How does a meet-and-greet with a Golden State Warrior sound? Apparently pretty good—for both Warrior fans and the franchise. Facebook, which launched its Deal service last year, offered to partner with the NBA team to beta test the new program, according to a report by Mashable’s Jennifer Van Grove. The Warriors’ social media strategy now includes a deal, such as exclusive meet-and-greets with players or merchandise discounts, for fans who “check-in” on Facebook during a home game. Two of the brand’s social media tactics include:

• Check-in booths: To boost engagement, each home game features a special booth that prominently advertises a special deal for Facebook check-ins.
• Connect check-ins to customers: Because check-ins don’t provide much actionable info about the fans, the team offers special team store merchandise discounts for check-ins. The goal is to turn each check-in into a transaction.

Post-game meet-and-greets tend to generate higher than average check-ins, but the Warriors say it continues to be a trial-and-error process to find the right tactics. The team does say they’ve seen encouraging signs they’re connecting at a deeper level.

Warrior reps also admit they have more access than a small business would to the kinds of resources that ensures their Deal “fits within the brand experience.” What challenges do you see for small businesses when it comes to implementing social media tactics?