May 7, 2014

10 Great Ideas for your store FaceBook page

10 Ideas for your store FaceBook Pages and…
 
Update on “Double Your Database” Leaderboard
 
Most of the retailers that we work with have store FaceBook Pages.  If you don’t have a store FaceBook page, you should. It you’re best and least expensive way to connect and communicate with your customers.
Developing great content for your store FaceBook pages can be challenging.  Keep in mind that the best way to engage your customers on your FaceBook page is to include
“conversation starter” in your content.  Include content that will cause your FaceBook followers to provide comments back to you.
By now you all know that we offer Social Octane, a low cost way of getting great content that can be used as conversation starters.  If you don’t know about Social Octane, call one of our Customer Service Representatives (CSR’s) at 480-639-1200 and they can provide a demo to show you how easy it is.
Another way to get ideas for conversation starters is to follow other retailers FaceBook pages and gather some great ideas you can adapt for your own FaceBook pages.
This week I’m previewing 10 great ideas that I’ve noticed from some of our customers own FaceBook pages that can easily be adapted if you like them as much as I did.
Idea 1:

 Take a photo of your Deli Hot case – an easy way to promote today’s menu: 
 One of my favorite retailers is Durham’s Grocery in Stafford, KY. They were getting calls from customers asking the question we all like to hear:  “What’s for lunch today?”.  Getting the word out is really easy when you take a snapshot of your hot case and list the items that you’re featuring for lunch today.  Great idea!

Idea 2

Sponsor a Pet Adoption Day and promote it on FaceBook

 Pierce’s Markets in Wisconsin is a great retailer to follow on FaceBook because they’re constantly coming up with great ideas to promote.  Some of the most “viral” items on the internet deal with pets and babies.
Pierces is sponsoring a Pet Adoptathon in their Baraboo and Portage Wisconsin stores later this month (May 17) and should get a large crowd during the event because in addition to the Pet Adoptathon they are offering a “Brat Hut” lunch even and encouraging customers to bring their pets to the event.
Not only will they get plenty of attention with the FaceBook mentions for this event but they’ll get plenty of photos to post on their FaceBook page during the event.
In addition, Pierce’s is promoting the event on a homepage slide as well.  Congrats to  the Pierce’s team for a great promotion.

  

Idea 3

Use FaceBook to promote your new Signature Items
 
Another idea from Pierces!
Pierce’s is introducing a new Signature item in their Bakery department- Tiger Brownies!  What a great way to get the word out to customers — just take a photo of the Signature item and post it on FaceBook.

 

Idea 4

 Cutest Pet Contest 

 

 

Back to Pierce’s once more for their “Cutest pet Contest”.  Consumers can win free pet for for a year if their pet is chosen as the “Cutest Pet” in the contest.

Customers of their Portage and Baraboo stores can email a photo of their cutest pet to Pierces and when they come to the Pet Adoptathon (see above – idea #2) they can view the entries and vote for their favorite picture.

Idea 5: 

Earth Day at Pierce’s Markets – Free Reusable Bag

OK, this is the last example I’ll promote from Pierce’s Market’s FaceBook page.  They have so many great ideas but here’s one last one.

Many grocers give away reusable grocery bags on Earth Day to promote making “Every day Earth Day.”

However, Pierce’s promoted a coupon on their FaceBook page that encouraged their customers to “fill up a plastic grocery bag with plastic bags and we’ll trade you for a Free Reusable Bag.”

Idea 6

 Promote your new items on your FaceBook page!  Thanks to Schild’s IGA in Grafton, Ohio for this idea.  Use your FaceBook page to showcase new items in your store!  At a glance your FaceBook followers will know where to shop to get the newest items in the market.  Great idea Schild’s IGA!

Click here to view Schilds IGA FaceBook Site

Idea 7

Back to my home state of Ohio for Schild’s IGA in Grafton, Ohio again.  They’re selling Schild’s IGA T-Shirts.  Very, very timely message that resonates with shoppers.  Another great idea from the Buckeye state.

Idea 8 

C&R Food Stores has a great promotion on their FaceBook page — Super Lunch Special.  Three bucks for a Ribeye Steak Sandwich last Friday, May 2nd from 11 am until they’re gone!

I’m going to work on owner Mark Thomas to open up another store…..in the Phoenix metro area so we can take advantage of his Super Lunch Specials.  Great idea!

Click here to view C&R FaceBook Site 

Idea 9

 Say “Happy Birthday” to your employees on FaceBook.  Keith Turner has been manager of the LaPlata, Missouri C&R Market for the past year but has spent over 25 years in the grocery business.  They featured Keith on their FaceBook site as well on their website homepage.

What a great way to wish Keith a happy birthday.  Doesn’t look a day over 30……

Idea 10 

We’re headed back to C&R in Missouri again for this idea.  Your FaceBook followers can’t pass up a FaceBook posting that is a clickable movie and here’s an example of showcasing C&R’s “Daily Deal” on their Facebook page with their own celebrity spokesperson on their FaceBook Site.  Check out the movie by clicking on the photo below to go to the April 19th timeline spot to check out the 10 second movie.

Didn’t want to leave Barb out of the limelight so click on her photo to view her Daily Deal that is on their FaceBook page for April 18th. She’s promoting an item (Johnny Appleseed 6 packs for $6.50) —- get it while it’s hot.

C&R is always, always hustling to get focused attention on their promotional offerings and using FaceBook to promote these items is a great idea.  Keep it up C&R!

click on photo to view 10 second movie

Click on photo to view 10 second movie

____________________________________________________________________
Update:
5 stores have doubled their email database already!
 Here’s our leader board: 

We’ve already had 5 stores who have doubled their initial email database in our “Double Your Database” challenge.  All 5 will be getting a free E-Blast during the 4th quarter but we need to make sure they all hang on to their new subscribers by mid September when we end the challenge and award the prizes.

Here’s our Leader Board for the third week of our “Double Your Database” challenge.  Remember, there are 3 categories to compete in:  1 to 250 subscribers group,  the 251 to 750 subscribers group and the 751 and over subscribers group.
This challenge can we won by any store.  You’re only competing with yourself so be sure to show up on the leader board next week.
Leader Board of the subscriber increases since our challenge start!
Over 751 subscribers group-   top 3 leaders: 
Patrick’s Market – Omaha, Nebraska –   gained 37 subscribers
Pierce’s Mkplace- Portage, Wisconsin – gained 31 subscribers
Coopers Foods – Chaska, MN – gained 22 subscribers
251 to 750 subscribers group-   top 3 leaders: 
Gene’s Heartland Foods, Smith Center, Kansas – gained 193 subscribers  (WOW !!!!!)
Lueders Food Centers, Belle Fourche, S. Dakota – gained 141 subscribers
Scottsbluff Main St Mkt, Scottsbluff, Nebraksa – gained 66 subscribers
1 to 250 subscribers group-   top 3 leaders: 
Thriftway Mkt, Neligh, Nebraska – gained 158 subscribers
Gene’s Heartland Foods, Dodge City, Kansas – gained 35 subscribers
Graybeal’s Foods, West Point, Nebraska – gained 34 subscribers

 

___________________________________________________________________
 
Nielsen-Claritas  Feature Report of the Week:  
2014 Executive Summary of a Marketing Area 
 

 Cost:  $5 this week only.

 

How to order:  Call our CSR’s at 480-639-1200. Provide your street address and we’ll run the report based on any mileage ring around the location you select.

 

 

Strategy:  You want to get an idea of the total makeup of a pre-defined marketing area.  In this case we’re picking a 7.5 mile radius around a particular store.

 

All of the information contained in this report is derived from those households living within this pre-defined radius (7.5 mile radius).

 

Click here to view sample page 1