This is Ellie, to me she’s “My Ellie”.  She is a real sweetie and I love her to death.  Last week after Einstein Bros. launched a new facebook campaign my wife and I took advantage of the coupon for a free bagel.  Ellie did not have pre-school that day so she got to come along.  It’s not often that she has mommy and daddy all to herself so she was eating up every minute of it.  She asked me to sit by her.  Generally this is not something I’m fond of.  Needless to say, Ellie is a messy and with the usual huge glob of cream cheese that comes on the bagels I was not looking forward to siting next to her.  I prefer to eat my cream cheese not wear it, but she really wanted me to sit next to her so I did.  For the next 20 minutes as we ate our bagels she hugged, stroked and touched me constantly, often looking up at me with those big beautiful blue eyes just starring at her daddy.

So what’s my point and how does this relate to social media?  Well, it was through a social media activity that I was able to share this special time with my daughter.  Of course, it could have been just a normal trip to a restaurant, but it’s likely that I would not have made that trip.  I very rarely eat breakfast out and lunch or dinner are often not with just Ellie.  My point is that it was because of a social media event that I had this great time.  I found out that she loves bagels and cream cheese.  I had my favorite bagel (Wild Blueberry with a Strawberry shmear) and in the end Einstein Bros. made money and rekindled a relationship with me that had died long ago.  As companies look to engage, activate or whatever buzz word you’d like to throw out there it is this type of experience that can create lasting value and return on investment with customers.

Do you have a similar story about how social media has changed your life even in small ways?  If so, let’s discuss it.  I bet I’m not alone in having these great moments that were facilitated by social media.