Zappos gets it

If you want to follow the antics of a company who is doing everything right in social media, look no further than Zappos.com. Yes, like many businesses, they have a presence on all the major sites, but it's not what they're doing, it's how they're doing it that makes all the difference.

Zappos isn't just telling you about the great shoes, clothing, and handbags it offers, it is using its company culture to further its brand. There is an "Inside Zappos" channel on YouTube that shows staff festivities (the duct tape challenge is my favorite and you can see it in the player below), intra-office practical jokes, vendor appreciation events, and other videos that solidify the "happiness" of the Zappos brand (check out the cheer-up videos and the culture wall). Amongst its many Twitter accounts, one is "Inside Zappos" which directs traffic to those videos and also to its Inside Zappos blog (which shows more fun stuff, but also how they are supporting vendors and being smart business partners). Zappos has even published a book about its company culture.

All these social media channels have benefits beyond the obvious. From motivating consumers to want to buy from such cool people, to recruiting future talent and attracting potential vendors, Zappos is doing a remarkable job of making its company culture a part of its brand. It's fun, it's irreverent, it's full of life. Who wouldn't want to buy their next pair of shoes from these people?