A reader of this blog, and a friend of mine, recently suggested that I write about some of the ways companies can engage their fans on Facebook through discounts, special messages, giveaways, etc.
His gentle nudge got me to thinking that maybe this was a topic worth keeping tabs on, especially in light of the arrangement now underway between Omniture and Facebook that I wrote about back on March 9th.
So, John, while this company may not be your cup of tea, it is a bona fide example of what you would like to see (and probably will see more of) on Facebook. The company is Jones Apparel Group (JAG), and they have been dabbling for the better part of this year with special selections and special discounts that are only available to their fans and are only available as a special feature on their Facebook page(s).
In another post, I’ll likely write more about the application they use to make this happen on an exclusive fan-only basis, but for now, it is sufficient to highlight what they put out there. Their first toe tip came with a Rachel Roy pop up store. JAG offered a limited edition, limited quantity jewelry collection. Apparently this jewelry must have represented a real value to fans, because the company’s fan base increased 35%, and what was intended as a 24 hour event was sold out in 6 hours.
Nine West Facebook Profile
Jones went on to add this technology to their Nine West page, and provided merchandise exclusive to the site, as well as a 15% Facebook discount. According to NRF Stores magazine (April 2010), the result was equally impressive.
While not going too deeply into the technique, it seems that the combination of approach, offer, exclusivity, and content made available ONLY on Facebook was a winning strategy. I think the key moving forward will be in answering the question of how to keep sustained engagement without cheapening the uniqueness and exclusivity of the interaction. Stay tuned….
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