ARCADIA, CA – March 16th, 2011 - AirSplat.com is the first online airsoft retailer to reach 100,000 fans on Facebook. They’ve achieved this by turning their Facebook Fan Page into a valuable and direct channel for fans and customers to interact with the company. They are the first in the airsoft industry to reach this number, many tens of thousands ahead of the rest. This break away from the pack reinforces them as the major force in this retail sector. Mary Chase, Marketing Director, has this to say about the company’s achievement, "This is a fantastic indicator of how this company is still the leader in this space, and how far this sport has grown in this country." The past year has seen a steady increase in growth and momentum for the company, from around 12,000 subscribed fans in March of 2010 to 100,000 fans in March of 2011.
When one becomes a fan of the AirSplat Facebook page, they receive daily updates of new items in stock, back in stock items, community questions, and the weekly contest. Chase is particularly happy about how those have turned out, "We started the weekly contest about a year ago, and the response was phenomenal. We try to do something new every week, and that keeps a steady stream of fresh and interested people coming to the page."
These Facebook exclusive contests and giveaways directly leverage the various kinds of interactions only possible with Facebook, including photo tagging, sharing links, and friend referrals. The flow of information goes both ways. The AirSplat fan page has not only become a powerful marketing tool for promotion, it’s also become an invaluable source of direct and instant market data. "the response is phenomenal, you can ask a simple question to fans, such as ‘what we should carry that we don’t have already’, and within minutes you’ll get hundreds of thoughtful and insightful replies," says Chase. It shows the fans are checking the page constantly, and the airsoft community is not by any means shy of voicing their opinion, "You get a lot of heated and passionate posts, but you have to take it with a grain of salt," says Mary. AirSplat for their part, has taken on an aggressive policy of transparency. "if a customer voices an issue with an order or an issue, we respond openly and immediately. If it’s a complicated matter we’ll take it offline via email, or phone call. We want people to know we’re not just a big company, we’re one that cares about each individual customer."
The 100,000 fan mark is a milestone for AirSplat. They’re using it as a guidepost to bigger and better things. In the next year they plan on redesigning and overhauling their website with new features. They plan on doing this with a combination of in-house web designers and programmers, as well as feedback from their Facebook page. Everyone at AirSplat is looking forward to the next year of growth, Chase especially, "Here’s to the next 100,000 fans".
