benita & the Seattle Aquarium. 

3.    The SA uses the 80/20 rule very wisely. Eighty percent of posts by SA are about the animals at the aquarium while twenty percent is about upcoming events. This keeps friends from feeling like they are bombarded by ads and makes the friends feel as though the SA is a friend to them and not just a business.

      Although the Seattle Aquarium is using their Facebook page wisely there are two things they could do better to increase their friends and fans while also increasing the business driven to the aquarium.

1.         The SA needs to connect more with their friends and fans. Many people post on the SA’s wall and tag the SA in photos but most times the SA does not comment on the posts. Though they do like many posts, to create a relationship with the customers they need to leave comments. Many times a simple thanks would be enough.
2.        The SA sometimes a pricey outing for a family, who does not know if their children will like the SA. Because of this the SA should be offering deals on their page. It costs them nothing to do this free advertising. A simple coupon like a free child ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket would drive traffic to the SA. This can also cause a customer loyalty once the family sees how much fun it is. Another notable deal option would be to target loyal customers with a punch card type of deal. This could be something as simple as check-in at the aquarium five separate times and win a free t-shirt.