True ‘A-list’ celebrities rarely make themselves available to the Kiwi public. So when they do, retailers need to milk the opportunity for all it’s worth via social media.

This thought struck me when Gordon Ramsay recently hit Auckland to promote his wares at two local stores. Getting fans to the events was never going to be an issue. The real challenge was how to maximise publicity in order to create buzz, extend the life of the events and include customers unable to attend.

From what I could see, there were only a few token images of Gordon with fans on Facebook. Now I don’t want to preach to the converted, but here are seven dead simple, and cheap, ways either event could have unfolded.

1. Run a contest on Facebook, Twitter, a blog or your website. Be creative, have some fun and keep it simple. My first thought was guess how many ‘f-bombs’ Gordon dropped during his visit.

2. Take lots of photos, upload to Facebook and offer an incentive for people to tag them. There’s no need to hire a professional photographer. Facebook is the home of the bush photographer so any staff member with an iPhone and some basic idea of composition will do. The viral effect of, say, 100 people sharing their tagged photo with friends and family could be huge.

3. Create a hashtag on Twitter so fans can share what Gordon tells them. A hashtag will also allow fans at work or home to ask questions you can respond to in real time (and broadcast to those in the queue for an autograph.) Again offer some incentive, be it the chance to win a book or piece of Royal Dalton.

4. Auction something from the event on Trade Me in the name of charity. Technically speaking an online auction is not really social media but Trade Me does leave room for comments. The item could be his wig that fell into the chocolate fondant, a signed apron, or whatever. Think Tana Umaga and all the free publicity generated by the handbag ‘affair’ in 2006.

5. Shoot behind the scenes footage for release after the event. Fans love sneak peeks that make them feel closer to the action. All you need is an iPhone or some sort of Flip cam. Make it unique (maybe it’s Gordon shopping in-store for an anniversary present, or, a baby being sick over his shoulder) and short (because you really want someone to do some basic editing before it goes out and time is money). Then whack it on YouTube so everyone can share it.

6. Live stream your event if it’s really big or special. Before you start, ask yourself if is this something fans or customers will really want to watch. Live streaming sounds cool because it is, but if only 26 people tune in there’s no point. To go live, all you need is a free Ustream account, a compatible video camera to tether to your laptop and a decent broadband connection. You might want to enlist the help of a camera and sound person though.

7. Review the event on your blog. Thank everyone for coming, add some comments from the celebrity, relive the highlights for those that missed out, and so on. You could even mention what you plan to make similar events even better next time.

Obviously the more fans or customers you have, the more you can afford to do.

Whatever that may be, try to measure the results as best you can. And make an effort to reply to, ‘like’ or follow customers who interact with you online before, during and after your event.