When Chick-fil-A first checked out Facebook as part of its social media strategy early last year, the chain found super fan Brandy Bitzer had already created a popular fan page with 25,000 fans, according to a story in Brandweek. Initially the company's conversation catalyst Michael McCathren contacted her in hopes she would hand over the page but soon realized the best situation was to allow the grassroots effort to continue.
From Brandweek:
McCathren came up with a novel solution: The brand and customer would share administration of the page. Bitzer would continue its administration while Chick-fil-A would provide assets to fuel enthusiasm for the brand. Chick-fil-A brought Bitzer to its Atlanta headquarters and later invited her to speak at a corporate event."We wanted her to buy in," he said, calling Bitzer "a real-life raving fan."With Bitzer onboard, Chick-fil-A's digital agency ClickHere, part of The Richards Group, set about crafting a social media strategy.
Chick-fil-A has used its Facebook fan page to gauge customer interest, including launching its limited-time peach-flavored shake this summer. It also uses it to kickoff news and events, including its Labor Day sandwich giveaway for football season. Its fan page now has more than 1.2 million fans.
This summer, the brand expanded its social media presence to Twitter (@Chick_fil_A), where it already has nearly 8,000 followers.
