The Kogi Korean BBQ taco truck received national attention last year after growing its business using Twitter.  According to the Los Angeles Times, the founder, Mark Manguera, got the idea of putting Korean BBQ inside a taco. As if that idea wasn’t “outside the box” enough, Manguera decided to sell these tacos from a van and to use social media to create buzz.

The result?

Just months after starting the business, the van started drawing crowds of over 400 people wanting to buy one of the infamous tacos.  A continuous Twitter feed would alert fans to where the van would appear next.

One Thursday night last year, the Los Angeles Times reported that “Kogi parked at 5:30 PM at the Japanese American National Museum on Central Avenue and 1st Street in Little Tokyo. By 7 PM, the truck had already served at least 400 people and a long line still snaked across the broad brick entrance to the museum.”

A recent update on this company stated that they were still attracting up to 250 people at each stop using Twitter.

Kogi isn’t the only company that discovered the huge benefits of social media.  There have been many others that have used social media to their advantage.

Here is what you can learn from companies, such as Kogi – don’t be afraid to try something new.  Avoid sticking with the same traditional forms of marketing.  Give social media a try and always look for innovative ways to spread the word about your products and services.

To find out where the smart Northern Virginia business owners are gathering, visit Glazer-Kennedy-Virginia.com.