How prAna is Using Facebook
July 26 2010 by Greg de Lima ~ 3 Comments
prAna is the Sanskrit word for ‘vital life’ (from the root prā ‘to fill’, cognate to Latin plenus ‘full’). The backbone for this company is it’s strength in its name and their belief in mindful living and an eco-conscious clothing line.
prAna has grown from a small garage startup and evolved into a company focused around Yoga, Rock Climbing and the outdoor lifestyle. As it has grown, the Southern California based company has been highly involved in many alliances with progressive partners.
This article will focus on prAna’s Facebook Page as an example of engagement, content sharing, and the community around prAna as a brand and an online entity.
Background
prAna’a Facebook page had its initial start date on April 1st of 2009. A prAna spokesperson states that their involvement with Facebook started because,
Facebook currently lends itself well to sharing a steady stream of information that that characterizes many of the core interests we have as a company including the groups that have been with us for nearly 20 years (i.e. climbing, yoga & conservation). We now have the opportunity to discuss many of the other topics that are important to our “Tribe”; local/organic foods, mindful living, renewable energy, education and philanthropy among others.
prAna chose Facebook as their primary engagement platform because of it’s manipulation factor, reach, and ability to touch people from all walks of life. Facebook was chosen over Twitter, YouTube, and the prAna Blog. According to prAna, the emphasis on Facebook is because the Blog provides only a “one-way” stream of information; outgoing from the blog to the users, and reciprocating engagement is much tougher than through Facebook. YouTube wasn’t chosen as it also provides an almost one-way only directionality, with little opportunities to engage.
The Plan
Starting at around 6,000 followers, the prAna team had the idea to begin a giveaway every 1,000 new fans. The giveaway originally consisted of giving away one item of choice from the prAna online store. These fans would be publicly announced, and they would receive an email asking them to choose their item and provide their details. prAna’s post would look something like this:
Congratulations to (NAME) the 2nd winner of the 20k Fan “Bucket List” Giveaway! He would like to see the world through the eyes of another. (NAME) gets to choose ANY item from prAna.com and we are also throwing in some added goodies for him! There were so many inspiring things that you want to… do that you have motivated many of us. Thank you for continuing to support us and Share the prAna love!
All of the messages are customized, and reflect the individual who won. Each giveaway gives the fans of the page the opportunity to interact with the prAna website and the influencer through the Facebook page. The fans get the opportunity to browse the online store, know the products and incentive to participate and share their experience.
Recently, prAna switched to running giveways from every 1,000 fans to every 5,000, due to their page’s rapid growth.
Aside from their giveaways, prAna shares some very interesting content that aligns with their brand. The posted content is then watched over for “likes” or comments. Replies are made to concerns, clarifications, or just simply conversation to the fans of prAna. There is no one simple topic that prAna focuses on, but instead a range of topics that essentially encase and describe the brand.
What to Post
According to the spokesperson from prAna, the content that is posted through the Facebook page is,
A little bit of a trade secret, but let me say that is essential that a company takes a look at themselves in the mirror and determine who they are. What I mean is that if an organization is committed to opening the lines of conversation with its community, they must first determine what values are core to their company. Secondly they must actively listen and monitor what topics are important to their base. These two pieces of information will then allow their community department to find topics that support their company values and appeal to their customer base. To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.” Kofi Annan
*It is essential that a community manager/team be careful not to let their personal values overly influence the content posted
Results
Since prAna began their efforts through Facebook, their level of engagement both on “personal and professional level” has seen an incredible increase.
Their number of Fans (now Likers) has increased about 1,829 new Fans per month.
The reflection of the growth in terms of ROI isn’t measured by prAna; they are more focused on engagement and aligning their social efforts with their company mission, than sales.
prAna’s Facebook page is a prime model for Facebook engagement and an example of how brands can utilize Facebook pages to engage their audience and share their company values.
Become a Fan of prAna on Facebook and see for yourself what they’re doing on Facebook. What questions or ideas do you have for them?
Image Credit prAna Blog
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