Commentary: Domino's franchisee wows social media blogger

Editor's note: As restaurant operators try and find the magic formula for getting the best - and most profitable - response from their social media efforts, the process can prove frustrating at times. There are murky rules to this fledgling platform, and return-on-investment numbers are difficult to quantify. Still, some franchisees forge on with enthusiasm, anticipating a large following that translates into increased excitement about the brand. istrategyblog.com, a social media-centered blog, focused on one such franchisee's successful efforts, which we've reprinted with permission.

By Thomas Marzano

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure to see Ramon DeLeon aka #RamonWOW in action. Ramon is "The Pizza Guy to Know in downtown Chicago!" He is a franchise owner of six Domino Pizza places in Chicago, but most importantly, he is a social media pioneer and if you ask me, a genius!

"I cannot make money selling pizzas for One Dollar, but I can make money off the conversation it generates." @Ramon_DeLeon

Brian Solis posted a blog post titled “An Audience with an Audience of Audiences” in which he talked about how everything we say, do and share become social objects, a form of media that invites interaction where reach resonates and extends like concentric circles with every instance.

In essence: the notion of amplification of message and conversation.

And Ramon just leverages on the power of amplification like no other I have ever met!

Ramon posted the above update on his Facebook page offering 10 pizzas for $10 on the 10^th of October 2010.

So what are you going to do with 10 pizzas? You're going to have a party with friends, take pictures, tweet and facebook about it of course!

Promoting Domino’s to all of your friends and followers!

Don’t be boring!

Although I believe being relevant is important, not being boring is definitely key to trigger sharing and conversations. It’s in Ramon’s DNA not to be boring and he preaches the crowd to be bold, not boring and have fun with social media. To make his point he tells us about a staggering statistic – 42 percent of people admit to using their phone on the toilet

Now how to make this experience 'not boring?'

By making something remarkable, fun and worth sharing to your friends and followers!

Promote and care for your fans!

Something we all know, but Ramon again puts this into action after an unhappy customer tweets about her bad experience. Check it out!

By making this apology video, he created a social object which was shared and featured all over the web and social networks resulting in 150 thousand impressions!

Tweetable facts

The final lesson I’ve learned from Ramon is to embed Tweetable Facts into your presentation slides. Many of us who present and speak do it, but again Ramon made it WOW! Below is the collection of Ramon DeLeon tweetable facts!

 "Social Media can help you get upstairs!"

"My goal is to get customers addicted to the Domino’s pizza experience!"

"In 2005, I considered returning to college so that I can open a Facebook account."

"Keep The CONVO alive!"

"Social media is made up of tools you can use in addition to your core business plan. It is not meant to replace it."

"Social media fire needs to be put out with social media water."

"If my print pieces don’t inspire a pizza purchase, I hope they generate a conversation!"

"My goal is to promote my customers."

"Make friends with the media."

"Be inspired and you will be in demand."

“Give people WOW to share!”

Thomas Marzano is a designer, musician, photographer, speaker, listener, thinker, creative director of online brand communications at Philips, with a fascination for social media, innovation and the arts.

Photo provided by ralphpaglia.