#TechTuesday

In the pest control industry, it’s easy to see where turnover numbers might seem higher than others. The work can be grueling, take place in any weather, and deal with creepy crawlies. To improve internal employee satisfaction, develop engaging social media content for an otherwise dead feed, and focus on Cook’s priority of high-caliber customer experiences, I spearheaded the development of Tech Tuesday.

A Selfie and a Hashtag

When I moved into Cook’s newly established Marketing department, there was a determination that Cook’s needed to finally join social media. There had been pushback for years against the idea, with the concern of negative comments and reviews - the usual business-minded concerns about online presence. However, we were able to kick things off pretty quickly. In a brainstorming meeting about creative and content, we realized we could make something really dynamic in a social media effort that would, as a side effect, improve company morale and customer interactions. Tech Tuesday simply was a contest - a technician and customer take a selfie, and they post it with the hashtag #TechTuesday in the caption. Each submission received one entry, and at the end of the contest period, the customer and the technician both received a prize.

The Active Part I Played

From the beginning logistics phase to completion and delivery of contest prizes, I was responsible for 80% of all digital and printed graphics, social media coverage, planning prizes, collecting and setting up the drawing, and producing any videos or presentations, including each winner. My work encompassed:

• Draft and make revisions for contest terms to be approved by Cook’s legal team

• Plan and schedule prizes, drawing dates, writing social media posts, and email reminders

• Photography with prizes and multiple graphics to share and raise engagement through the contest period

• Script, produce, direct, and edit promotional videos

• Create a survey for social and email for feedback about what changes and prizes should be considered for the following year (2018)

• Analyze, prioritize, and present the survey results with specific findings, suggestions, and create an action plan to implement them

• Travel to Cook’s offices (AL, FL, TN, MS, GA) to deliver winning prizes

• Social media imagery and captioning for on-site posts

• Plan the first 12 Techs of Christmas end-of-year grand drawing, including graphics, logistics, videos, content, and more.

The Outcome

Tech Tuesday was a successful marketing effort for Cook’s that ran for 2-3 years. It seems to have been a victim of the 2020 epidemic, as the last posts I can find are from late 2019. However, in its time, it’s clear that Tech Tuesday was an incredible success. Providing a place and reason for customers to cheer their technicians on, driving social engagement, and giving well-deserved prizes to great employees? It did everything we hoped it would. I even (fairly) won once after my tenure at Cook’s! So I am uniquely qualified to say from end to end, #TechTuesday was a great idea.