WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- Convenience-store retailer Kum & Go LC was among the winners of Retail TouchPoints’ 2016 Social Media Maven Awards, which honor the brands and retailers who are effectively using social networks for their customer engagement, marketing and service initiatives.
West Des Moines, Iowa-based Kum & Go, which has more than 430 convenience stores in 11 states, has approximately 96,975 followers on Facebook, 17,175 on Twitter and 1,850 on Instagram.
During July 2014, via its Sips & Selfies campaign, the retailer used Facebook to capitalize on the popularity of two important things in customers’ lives, said Retail TouchPoints: fountain drinks and photos with friends.
Kum & Go invited customers to participate in four different photo challenges on Facebook. As the month progressed, the challenge requirements became increasingly difficult and the prizes became more valuable. When the social team shared a challenge each Friday, they encouraged customers to comment back with selfies that featured Kum & Go fountain drinks and the American flag, their favorite animal, fun at the pool, and a shot with the customer and three friends.
The chain executed the entire Sips & Selfies campaign within the Facebook news feed. The ease and organic nature of Facebook comments and social sharing helped drive customer engagement and word-of-mouth, according to Retail TouchPoints. Facebook’s Promoted Posts also helped Kum & Go target its core demographic, including people who “liked” the brand on Facebook and those who did not.
The Sips & Selfies campaign reached 189,871 people on Facebook, according to Retail TouchPoints, with more than 78% of this audience composed of people who had not yet liked the Kum & Go page on Facebook. Also, content promoted during the campaign drove 5,581 post engagements and the promotion drove an overall 229% increase in Facebook engagements.
Due to the success of Sips & Selfies, Kum & Go ran a follow-up campaign in 2015, and the retailer has two similar campaigns running in summer 2016 along with key partners.
“This year was a particularly interesting one in the social media sphere,” said Alicia Fiorletta Esposito, content strategist for Retail TouchPoints, Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. “We were impressed and inspired by how many of our mavens took advantage of the newest offerings from well-established social networks like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, but also by how many brands have embraced edgier, emerging platforms like Snapchat to drive real results.”
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