Instagram photo from @samcordialini
My friend, Sam Cordialini, is a senior at Appalachian State University who also considers herself to be an expert in all-things-Fixer Upper. Sam loves not only the show but she also follows Joanna Gaines and all of her business endeavors.
On February 18, 2017 Sam posted a photo to her Instagram account celebrating the unusual spring temperatures and showcasing the latest edition of The Magnolia Journal with the hashtag #themagnoliajournal.
On the morning of March 2, 2017, subscribers to Joanna's weekly newsletter were able to view Sam's tagged photo accompanied by a caption encouraging other fans and readers of The Magnolia Journal to do the same.
The Social Media Manager for Chip and Joanna's Magnolia empire should be given an award for effectively utilizing fan interaction. Daily #themagnoliajournal hashtag gets 50+ tags and that person sifts through them all seeing if there are any that meet the standards to be featured in their weekly newsletter. Not only does this practice save the company money because of the free-to-use photos, but fans are also elated when they discover that their photo has been shared with millions of people.
By doing this, fans are not only pleased but they feel valued. Featured fans will be more inclined to continue to share related photos and tags with the hope of being featured again. Without realizing it, fans will begin to follow the Magnolia business more closely waiting for the latest trends and watching to see if their photo makes another debut.
I cannot think of another place like the internet or social media applications where it is so easy to feel more disconnected from people. Chip and Joanna have found a way to beat that by utilizing the work of their fans for their own personal work.
