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Elvis, the resident hound at Furniture Choice, is fast becoming a star as part of a strategy to increase the company’s social media and online presence.

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The friendly little border terrier, who has been popular with customers since he was included on the Meet the Team page of staff pictures, has been making his cheeky presence known through a new Facebook campaign.

Elvis is on Facebook!

As well as furniture galleries, inspirational articles, offers and behind-the-scenes photos, the Furniture Choice Facebook page regularly posts pictures showing Elvis's day-to-day adventures.

To encourage interaction, the company has developed a competition to win an Elvis cuddly toy - inviting customers to post pictures of their new furniture in situ in their homes.

Managing Director Tom Obbard said: "Elvis is part of the team and we thought it would be fun to feature him on our Facebook page to show a bit of personality. Social media is an important part of our marketing strategy, along with increasing content on our website to make it a more valuable resource for our customers."

Website investment

The online furniture supplier has also been investing heavily in its website to make it more user friendly, with clear images and detailed descriptions for its range of sofas, dining sets, mattresses and beds, along with care instructions.

A new "Inspiration & Advice" section has been developed, with top tips, decorating ideas and buyer's guides. Informative and fun, it is expected to be a useful resource for customers looking for tips and inspiration.

Tom Obbard continued: "Our customers can expect the best in customer service from us - we have a small, friendly team at the end of the phone ready to answer customer queries, from which mattress to choose to whether their choice of sofa will fit in their living room. Now they can also use our website as a resource for advice and ideas, and engage with us on social media platforms."

Pinterest product sharing

Pinterest is also used to complement these inspirational features, with pin boards of design ideas tied into the themes of the various articles. As customers are already pinning Furniture Choice products on Pinterest, the company has been able to interact directly with them by adding its own products along with associated home décor, from lamp shades to wallpaper. This has proved to be a great way to inspire people, showcase new and existing product ranges and run competitions.

Topical Twitter

The Furniture Choice Twitter account is mostly used to show the fun side of the business, rather than focusing on product promotion. Through Twitter, staff can comment on topical events, post fun pictures of Elvis, join in any relevant activity, such as the #bemoredog campaign started by O2, and of course follow brands whose products it sells, such as Silentnight and Sealy.

Google Plus a lot more

While the company already had a small presence on Google through Google Places, used on Google Maps, it has now linked this to Google Plus. This means that if a potential customer searches for Furniture Choice on Google Maps, they will be sent directly to the company's Google Plus page, which has all of the same basic information such as opening hours, but also galleries, links to the YouTube account, posts and more. On a standard Google search, the latest Furniture Choice Google Plus post will be displayed.

Exceptional customer satisfaction

With customer satisfaction feedback at an exceptional rate of 9.4/10 on Trustpilot and 99.6% from Ebay, Furniture Choice is already known for outstanding customer service.

By stepping up its social media activities and website content marketing, the company is set to increase customer engagement and product exposure, as well as reassuring potential customers that it is a trusted and friendly organisation that can be relied on to supply good quality furniture.

www.furniturechoice.co.uk; 0800 035 0070