Last week was the Social Media Club of Portland’s annual awards event and CMD took home the big prize for the “People Like Me” category that recognizes social media programs that help build brand awareness and user engagement.

The campaign that caught the eye of the judges was a social media effort to garner the attention of gamers for Intel’s presence at PAX East, one of the industry’s biggest shows, attracting more than 50,000 gamers. The goal was to dominate the show, generate maximum buzz and create/convert fans among an audience that is cynical when it comes to traditional marketing efforts.

So how do you set your social media programs apart from the rest? Consider incorporating these elements that we used for the PAX East promotion:

• Face2Face – You may have thousands of fans and followers online but don’t exclude the ones you meet in person! Amplify your social media conversation by integrating offline activities like events, activities and special guest introductions.
• Build momentum – Consider creating multiple mini-promotions within a larger program. Multiple activities provide different touch points for different portions of your audience, while also building excitement and relationships along the way.
• Be competitive – Think about ways that you can tap into your audience’s good natured competitive spirit to motivate a call to action that’s fun and engaging.

Check out our “red carpet” interview to get the full scoop from the awards event!