Happy Anniversary! Books for brands

Facebook’s anniversary provided the company with an opportunity to remind us of our part in its journey. If our loyalty has waned a bit, seeing all that coverage reconnects us; if we’re still a firm user, we feel good about ourselves and are proud of our continued loyalty; if we’ve never been user, we might suddenly wonder what we’ve been missing all these years.

The anniversary gave Facebook an outlet to celebrate publicly how far it had come. Dreamed up in a humble college dorm, it has gone from kooky intranet device to multi-billion-dollar market leader. Celebrating 15 years reminds us that great ideas start small and grow quickly. It reminds us that even though Facebook has had its ups and downs (data protection, social responsibility and child safety among them), it has a longevity that proves its dominance in a typically fickle marketplace. When it comes to social media, love it or hate it, Facebook feels like the one that can stand the test of time. Phew. Something in this ever-changing world we can rely on.

Start with Why

Celebrating an anniversary, whatever your business and however old you are, is an opportunity to share with your staff, customers, clients, investors and stakeholders the fact that you have created something reliable, dependable, successful and longlasting. An anniversary celebration is an opportunity to:

• thank your staff and customers – helping them to feel invested in your business and cementing their loyalty.
• demonstrate your success to clients, reaffirming your credibility and reassuring them that their investment/commitment/custom is safe with you.
• showcase your brand profile and your plans for the future to potential new clients to help your business grow.

Focus on how

Like all marketing, an anniversary celebration has to have a clear strategy with clear goals in mind. It’s never too late to celebrate your birthday – nor, though, is it too early to start planning the party. Give yourself time to build a birthday strategy that works for you. Start with a few simple questions:

• How can you best showcase your achievements. Do you need an anniversary logo? A special homepage? A flyer? A book or other giveaway? A party or event? All of the above?
• Who do you want to celebrate with you? Who are you trying to reach?
• Will you have a special anniversary taskforce to implement the campaign? How could you encourage input from your staff and stakeholders so that they feel invested in this milestone?
• What do you need to do to tell the world that you’re here to stay?

And don’t be shy. There’s nothing more uplifting than a success story. So, whether your business has made it to a year, a decade, a quarter-century or anything in between or beyond, celebrate confidently, tangibly and loudly – and invite everyone you can to the party.