One Day #WithoutShoes - Doing Good Through Free Social Media Marketing

On May 21, 2015, my favorite company, Toms, had their annual Day Without Shoes. On this day, people are encouraged to go barefoot all day long to promote awareness and donations. For every Instagram photo posted of bare-feet with the hashtag #WithoutShoes, Toms donated a pair of shoes to a child in need. Although similar to their usual model of for every pair of Toms sold, a pair of shoes goes to a child in need, this free promotion that lasted from May 5th - May 21st required no purchase. 

In the end, Toms donated 296,243 pairs of shoes to children in need. Along with this, there are currently over 345,603 Instagram posts of bare-feet with the hashtag #WithoutShoes - and growing!

This kind of promotion and free marketing is exactly what companies should be utilizing on a daily basis. Social media platforms like Instagram are great tools to encourage crowdsourcing and help create connections and awareness on a new level. These models - especially in the realm of social awareness and promotion is perhaps one of the most beneficial ways to create awareness while also creating fun interactions between companies and consumers.