10 Best Retail Facebook Pages For The Serious Deal Hunter
Posted by missmelon on August 3, 2010 in Money Saving Tips
These days, it seems like it’s on every retailer’s marketing to-do list to “build a social media presence”. That typically starts with a Facebook fan page. Most of these pages, unfortunately, are run of the mill and rely on the power of the brand rather than the value of the content to add fans.
Facebook retailers need to do more in order to capture the attention of fans. Rather than pushing new products, retailers should focus on providing quality content and proactively work to build a community around their fans. Retailers should utilize features such as discussion boards, videos, and exclusive promotions for fans instead of regurgitating website offers. To truly stand out, retailers should directly interact with fans to actively answer questions, address concerns, and engage conversation.
So before you “like” a retailer – ask yourself (in the words of Janet Jackson): what have you done for me lately?
We reviewed hundreds of retailers to come up with our top ten retailers who have Facebook Fan Pages worth “liking”. These retailers are successful because they know their audience, encourage interaction and keep them interested.
Here’s the scoop on the top 10 retail Facebook pages that are doing it right:
Fans: 31,350
Scoop: Overstock gives fans a reason not only to like but to love them – by making their customers a priority. Customer service responds to every post, request and complaint on the wall and the discussion board, which means they’re committed to the customer.
Get a Deal: Exclusive offers for fans like $5 off $45 purchase or 10% off whole order, these offers make you feel *almost* sorry for people who don’t use Facebook!
Fans: 519,834
Scoop: Levi’s does it right by engaging their fans with contests and social causes with videos, free music downloads, polls and special offers. They partner with social causes that their fans actually care about and it’s evident from the response that they get.
Get a Deal: Exclusive offers like 40% off one item and special events
Fans: 411,407
Scoop: Bath & Body Works also has a customer service team presence on the wall and responds to any questions and issues that come up. There is also an active discussion board, videos and photos posted by fans that demonstrate the loyalty fans have for their products (new and discontinued).
Get a Deal: Exclusive Facebook coupons (good for online and in-store), offers by text, and previews of sales.
Fans: 11,393,814
Scoop: With an impressive 11 million fans, Starbucks is a leader with their fan page and knows their audience with varied content like an active discussion board, games, a Facebook app for monitoring Starbucks card benefits, events, videos and fan photo page.
Get a Deal: Facebook fan exclusives like a free coupon in the mail for a free Starbucks Artisan Snack Plate.
Fans: 80,805
Scoop: The Toys R’ Us of outdoor enthusiasts everywhere, REI has an active fan page with discussion board, blog and games. It was nice to see how helpful the fans were with each other; if someone needed help planning trips for hiking, backpacking or camping, fans would make recommendations. REI customer service is also active in the discussion boards.
Get a Deal: Special Facebook exclusives like a free movie screening.
Fans: 572,065
Scoop: AT&T makes it a point to be there for their fans by having a strong presence on the Wall. What’s interesting is that they actually introduce their Customer Service Representatives (there are 14 of them) to assist with any issues that fans experience. There’s also an active discussion board, how-to videos and special events.
Get a Deal: Excusive offers for fans like $50 off a new phone or accessory when activating a new two-year wireless service agreement.
Fans: 340,509
Scoop: Newegg is a beloved destination for geeks. They’ve built fun “Get your geek on” content around this fact and encourage fans to interact by contributing product reviews. Customer service reps are also there to help on the Wall. What sets Newegg apart from the other pages is the giveaway; not many retailers offer a big prize – a car! There’s an active discussion board and how-to videos, fan photos and fan downloads.
Get a Deal: Contests like a car giveaway, sneak peeks and additional discount codes.
Fans: 1,461,551
Scoop: To keep fans updated, American Eagle was able to reach out to fans through Facebook that their sites (ae.com, aerie.com, 77kids.com) were down and offered 25% off and free shipping for their troubles when the sites went back up. They also make the fans aware of their social causes like “The Call to Serve,” which is a documentary of 9 volunteers who have returned from their cross country trip of volunteering & community service. There is also a fan photo page, links to university’s student union page, events and rewards.
Get a Deal: AE partnered with Foursquare to unlock a special 15% off of an order.
Fans: 45,433
Scoop: 1800 Flowers, along with Best Buy, have offered fans shopping within their Facebook pages. There’s a Guy’s Guide to Flowers tab that helps one find the right flowers for their significant other as well as reviews, polls, videos and events.
Get A Deal: Exclusive 20% discount code for “liking” their page, share a list of favorite flowers (hint, hint) and send virtual bouquets to friends and family!
Fans: 731,281
Scoop: Old Navy cycles through so many products and sales that it’s nice to keep track of them in one place. They post weekly ads, promote daily deals, coupon codes, and seasonal offers in addition to contests.
Get a Deal: The Old Navy fan page is the only place to get printable coupons and get in on secret sales.
These are only 10 out of the thousands of retailers on Facebook, which are your favorites and why?
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Megatron
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Dexter Riley