What We Love about Smoke’s Poutinerie: Social Media and More, An Excellent Case Study about What Social Media Can Do For You

Source: http://ow.ly/LvAQQ

Smoke’s Poutinerie has been fulfilling Canadians’ craving for poutine for since 2008 and it has very loyal fans. Founder Ryan Smolkin started the company, often relying on social media and fun marketing strategies to build his business. Here are some of our favourite take-aways from this social media - friendly company.

Source: http://www.businessexchange.ca/commercialexchange/franchise/smokes-poutinerie-franchise/

#1:Don’t underestimate the power of social media

Smolkin has been quoted as saying that he would not have been as successful as he is now if it had not been for social media. He devoted a great deal of time to getting Facebook friends for Smoke’s Poutinerie’s Facebook page, which as of this writing has more than 26,000 Likes. The Twitter account has over 17,000 Followers. In addition to reaching their dedicated fans, Smoke’s is also getting free advertising through their fans’ personal Facebook profiles as they are listed under those fans’ liked pages, which is basically a personal endorsement.

The other benefits of having a social media presence include having control over your brand and image as well as the opportunity to see what your customers have to say and see how they behave. Smoke’s Poutinerie posts images of their various poutines on their Facebook and Twitter accounts and it is not a stretch to think it might inspire some people’s cravings for some more poutine!

#2: Keep it fun! (Or keep it light)

One of the ways Smolkin started advertising in Toronto was by paying someone to post stickers all over the city that showcased his company’s logo. This is a great way to generate interest and raise brand awareness that does not break the bank. While this is closer to direct advertising, the social element of this more casual campaign was powerful (And my goodness, we love stickers at Schmooz!)

Smoke’s Poutinerie also sets a fun and casual tone on its Facebook and Twitter pages, posting jokes and retweeting fans’ comments that speak to their love of the brand and its poutine. It is amazing when fans do your advertising for you! They can write a funny post and you can showcase your customers’ humour and satisfaction through retweeting their comments, which will then show up on your main business page. By commenting on your fans’ or customers’ posts, you get to connect with them directly through your social media - which is a lot of fun!

#3: Bring Your Online Community Together Offline Too

In addition to interacting with their fans and customers in their stores, Smoke’s Poutinerie sponsors the World Poutine Eating Championship, an annual poutine eating competition that brings people’s passion for poutine into a competitive realm that gets media attention.The event also inspires tweets from spectators who describe their love for poutine and, in 2014, their dismay that an American beat the Canadians for the title. Depending on your location, you can introduce your company or brand to potential new customers. Smoke’s Poutinerie held this event at Yonge and Dundas, a very popular intersection in downtown Toronto with a lot of pedestrian traffic.

Between special events, stickers and much more (did we mention Food Trucks for their catering?), Smoke’s has a got a ton going for them beyond their delicious, creative poutine concoctions. Entrepreneurs who are looking to advertise strategically and in a budget-friendly way could learn from their social media strategies. We have a lot of respect for what they are doing, and hope to continue to see great things coming from them. Now, who’s hungry?