We’ve been reporting a lot lately about convenience retailers tapping into the popularity and reach of social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, to try and drum up more business. Among the best ideas, in my opinion, is Kum & Go’s launch of "Twitter Tuesdays." Last month, the c-store chain each Tuesday selected one Des Moines-area Kum & Go location as the "Secret Store." From 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., one clue per hour was given out via Twitter “tweets” to direct Kum & Go followers to the secret store.
The first eight people who found Kum & Go’s 1959 Ford at the secret store and provided the person in the car with the secret password each won a set of two-day passes to the 80/35 Music Festival in Des Moines
Talk about a fun and effective way of engaging customers!
Kum & Go’s Twitter Tuesdays is a great example of how to make social networking work for you. It’s not enough just to have a presence on sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Linked In. You have to find unique and fun ways to connect.
After all, a new study by WorkPlace Media polled office Internet users and found while 55 percent of respondents maintained at least one social networking account, just 12 percent of respondents said their opinion of a brand changes if that brand maintains a social networking presence. And only 11 percent of the social networking users reported following any major brand through a social networking site.
The bottom line: Social networking works best when you think outside the box.
What are you doing to tap into the power of social networking?
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