Brands using social media need to integrate them across all elements of their business with a view to maximising visibility and thereby driving fan acquisition, says search, social and PR Company Punch Communications.

Brands are increasingly using social media to engage with consumers, but many are often making the mistake of investing large sums of money and targeting users who are not necessarily relevant to the brand itself. A simple time and cost-effective method of finding new followers is by integrating profile details across existing consumer contact points. It is essential for brands to adopt a strategy for their social media outreach, which includes this method as well as directly targeting users online.

A great example of a business using this technique is Abercrombie and Fitch. Sales assistants have started informing their customers about the Abercrombie and Fitch Facebook page whilst serving in store. This is a straightforward method and one that is likely to create acquisitions as using face-to-face interaction for promotion is traditionally successful and in-store customers are clearly fans of the brand already.

The popular theme park resort, Alton Towers is using televisions located in ride queues to promote its social media presence. These televisions are ideally situated in positions where individuals are looking to be stimulated. The brand is taking advantage of the wandering eyes of its guests who are obviously supporters of the brand as they are already visiting the park.

Pete Goold, Managing Director of online PR Punch Communications, commented: “Brands, businesses and public relations consultants must remember that social media promotion does not necessarily need to exist solely online. In many cases social media outreach is most effective when carried out in the offline world. It is often said that the simplest ideas, which are often overlooked, can be the best ones and this is certainly true in the case of Abercrombie & Fitch. When a brand is looking to increase its social network following, the first step to take is to target existing consumers and this does not necessarily require a complicated promotional strategy.”

For more information on Punch, please contact +44 (0) 1858 411600 or visit punchcomms.com