USA Today recently highlighted a Bulbstorm client’s sponsorship of NASCAR’s Stewart-Haas Racing – and promotion of the sponsorship to its 74,000+ fans on Facebook.

We are flattered that, out of all the big-name sponsors mentioned in the article, Tornados was the only one singled out for its innovative use of social media. But we believe there’s much more to the story than 74,000 fans.

After all, it’s easy for a Facebook user to click a button that says “become a fan” and then never think about that click again. What we really care about is engagement – and the evolution of our approach to the Tornados Facebook presence bears that out.

• One-Click “Bribery”: When we launched the Tornados fan page in September, we toyed with Einstein Bagels-esque promotions, essentially “buying” fans. If a Facebook user clicked to become a fan and provided a bit of info, they got a coupon. Both sides gained something: our fan base grew while fans received a reward. Eventually, this method grew old, and it was time to evolve…

• Interactive Applications: Facebook promotions like the Tornados Flavor Challenge and Tornados Big Game Blues Promotion drove tremendous growth for Tornados, but the events were about more than growth. By providing users with a game-like environment in which to share their ideas for the brand, our applications created engagement beyond the single click. Fans average over 3 minutes in our apps per visit. They share their passion for the brand with friends, provide great user generated content and come back again and again.

The common denominator in both of these approaches was the integration of targeted Facebook advertising with Bulbstorm’s promotional apps.

But the magic ingredient was our evolution from single-click bribery to actual engagement. That’s what gives fans a reason to come back to the page, and the result gives USA Today a reason to feature Tornados’ social media efforts.