Over the years, we’ve really seen Twitter marketing transform the way brands and non-profits promote a fundraising event. The local high school band’s car wash and the Junior League bake sale now have hashtags and can be seen and talked about by thousands of followers. Yesterday’s #DineOutDay is a perfect example of how Twitter is changing the way marketers do fundraising.
In these dog days of summer, where the last thing anybody wants to do is cook in a hot kitchen, MasterCard cooked up a plan to send people to their favorite restaurant. All day yesterday, the credit card company upped its donation to Stand Up to Cancer from 1 to 2 cents for every $10 spent at any restaurant. Hungry diners helped out a worthy cause as long (as they paid for dinner using their MasterCards). MasterCard’s donation drive to Stand Up to Cancer started in July and runs through September 28th, but clearly the company was hoping that National Dine Out Day would help bump up the numbers. Helping spread the word was the hashtag #DineOutDay.
All of TwitterLand was abuzz with news of National Dine Out Day and the cause it supports. Hundreds of tweets used the hashtag to talk about everything from where folks were going out to eat to celebs like Sheryl Crow urging fans to get out and use their credit cards. Stand Up for Cancer’s Twitter account served as a chatty hub for #DineOutDay participants looking to get suggestions and trade dining out stories. The Twitter frenzy spilled over to local news and online media coverage, too.
What made #DineOutDay accessible was how easy it was for people to get involved. Unlike many restaurant/fundraising efforts, National Dine Out Day didn’t have a strict list of participating places or stringent designated times. If you were hungry and used your MasterCard yesterday, you helped Stand Up For Cancer. Simple and brilliant.
Now we’d like to ask you, our whipsmart readers: How would you use Twitter marketing to help your favorite cause? Tell us about in the comments section!
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