News Article: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Businesses woo customers through Facebook, Twitter
Sunday, December 5, 2010
As people spend more time on Facebook and Twitter, Western Pennsylvania businesses of all sizes are finding ways to reach them using those social media sites and others.
Clothing retailer rue21 told followers last week its rugby tunic sweater is a perfect style for the holidays. Industrial toolmaker Kennametal Inc. shared photos from a construction machinery trade show in China. Supermarket chain Shop 'n Save spread the word about a two-day sale.
And chef David Kadagashvili videotaped and posted his weekly cooking demonstration from Chef Dato's Table in Latrobe.
Every Thursday, the Tbilisi, Georgia, native features a different country's cuisine in a short video and on his menu. The videos get hundreds of views via YouTube, Facebook and other sites and spark comments and questions.
He's happy to answer. "I have access to people. I talk to them, and they explain what they're looking for," he said, citing a request last week for a tomato bisque recipe.
Since it began in April, social network publicity for Chef Dato's international days has boosted business, especially on weekends, Kadagashvili said. Merchants, industries and service businesses say the sites help them stay in touch with current customers while reaching new, and often younger, audiences.
Shop 'n Save's Our Kitchen Stories site where visitors can post family photos and recipes is an example.
"We are seeing a huge increase in the 18- to 25-year-old demographic, which is what we wanted to see," said Shannon Baker, principal at GatesmanMarmionDrake+Dave, the South Side agency that developed the site.
Quaker Steak & Lube, another client, has an official social media presence for its brand, Baker said, but each of the nearly 50 restaurants runs its own Facebook page.
For its efforts, the Sharon, Mercer County-based company learns where demand may be highest for its wings and onion rings. Customers suggest menu items, Baker said, and potential franchise owners turn up.
Americans now spend nearly a quarter of their time online on social networking sites and Web logs — or blogs — The Nielsen Co. said.
That's up from 15.8 percent a year ago. Worldwide, 54 percent of Internet users visited Facebook in April and spent an average six hours there.
This holiday season, 75 percent of retailers surveyed by consulting firm BDO USA LLP of Chicago said they're using social media sites in their marketing, up from 51 percent in 2009 — and just 4 percent in 2007.
Ross Park Mall was among a few of Simon Property Group's retail centers to launch pilot Facebook pages in October 2009. Now the rest have them, including Simon's South Hills Village and Century III Mall properties in Western Pennsylvania.
"This is the way things are going. It's more personal than just doing e-mail blasts," said Mike Gianoutsos, Ross Park's marketing director. "If someone has a question, like what time does the mall open, then I can respond."
And when new retailers open, Gianoutsos said, Ross Park fans on Facebook who click "like" on the mall page get the news fastest there.
Stores can post sales on the mall's website, or create social media exclusive deals if they like, he said.
All-Clad Metalcrafters began "tweeting" messages on Twitter in May 2009 and communicating via Facebook about four months ago.
The cookware maker works with culinary bloggers to get the word out about new products, such as its Stainless with d5 Technology line that came out a year ago.
"Social media is an opportunity to connect directly with our consumers ... but also a way for them to share their passion for the brand with others," said Melissa Palmer, a vice president of marketing with the Canonsburg company.
All-Clad's semi-annual seconds factory seconds sale on Friday and Saturday was the topic of much Facebook chatter last week.
"Facebook is a great tool, but it's not the only one" the company uses to reach the public about events such as the sale, Palmer said, citing local advertising and direct mail. Customers from several states travel to the Washington County Fairgrounds to buy discounted, slightly imperfect pots and pans.
PPG Industries Inc. puts corporate news on Facebook and Twitter, spokesman Jeremy Neuhart said, but the Downtown-based company also runs special pages to talk specifics about paints and stains with customers.
"Facebook and Twitter are the way people are using the Web these days," said Nick Ker, owner of Ker Communications, the South Park Web design and marketing firm that developed Chef Dato's online campaign.
"With e-mail, people have been hammered with spam," or unsolicited messages, he said, and Facebook is having similar issues.
"There is already a little bit of Facebook fatigue, especially when people add everybody who asks to be their friend," he said. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg just announced a new messaging system that will allow account holders to bring in and sort cellphone texts, e-mails and instant messages.
Social media will continue to move to Web-enabled smartphones and other mobile devices through networks such as Foursquare, which lets people share their current locations with friends, Ker said.
And video will become a bigger factor on social sites, as Internet use and traditional TV continue to converge, he said.
Baker, of GatesmanMarmionDrake+Dave, said businesses should fine-tune their goals for social media marketing before jumping in.
But having a presence on the sites is becoming more critical. Because any Facebook user can create a "fan" page for a company and post content, she said, businesses need to know what is being said about them and to put their own messages out there.
With social marketing, "A year ago, the question would have been, 'Should I do it?'" Baker said. "The question now is 'How involved should I be?'"
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