Social Media Brand #1 - How Starbucks Raised To The Top
Matthew Guiste is the director of global digital strategy for Starbucks and a good friend. Last night, he gave a speech to the social media class I teach at University of Washington - Bothell.
Here are some lessons learned.
Starbucks created couple of tools that I found very interesting. They are engaging, they are interactive and they are fun. They also generate cash (indirectly).
One is the "Create your mug" on the Via Coffee site . This application allows the users to create a mug by adding their own pictures and text. If you share your mug with your friends, you get a $1 coupon towards the purchase of Via Coffee.
The other one "Create your frappuccino " uses the same concept of creating something. You can create your own, personalized frappuccino drink, save it, share it with your Facebook friends, and even save it on the mobile application, so you can show it to your barista. The fun part is that the text changes with your selection.
Here are some lessons learned.
- It's not about marketing; it's about relationships. Most companies miss this point frequently. They believe that social media is just another top-down marketing tool. Social media is about engaging your customers in a two-way conversation. It is about listening to them and it is about talking to them.
- Have a strategy. Know what your objectives are and what you try to accomplish. Being "out there" because it is the cool thing to do is not the point. Are you (re)connecting with your customers? Are you launching a new product? Are you promoting an event you are sponsoring?
- Listen to where your customers engage. Where do you find them? On Facebook? Twitter? Blogs?
- Have a tactical plan. Who is going to be the "voice"? And how many voices are you going to have? Are they consistent with the company's voice? What type of tools are you going to use? Are they interactive enough that will engage your customers in a true two-way conversation?
- Ask the question: does it add value to our community? If not, it is definitely not going to get any traction and therefore, it will be a waste of time, money, and effort.
Starbucks created couple of tools that I found very interesting. They are engaging, they are interactive and they are fun. They also generate cash (indirectly).
One is the "Create your mug" on the Via Coffee site . This application allows the users to create a mug by adding their own pictures and text. If you share your mug with your friends, you get a $1 coupon towards the purchase of Via Coffee.
The other one "Create your frappuccino " uses the same concept of creating something. You can create your own, personalized frappuccino drink, save it, share it with your Facebook friends, and even save it on the mobile application, so you can show it to your barista. The fun part is that the text changes with your selection.
Posted by Terra3.0 at 5/12/2010 2:25 PM 
Categories: Business - Marketing, How To, Social Media
Tags: Starbucks Twitter social media Facebook
Categories: Business - Marketing, How To, Social Media
Tags: Starbucks Twitter social media Facebook
The content explained here is the way to go
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I totally agree with all that has been written above
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