A Sip of Social
Zoka Coffee Voted Top 40 Fan Page on Facebook
Client: Zoka Coffee
Web Site: www.zokacoffee.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/zokacoffeeroaster
Challenge: Grow Internet and café sales, build solid social media strategy, improve reputation management and create devoted fan base.
Background: The Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company is an award-winning independent producer of artisan coffee and tea products in the Pacific Northwest. ZokaCoffee.com had a small following of blog readership and almost no social media presence.
When Portent Interactive started working with the Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company in 2009, Zoka Coffee CEO Jeff Babcock understood his product had a narrow, but loyal following of coffee connoisseurs and he knew he needed to get the word out to people who have never heard of Zoka. The solution? Use social media tools to consolidate a fan base, create buzz and drive traffic from key influencers.
Step One: Eye-catching Design
Figure One: Facebook Profile Image
After Portent finished the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and redesign of the Zoka Coffee website, it was time to bring the same eye-pleasing design to the Zoka Coffee page on Facebook. Portent started by highlighting Zoka’s unique personality with a new, eye-catching profile image.
Using the maximum profile picture size (200 x 600 pixels), the new page image highlights the product, while displaying a little history of the company. One unique aspect of the profile picture design is that the Zoka Coffee logo fits in a 200 x 200 pixel box, which transfers seamlessly as the thumbnail on the Zoka Coffee page wall. This is important because if the logo in the profile picture is larger than 200 x 200 pixels, it will be cut off in the thumbnail image.
Figure Two: New Fan Landing Tab
Instead of directing new visitors directly to the wall of the Zoka Coffee page, Portent created a new landing tab to capture a conversion opportunity from new customers. Designed as a miniature webpage, the Zoka Coffee welcome tab directs Facebook users new to the page to other resources like café locations and the online store.
Step Two: Join the Conversation
Portent launched the new page design on Facebook in Feb. 2010, two-weeks after the strategic process was complete. The improved design increased page views on the Zoka Coffee website and lead to an immediate increase in followers and fan participation.
Shortly after, the Portent social team went to work on implementing a complex social media strategy. Using social mediums like Twitter, Facebook, and the Portent social team identified key influencers in the coffee community and created interactive updates and tweets to gain feedback from followers.
Step Three: Growing the fan base
Portent quickly realized that paid search within Facebook offered an inexpensive opportunity to grow the fan base, while offering sales opportunities. After launching the Facebook Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign, the traffic spiked within a month.
Portent also implemented contests and giveaways on Twitter and Facebook, as well as implemented a successful bi-monthly email newsletter. Most notably, the Where on Earth is Zoka Coffee Photo Contest asked fans to guess the location of selection of travel photos on the Facebook page wall. The contest gained roughly 100 interactions and increased followers by 14% in three days.
Why it worked: The contest used travel images from Zoka, which correlated very well to the company’s brand and demographic of affluent, worldly coffee drinkers. It also prompted interaction because with every new comment, the contest broadened its reach as it became visible to all of the friends of the commenter who were not yet become a fan of Zoka Coffee on Facebook. The grand prize of a Zoka Coffee gift basket didn’t hurt either.
Results:
Zoka Coffee’s Twitter and Facebook traffic grew over 800% over the first 3 months. The Zoka Coffee page on Facebook is one of the top five referring sites to the Zoka webpage, and receives mentions from many predominant coffee news sources including the Seattle Times and the Seattle Weekly.
On April 15, 2010, the Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company earned the distinction as one of the top 40 fan pages on Facebook by Likeable Media, a 2-time WOMMY award winning social media consultant company.
If you would like more information about Facebook marketing at Portent Interactive, contact:
Ian Lurie
Portent Interactive
206.575.3740
Contact Portent online
