Cover Story
www.outdoorpowerequipment.com OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT APRIL 2015 13
Reaching this constantly evolving demographic isn't impossible,
but successfully marketing and selling to Millennials involves a shift
in delivery. In the past, it was enough to be located on a busy street
corner. Location, location, location was the age-old saying when
it came to the success of a business. The same strategy holds true
today — you need to be where your customers are. But today, the
location has changed and your customers are online, and specifi-
cally, on social media platforms. At Briggs & Stratton, we recognize
that this group is critical to our future success. We have dedicated
resources focused on increasing community members, as well as
engagement with those members, on social media platforms like
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Before we put our plan in place,
we asked ourselves a few simple questions: What is social media?
Which social media platform should we focus on first? And how
can we participate in a way that is meaningful?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "Social Media
includes forms of electronic communication…through which
users create online communities to share information, ideas, per-
sonal messages, and other content (such as videos)." The key to
understanding social media is in the delivery of the message —
where you used to market one-to-one to your customers, social
media involves marketing one-to-many. This can include mes-
sages that you send to the community, as well as messages, images
and even opinions, that a social media community shares with
others. That can be kind of scary stuff if you don't understand the
value that social media can bring to your business.
Which social media platform should you use?
start With facebook
Facebook is the most popular social media platform in every
demographic. It has 1.35 billion worldwide monthly users — or
73 percent of the U.S. adult population. While there have been
signs of decreasing popularity among younger Millennials, the
fact remains that Facebook is by and large the most widely used
social media platform. With Facebook, you have the ability to cre-
ate two-way communication by providing company information,
assisting customers with questions, positioning yourself as a re-
source, and sharing fan stories. At Briggs & Stratton, we learned
three tactics that quickly helped us grow our Facebook "likes"
from 20,000 to 120,000. First, we followed a regular posting
schedule; we post once a day, Monday through Friday. Second, we
recognized that our followers are loyal Briggs & Stratton owners,
and as such, they have a lot of great comments, and great pictures,
to share. On a weekly basis, we post fan share pictures, usually
of legacy engines that owners have maintained for several years.
Third, we made sure to respond to our community. Oftentimes,
