After a move in 2015, I found myself facing a very common problem. I had cancelled my cable provider and was owed a refund, but despite hours lost on the phone with multiple levels of customer service, I was getting nowhere fast. At the end of my rope, I took my frustration to Twitter and tagged the company in my tweet. Within minutes I had received a DM from a representative and after a few short exchanges, the issue was rectified and my refund was on its way.
This was my first experience witnessing the power of social media and the influence it has on companies. It was apparent that they were not overly concerned with my lost time in phone calls but the second they were framed in a negative light on such a public forum, they were quick to act on it.
While this is an example of the negative impact social media can have on a company, I wanted to draw attention to a company I think is getting it right. The one I have chosen for my case study is Starbucks Canada. Given my love of coffee, this was a natural choice!
The company makes use of a variety of social media channels such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin. They are also regularly trending in Tik Tok thanks to the many videos sharing recipes for “secret menu” items.
I think one of the most important things that Starbucks does with their platforms is utilizing it for a variety of reasons. As an established company with a ready-made consumer group, it would be easy for them to just post pictures of new menu items and what is happening in their stores. Instead that regularly pose questions to their followers. They will create contests to engage the audience and my personal favourite, share promotions that can be used in store. It’s a great way to ensure that customers are actually connecting with their channels, and who doesn’t love free coffee?? I can even excuse the creative spellings of my name.
I have also found that the times I reached out to the company via one of their social media platforms, I received a response promptly which tells me that not only are they using the channels as a form of communication with their audience, but they are also monitoring it for interactions. I think this is a really important step that a lot of companies forget about. They may post content but they’re not actually watching to see how it is received or what conversations it might be generating among their customers. This is an easy way to see what of their marketing is taken positively and what might be causing negative buzz they want to deal with quickly.
As I have now begun using social media for an organization, I find myself paying closer attention to the companies and businesses that seem to be getting it right and maybe more important, the ones missing the mark.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 