Pizza: the social media trailblazers
January 2, 2012 at 8:22am by Mavis Huntley
When it comes to pizza companies and social media, they are all in the game whether it be good (Domino's Pizza Turnaround) or bad (Pizza Hut's Facebook question). Why are they trailblazers when it comes to the social media space and what can we learn from them?
1. The cost of a pizza is minimal. It’s easy to reward a consumer and to test tactics because the loss is justifiable.
If rewards are meaningful they don't need to have a large dollar value associated to them for your customers to appreciate the gesture.
2. The majority of pizza shops are run by franchisees where they have more freedom to initiate individual store tactics.
Once you let your social media efforts be known to your employees, don’t be afraid to let them add some personality to your messaging.
3. Ordering pizza for dinner is usually an impulse decision. Social media lends itself well to impulse purchases. It's easy to use the medium to localize messages in real time. Sending out a tweet about a pizza special at 5pm, exactly when your consumer is thinking about what to make for dinner that night will get more interest than one at 10am.
Be strategic in terms of how you talk to your communites. Listen to not only what they are saying but when and where.
4. There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to pizza and a lot of passionate pizza eaters to talk to. Do you like thin crust or thick? Pesto or Tomato sauce? The conversations to be had are endless.
What commonalities do your customers have with each other ? By intiating conversations around these you will continue to learn about your target and be able to grow with their changing needs.
In the end you need to take the risk in order to reap the reward and from what we've seen with Pizza, consumers are willing to take the journey with you as long as you continually strive to execute on your brand promise in new and innovative ways.
Mavis Huntley