Did you get your free bagel on Facebook? A few weeks ago, Einstein Bros. Bagels offered a coupon for a free bagel to Facebook users who became a fan. All you had to do was become a fan of Einstein Bros. Bagels, print out the coupon, and take it to a store location to get your free bagel. The promotion received a lot of buzz and the Einstein Bros. Fan Page went from around 4,000 fans to well over 300,000 fans during this bagel giveaway.

Fast Company has a good article recapping the details of the promotion. According to the article, Einstein’s had “done extensive homework to ensure that this promotion is a success.” Just looking at the numbers it does look like it’s a successful promotion, but after looking a little closer I’m not so sure. Below are 3 reasons as to why I think this promotion was not entirely a success:

1. Several fans had difficulty printing the coupon (and I was one of them). It looks like they tried to reach out to most of the fans having trouble with the coupon, but I noticed several fans who never got help. The Discussion tab on their page had several entries where fans needed help.

2.  Some store locations weren’t accepting the coupons.

3.  Now that I’m a fan, what do I do now? Post giveaway, you’ve got the attention of 300,000 fans who are looking for some engagement and I’ve yet to see any communication from Einstein’s on how they plan on engaging the fans.

I’m an advocate of promotions that grow a fan base, but I think a crucial piece that is often overlooked is the “now what” factor once the promotion is over.  You’ve got to have a plan in place to interact and respond to fans or they could drop off or worse, turn on you. Social media is a commitment and not just a campaign.