People-focused stories and images inspire and drive social media engagement.
I was reminded of this fact of life within minutes of posting a two-paragraph story for consumption by fellow members of the 128,000-member private Facebook group, Vintage Stereo & Hi-Fi Equipment. From my initial post on a Sunday through Tuesday—a span of about 48 hours—I saw and responded to:
Over 300 likes or loves.
Over 63 comments, observations, opinions, memories, shared experiences, and so on.
Historically, posts in the group tend to be advice seekers dealing with service and parts issues, engineering geniuses graciously helping newbies and technically challenged enthusiasts, prideful gearheads publishing photo collages of listening rooms, and treasure hunters sharing pictures of their finds from garbage dumps, thrift stores, estate sales, and Facebook Marketplace.
Most days, the prevailing emphasis is on the cherished old-school equipment—often elegantly designed, wood-framed, silver-faced stereo receivers from the 1960s and 1970s. If it was crafted in the United States, Japan, or Western Europe and it weighs 30-plus pounds, that is an indication of potential high quality.
According to the group’s founder, Howard Ginsberg, the brands most often mentioned—by far—are Marantz and Pioneer. Others I have seen on a regular basis include McIntosh, Sansui, Yamaha, Kenwood, Harmon Kardon, Fisher, Advent, Klipsch, Wharfedale, Dual, Garrard, Bose, Sony, and Philips. Most of the brand loyalty on display in Howard’s group has likely carried over several decades. From a marketing standpoint, it is the kind of customer stickiness that seems to escape most companies today.
Hand-Me-Down Love
My post on that Sunday was a single photo—a snapshot taken on a phone without much thought about composition—and a couple paragraphs detailing a father-to-daughter and son-in-law hand-off of some modest but beautifully designed vintage stereo equipment: a Philips 212 turntable and Philips 785 receiver (Netherlands) and a pair of restored Advent 3 bookshelf speakers (United States).
If you have 25 minutes, check out Hi-Fi History: Henry Kloss’ pioneering Advent Loudspeaker from The Absolute Sound.
Some of the early responses to the post told me I was in for some seriously enjoyable engagement:
“That’s wonderful, David. What a great little system that is solid, simple, and sets them up for enjoyment—which is what it’s all about.”
“Smiles on their faces say it all. Great job.”
“I listened to my first Rush album, Caress of Steel, on that table 45 years ago as a 15-year-old! Was state-of-the-art then, and still ticking now, I can see. Cheers and enjoy!”
“Vintage to me is doing what you’re doing, enjoying music on a stereo the way people did back then…”
“Love it, have to show them the way. I also hooked up a little rig for my 16-year-old daughter, needless to say she tossed that JBL clip aside real quick. Great post!
Turn That Camera Around
It has been my experience in the group that you are more likely to see someone’s poured glass of bourbon in their TGIF listening room post than you are their smiling face. Even though in virtually every instance, the listening room has been thoughtfully outfitted for the vintage equipment owner and beloved guests to experience music together.
The imperative revealed through this story isn’t to ignore the equipment or services that you might be marketing and selling. It is to remember the hands and hearts and minds of the people putting them to use. Your success stories should highlight the value offered by your product or solution, just remember that it is the people—your team and your customers—that bring them to life.
If you want to talk about humanizing your corporate communication to credit your customers and employees for their work—protecting yourself from the weak or flat engagement that results from selling too hard—please reach out to me. I would love to help shape and tell your company's stories.
FURTHER READING: HOWARD GINSBERG INTERVIEW
Why did you create the group?
While there were other similar groups, I didn’t find one for general and more mass-market vintage stereo gear. So, I created Vintage Stereo & Hi-Fi Equipment to be a free-form discussion of that gear.
What is your professional background? Interested to know if your love of vintage audio is tied to your life's work.
My professional background indeed is tied to my love of vintage audio work. I worked in radio and TV, from a bench tech to ownership and junior executive-level engineering management.
What is the best equipment find that you remember seeing posted in the group? I know there is a lot of history, but what stands out for its rarity and the value it represented?
This is very difficult to answer. For amplifiers, I’d have to say the Hafler DH 220 power amp and the Sherwood S-7100 receiver. Both not because of rarity, but because of the exceptional value vs. performance they provide.
What two or three tips would you share with companies that are trying to engage customers through social media posts? Lessons from the Facebook group experience that companies today should keep in mind?
Be available for your customers. Have knowledgeable folks who can be actively engaged with them. Don’t be afraid to block/ban troublemakers.
Have any current stereo equipment companies or their associates discovered and properly engaged with the group (not selling but adding value to the community)?
A couple parts suppliers, but no major companies otherwise. However, we’re very fortunate to have former employees of several vintage stereo companies as active members of the group. They provide some great historical and technical background about those companies and their products.
About the Author: Dave Schuellerman is a professional writer and communication consultant with 30 years of experience helping B2B and B2C companies inform and influence targeted audiences. Learn more about his background, perspective, and available services such as executive and corporate communication, thought leadership content strategy and program management, and feature writing at FEND Communication. Ready to engage on a project? Reach him directly at schuellerman@gmail.com.
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