It’s pretty clear: love is definitely in the air at college stores all over the country. With less than a week to go before Valentine’s Day, suggestions for romantic gifts, requests for “meet cute” anecdotes and holiday sales are filling up our newsfeed on a regular basis. This year it seems like more stores than ever are actively using Facebook to promote their efforts — like the WSU Bookstore, with their “14 Days of Valentines Giveaway.”
Every morning, Alysa Sackreiter, the store’s marketing and promotions manager, posts a bit of Valentine’s Day trivia and encourages fans to like it.
The winner is drawn randomly from everyone who’s liked the post by a certain time. For the first 13 days, each daily winner receives a goody bag with candy and a $5 gift certificate to the bookstore. While the prize for the final day hasn’t been announced officially yet, it’s safe to say that the lucky winner will be able to enjoy a romantic evening out with a special someone.
“We haven’t done this particular giveaway before,” Sackreiter said. “A couple of years ago, we asked our customers to submit pictures of themselves with their significant others, then compiled the entries into a little video that we played in the store. We’re always trying to find new ways to get students to interact on our page.”
And they're certainly interacting with this promotion. Each post has garnered more than 120 likes, with the average right around 160 likes per post. Student feedback overall has been positive, and the winners so far have been excited to receive their prizes.
What’s next on the promotional agenda for the store? Possibly a reintroduction of an old favorite.
“New student registration is coming up and we usually play Facebook Bingo,” Sackreiter said. “It’s a great way to let new students know about us, and it’s an easy way for us to increase interaction with all of our online community.”
