I know the first thing you’re thinking: “Facebook does not a social media campaign make.” But, you know, it’s a start.
I started down this path of taking a bite out of our Facebook genesis after coming across Mashable’s “Why Your Grandpa is on Facebook” article that ran on Wednesday. The article dove into a recent report published by the AARP that noted over a quarter (27%) of American folks 50 years or older are using social networks. To put that into perspective, Facebook (or more appropriately, TheFacebook.com) was only available to registrants with .edu email addresses a mere 46-months ago. In under 4 years we have seen a medium transform from targeting solely the 16 – 24 age group, to now embracing every age group, ethnicity and walk of life. I’d be hard pressed to find a media over the course of time that has produced the reach and engagement that Facebook currently touts.
But enough on my gushing about Facebook, the bigger question is how do we utilize this tool to communicate with current and potential shoppers? And is our shopper even active or relevant to the community?
The answer is yes…mostly.
If you look at our topline stats for the Save-A-Lot Facebook page, you’ll find the following:
- 11,750 “Likes”/followers/fans/yesterday’s nomenclature
- 82% Female | 18% Male
- 35% over the age of 45
- 65% over the age of 35
We have not heavily promoted our presence on Facebook over the last 9 months we have been active. The reason is twofold: 1.) Corporately (and logistically) we do not have the assets available to tend to the developing community in a promotional sense and 2.) The organic growth of the community (use whichever albatross visual you like best) garners us with highly qualified leads (our shoppers).
You’ll notice a small wildcard as you navigate around save-a-lot.com and a mention every now and again in our Smart Shopper Club email. But for the most part, the page lives on through organic growth and referrals from other shoppers. It really is as pristine of a page as possible (not yet infiltrated by sweepers, coupon cherry pickers or trolls [see: Walmart]), relying solely on Save-A-Lot shoppers, employees and the occasional vendor. The high density of activated, Save-A-Lot-minded shoppers allows us to:
- Gain consumer insight
- Let the community assist one another as it pertains to ongoing issues (ie. inconsistent coupon policies amongst our licensed operators)
- Let the business respond and react to ongoing issues (store cleanliness, operational issues etc…)
- Provide an opportunity to promote Save-A-Lot properties (both stores and Save-A-Lot.com) amidst a normal browsing session where Save-A-Lot may not have been top of mind
Our policy has always been that facebook.com/savealot is our shoppers’ community. Of course we moderate and remove malicious content, but at the end of the day it is their community and the door is always open for compliment, complaint or inquiry.
We’ll be taking the proverbial “deep dive” as it comes to strategy and insight as our presence with social media evolves and develops, but for the time being, the slow growing presence serves our purposes as our shopper becomes more readily available online.
