“Social networking is not about farming followers, it’s a way of cultivating relationships.”
-Hubspot
As our world moves into a digital age, it is businesses’ responsibility to follow trend. Consumers are constantly online reviewing products, either from home or on their mobile device. One business that has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to social engagement is Starbucks.
? 37.32 million Facebook likes ? 2.86 million Google+ followers
? 6.56 million Twitter followers ? 160K Pinterest followers
? 2.98 million Instagram fans ? 32K YouTube subscribers
No matter what Starbucks social platform you visit, the Starbucks touch is evident. The company’s social channels all have the same look, feel, and tone as their stores. Although the marketing team takes a slightly different approach from Twitter to Instagram to Facebook, the content is consistently unified around the company’s mission, message, and goals.
Dachis Group’s Social Media Index currently ranks Starbucks as the 36th most effective company in social media in the U.S. (ranking consulted on August 19th 2014). What is the key to their social media strategy? Starbucks does not treat social media as a marketing channel but rather as a consumer-relationship building environment.
In order to reconnect with their customers in 2007, new CEO Howard Schultz created the 10 guiding principles of Starbucks’ social media strategy:
- Listen
- Be transparent
- Use authorities
- Be human
- Share timely information
- Offer personal attention
- Be humble in replies
- Don’t preach
- Give fans access
- Don’t spam users
According to Schultz, there are a few important reasons that help explain the success behind Starbucks’ social media marketing strategy.
1. Customer relationships
Instead of solely focusing efforts on acquiring new customers, Starbucks cultivates its current relationships.The ongoing relationships ensure more fans and followers in the long run, as well as the continued existence of brand advocates. With over 21,000 stores in more than 65 countries, its a safe bet that anyone with even a passing interest in coffee already knows Starbucks exists. The company has reached critical mass in terms of advertising so its challenge at this point is keeping customers loyal so they’re not swayed by competitors with similar offerings.The Starbucks social media team is great at offering the customer service of local coffee shop on a grand scale over its social media channels. Even though they’re a huge company, they still give customers individual attention, which no doubt goes a long way toward keeping them coming back for more.
2. Going to its customers
When Starbucks takes a photo, it shares it on Instagram, posts it to Facebook, tweets it on Twitter, and pins it on Pinterest. Starbucks goes digitally where its customers like to hang out.
3. Customer engagement
Starbucks believe in letting engagement and conversation occurs as naturally as possible. They are listening, engaging, and making the adjustments.
4. Encourages sharing
Happy customers are eager to share good experiences and offers. For example, the Starbucks frequent promotions like “buy 1 get 1? garner an extraordinary amount of engagement on social media through comments, “likes,” and shares.
5. MyStarbucksIdea
MyStarbucksIdea is an online community based on crowdsourcing where customers and employees can make suggestions and ideas for new products, improve products and services, and enhance the Starbucks experience. People can comment and vote on suggested ideas. The focus is on open dialogue and collaborative environment.
6. Experience customization and empowerment
Starbucks provides a unique customer experience. Customization is achieved through a rewards loyalty program.
7. Taking a stand and having a mission
Starbucks’ mission is “to inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.” They believe lifting customers up will lead to more customer loyalty. Starbucks give consumers a charitable reason to buy its products by associating itself with charitable endeavors. They know their customers and pay attention on how their brand can fit into trending topics.
Whether you’re a fan of the Starbucks product line or not, their social media success is undeniable. As with every other aspect of the company, their attention to detail and customer-centric messaging is what makes their social outreach some of the best in the business. Although not every organization may be as large or have the budget Starbucks does, they have helped spark ideas for smaller business owners to improve their online marketing strategies. Fine tuning some of these ideas and making them into your own can help any business have a stronger social media presence.
Source of article:
Poirier, G. (2014, November 12). Starbucks’ Killer Social Media Strategy.
Retrieved February 26, 2015, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141112163710-200769548-starbucks-killer-social-media-strategy
Huff, T. (2014, August 23). How Starbucks Crushes It on Social Media. Retrieved February 26, 2015, from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/how-starbucks-crushes-it-social-media
