H&R Block jumps head first into social media

Tax giant lures millions of visitors by using almost every social networking tool imaginable—at once

Most companies dip into the social media waters one toe at a time. H&R Block canon-balled.

“Due to the seasonality of tax business, H&R Block doesn’t have the luxury of testing one thing at a time,” explains says Paula Drum, vice president of digital marketing at the the Kansas City, Mo., company, “so we jumped into lots of things—at the same time—to learn.”

Indeed. Here’s what they tested during this year’s tax season.

Digits: An online community Web site that included a tax forum, blogs, podcasts, videos, widgets, tax calculators and product information.