The Suns Influence Social Buzz with Special "Tweet Up" Event...

Are you looking to influence and control what bloggers are saying about your organization or brand? Are you looking to tap into non-traditional forms of media?

Organizations looking to take greater control of their brand image/messaging in the social media marketplace should consider benchmarking the efforts of the Phoenix Suns. The Suns, led by the charge of Amy Martin (Director of Media Research), have done a tremendous job tapping into the social media space by creating their own:

• Social networking forum (Planet Orange)
• Twitter page (which the team often uses to distribute tickets via a "Suns Twitter Trivia" challenge
• 20+ Active Blogs by Suns players and personnel
• Podcasts Forum
• Widget Tools
• Team Facebook Page, YouTube Channel, and Interactive Web Features (Suns Locker Room) 

Now the Phoenix Suns organization is taking greater efforts to control what bloggers, basketball fans, and general consumers have to say about their brand in the social media marketplace. The Suns recently held a "Tweet Up" event, inviting fans who tweet about the team to experience a once in a lifetime event.

To draw interest in the team's exclusive "Tweet Up" event, the Suns created a special offer for its Twitter faithful that included a free "Suns on Twitter" t-shirt, a souvenir bag, and the chance to sit in an exclusive "Twitterville" section for just $37 (a discount of 33% off $54 seats). The promotion grew interest from 125+ Suns tweeters who were treated to an exclusive pre-game event at Dan Majerle's restaurant and a special post-game behind-the-scenes experience.

The Suns made the event memorable for its Twitter guests by surprising them with an exclusive post-game Q&A session with Suns GM Steve Kerr and autograph session with the team's star center, Shaquille O'Neal, who is actually an active participant on Twitter with 34,000+ followers.

The results?

According to the site ConvinceandConvert.com, the event led to the team receiving a tweet on Twitter every 1.6 minutes on the day of the event and dozens of blogs providing coverage of the exclusive event. Not to mention the 125 incremental tickets the team sold to its Twitter faithful attending the game and the free social buzz it received around the event.

Check out a video detailing the Suns' exclusive "Tweet Up" event below: