Not only is Tesco the world’s third largest retailer, but it’s also becoming a brand to watch in the social media marketing world. Tesco launched a Facebook Page in April 2011. Today, that Page has over 600,000 fans and ranks as the most popular supermarket Facebook Page in the world.
Tesco’s approach to leveraging Facebook has always been about building brand engagement by developing an active community on its Page. It’s new Delivery Dash Facebook game (created with Yomego and launched on the Tesco Facebook Page in early March), is targeted to female shoppers and challenges players to pack shopping baskets for their friends. It’s a race against the clock with multiple levels and increasing difficulty. The company reports that the average player is spending 30-minutes per session playing the game.
Tesco’s Facebook Page is more than just the Delivery Dash game. It’s filled with interesting and useful content. A Speed Shopping game asks consumers, “How much can you click in 60 seconds?” and The New Price Drop section of the page not only shows current items with new lower prices but also invites people to vote on the products they want to see in The New Price Drop in the future. All three of these elements of the Tesco Facebook Page are examples of excellent, relevant, and engaging content that the target audience is responding to positively.
Of course, the Page also includes some of the elements you’d expect, and those elements are updated frequently with meaningful content. For example, text updates and conversations as well as photos and videos published by Tesco and tagged by other Facebook members are always fresh and relevant. Even the Real Food Recipes section of the Tesco Facebook Page is useful to the target audience. And of course, comprehensive Questions and Notes sections are available as is a section where visitors can find help.
For customers who want to shop at Tesco in real-time, a Tesco Direct section of the site is available for exactly that. Tesco also rewards people who like the brand’s Facebook Page with exclusive offers. Clearly, Tesco is a company that wants to build a loyal and active community on its Facebook Page, so the inclusion of comprehensive Community Rules in the Info section of the Page sets expectations and protects the relevancy and integrity of the Page, the audience, and the brand.
Overall, Tesco’s Facebook Page is one to benchmark. From conversations, photos, and videos, to games, online buying, and exclusive deals and information, the Page succeeds in attracting consumers and keeping them actively involved. Those types of relationships lead to organic brand building as well as increased sales, brand loyalty, and word-of-mouth marketing. That’s the way you use social media tools to build a business!
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
