This month, Pizza Hut passed more than one million followers on Twitter, an achievement the company credits to a policy of responding to every Tweet that mentions the brand.
“We reply to every tweet, whether the incoming message is service-related or a love bomb,” said Jenna Bromberg, manager of digital engagement for Plano, Texas-based Pizza Hut, in an email response. “That can be anywhere from 500 tweets on a normal Tuesday, to 2,500 on Super Bowl Sunday.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Pizza Hut ranked No. 18 overall in the NRN Social 200 index, and No. 6 in audience engagement.
Pizza Hut leads its competitors in number of Twitter followers, compared with Domino’s Pizza, at more than 663,500, and Papa John’s, at more than 247,000.
Bromberg joined Pizza Hut in June 2013, after the company discovered her during a round of 140-second speed interviews (a tweet can be no more than 140 characters) at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas.
Before Pizza Hut, she was social content manager at H&R Block, and previously worked in a similar role at Houlihan’s Restaurants.
Pizza Hut, a division of Louisville, Ky.-based Yum! Brands Inc., had 7,846 units in the United States at the end of 2013, and more than 5,500 abroad.
Bromberg discussed Pizza Hut’s Twitter program with Nation’s Restaurant News:
How does Twitter fit into Pizza Hut’s overall social media strategy?
We use Facebook to communicate brand messages at scale. Instagram is a channel for food romance. Twitter is where the magic happens.
Officially, it’s where we curate the “now” of all things Pizza Hut. Unofficially, Twitter is where we play. It’s where we have back-and-forth conversations with our awesome, hilarious, passionate pizza-eating network. It’s where we resolve customer service issues — always speaking to humans like humans. And it’s where we post delicious pictures of pizza, wings and cookies with delightful copy that makes people say, “yaaaaaas.”
When did Pizza Hut join Twitter?
Pizza Hut officially joined Twitter in 2007, but we started focusing on the channel as a pillar of our digital engagement in 2012.
What are the challenges of tweeting 500 to 2,500 times a day?
The more we engage, the more volume we get. But we’re a team who thrives on the fast-paced, constantly changing nature of the pizza category, so we dig it.
What are the benefits of engaging with Twitter fans at such a granular level?
This generation grew up with us. We were there after their ballgames, at their graduation parties, their Friday nights, their family reunions. Why wouldn’t we take the time to talk to them? It’s table stakes for a brand lucky enough to have such a powerful relationship with this group.
And, you know, we could do all the culturejack-y, real-time marketing in the world, but to a guest, no marketing message is as impactful as their favorite brand engaging with them directly.
How has Pizza Hut’s Twitter strategy evolved?
We used to post straight-up marketing messages. Now we focus more on listening and responding to what our fans are talking about in the same ways they’re accustomed to talking to their friends.
What have been the brand’s biggest successes on Twitter?
Every once in a while, we like to give away hundreds of free pizzas within a small, surprise window of time. People get so into it that we almost always end up as a national trend[ing topic] for a couple of hours.
For our published content, engagement rates skyrocket when we combine targeted amplification with smart, colloquial copy and unpolished, natural photography.
How many people are behind Pizza Hut’s Twitter handle? What percentage of replies involve customer service or complaints?
Between the @pizzahut and @PHCares Twitter handles, we have a rock-star team of six customer service professionals who handle day-to-day engagements. On the marketing side, we have a single voice behind the handle. In 2014, all outgoing content was created by our in-house digital engagement team (two people, for the most part).
What would you recommend to restaurant community managers for increasing engagement, especially on Twitter?
Don’t overthink it. One of our most retweeted tweets ever was the word “Pizza” and a period. Really: “Pizza.”
What’s next for Pizza Hut on Twitter?
You may see us beef up the team and recruit more talent with another round of 140-second interviews.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless
