RICHMOND, Va. — Halfway through a campaign utilizing Twitter, CarMax executives hailed the growth of followers they now have through the social networking site.

CarMax indicated that its audience through Twitter has more than tripled since the campaign "Tweet Yourself to a New Ride" launched on Jan 4. The company has more than 5,700 new followers.

Executives said that via followers and "retweets" of posts to date, the campaign has the potential of being seen by more than 765,000 people.

CarMax still has high expectations for the strategy since the campaign still has four weeks remaining. Entrants can join the contest through Feb. 28.

The grand prize of CarMax's "Tweet Yourself to a New Ride" is $25,000 to be used toward the purchase of any used vehicle in the company's inventory. Along the way, eight winners will be selected to receive a gas card valued at $250. One winner will be picked each week of the campaign.

Company officials indicated they've used Twitter since 2007. Previously, CarMax used Twitter to share vehicle buying tips and other information to connect with buyers.