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Internet Culture

The business secrets of @buy_2_hams, the very best brand on Twitter

It’s a great deal.

Photo of Nick Douglas

Nick Douglas

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There’s a science to good branded Twitter content, best learned by studying the great accounts: Hamburger Helper, Epcot Centre, GOP Teens, BIBL-UK, and Tab Soda. Successful corporate marketing hinges on a nuanced understanding of audience, platform, and voice.  

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And while no brand account is perfect—I’m sorry, ha, of course there’s a perfect brand account: @buy_2_hams. This exemplary Twitter feed follows every cardinal rule of (and is a crash course in) social media advertising.

For one thing, it’s very up-front about the brand’s value proposition, which is right in the display name: “BUY 2 HAMS $20.” 

It drives that message home, hard, over and over. And over.

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/697509902638563328

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/718163146985357316

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Of course, this is but one thread among many more varied tweets. B2H stays relevant by referencing the memes and news pegs of the day.

https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/698170549911076864

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/696124386835828737

https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/717200971202486272

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The account’s author also references more evergreen content to ensure staying power and broaden its appeal to “mainstream” customers:

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/709067370996879361

https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/717713464404418560

https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/662440302557446144

https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/703286231883452420

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Note how B2H weaves its brand into its references, resulting in a free endorsement that grants a “halo effect.” But a good brand account doesn’t simply borrow other brands’ stories. It builds its own. 

It gives us a peek inside the business.

https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/717731546476716032

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/718096808946352128

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A strong brand also stresses its differentiators. In B2H’s case, these are threefold: cost-effectiveness, sexiness, and sopping wetness.

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/659126555784945664

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/705071499615543296

It also expresses true passion about the product.

https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/715536587371716608

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It encourages responsible use of the product.

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/704878954914533376

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It engages with other brands where appropriate.

https://twitter.com/DeltaAssist/status/705481760826589184

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/712685492471521284

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It embraces and retweets fans.

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/716357778286182400

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/714642340909027332

https://twitter.com/forrestprussell/status/702019641393094656

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/714442156010770433

Let’s look at a case study to learn more. In March, B2H ran a high-engagement campaign, a Tournament of Meats pegged to March Madness:

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https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/710817954817032192

The campaign was carefully planned: 64 carefully seeded meats and a sophisticated Google Forms voting mechanism. The campaign cleverly positioned the core product, a pair of sopping wet hams, amid the wide variety of consumer options. This gave a sense of agency to fans, who by choosing the ham will convince themselves it was their idea, not B2H’s.

It was, of course, a real setback when ham got knocked out by hamburger in the fourth round.

https://twitter.com/buy_2_hams/status/713865802173194240

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So even in the throes of its greatest challenges, B2H shows us how to persevere. It didn’t hide from its mistakes, deleting embarrassing gaffes and falling victim to the Streisand effect. It’s an authentic brand that owns its missteps and rises above them.

The Daily Dot reached out to the Ham Man (the account is run by the company’s owner, who also serves as Chief Drenching Officer) for his direct advice. 

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“We engage with our followers A TON,” he wrote. “Probably have DMed with at least 500-600 people. We encourage all of our followers to DM us about anything. Our DMs are a healthy hodge-podge of transactions, customer service requests, sexting, etc.”

The Ham Man gave some more general business tips:

  1. Don’t sell a poor product. Our hams are top quality, grade A, PREMIER hams.

  2. Charge $20 for your product.

  3. Sell your product in pairs.

  4. Make sure your product is ham.

Once again, @buy_2_hams follows the No. 1 rule of business: Always be closing. Brand managers, take note.

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The Daily Dot