Leading furniture components supplier Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company, the company behind the national social media contest, The EarthCare Challenge, experienced a substantial increase in traffic over last year on its Facebook contest page. The contest drew over 15,000 post views in the month of March and the fan following nearly doubled over the previous year’s competition. To date, more than 1,150 fans follow the contest on Twitter and Facebook.
“We are thrilled with the amazing boost we’ve experienced through Facebook this year,” said Hickory Springs Executive Vice President Dwayne Welch. “We realized that we could use Facebook to build relationships with consumers, bringing attention to the seemingly small aspects of everyday living that many people haven’t considered. It’s not just about going to the store and purchasing eco-friendly products, it’s about building awareness about the very components that make up the everyday products we use.”
The use of social media to promote the green movement has been a relatively unexplored area within the furniture industry. To promote the company’s EarthCare Inside offerings, Hickory Springs turned to Facebook to launch the first EarthCare Challenge consumer competition in 2009, witnessing the ever-growing popularity of the online community. Small companies and large corporations alike have turned to social media as a means of connecting with consumers, realizing that social media creates the ability for them to develop genuine relationships with consumers.
“It’s nearly impossible to overlook the remarkable impact social media has on society today,” said Welch. “We feel fortunate that we could use social media as a platform to show the movement of our company, and the furniture industry in general, toward a greener standard.”
The Company first launched the EarthCare Challenge to bring to life the quest of young adults seeking to live more sustainably. This year’s contest broadened the Company’s reach through schools. Guided by a panel of green experts, it taught consumers of all ages that when purchasing a product, they have the opportunity to consider its packaging, how it is constructed, and whether it can be reused or recycled.
Contest participants brought their own personal networks of friends, family and communities at large to vote and interact on the contest home, facebook.com/earthcarechallenge. For more information, visit www.earthcareinside.com.
About Hickory Springs: Hickory Springs’ headquarters is located in Hickory, North Carolina, where the international, privately-held company was first founded in 1944 as a producer of furniture springs. Hickory Springs has grown into one of the nation’s largest integrated manufacturers to the furniture and bedding industries with more than 60 operating facilities throughout the United States. In 2008, the company launched its EarthCare Inside line of components for upholstered furniture, including the industry-leading Preserve® bio-based foam, 100% recycled cotton, recycled sinuous steel and coils, among many other sustainable options. For more information, visit www.hickorysprings.com and www.earthcareinside.com.