Tomorrow afternoon (4/10/12), Howard Schultz, ceo of Starbucks Corporation, will be the Executive Guest Speaker for the Albers Executive Speaker Series. I received the honor of being selected to represent Seattle University's undergraduate students as a panelist at Schultz's talk, so in preparing for tomorrow, I've had Starbucks on my mind quite often during the last week or so. Therefore, I thought it would be appropriate to take a closer look at the company's social media sites, to not only snoop around for panelist topics, but also to examine what the company does well in terms of creating interesting and relevant content, as well as attaining popularity, and perhaps more importantly, influence over its followers and fans.
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| Starbucks' home page, as of 4/9/2012, featuring a YouTube clip about its April corporate responsibility effort - giving back to communities, at a global scale. |
Upon first reaching the Starbucks Home Page, one sees Starbucks' iconic logo, and its main links all send visitors of the website to the areas that Starbucks customers typically care about most: coffee, menu (i.e., drinks, food, and nutrition), coffeehouse (i.e., music, wi-fi, and community), responsibility (i.e., company values, goals, and progress), card (i.e., all things Starbucks Card related), and shop (i.e., an online marketplace for true Starbucks fans). Although the website changes often, the home page often also showcases milestones for the company, from its newest and proudest product innovation to its most recent significant act in terms of corporate responsibility. Currently, the website features a YouTube clip that educates website visitors about Starbucks' theme of the month: April - Global Month of Service. Below the fun and inviting clip, Starbucks invites its customers to help make a difference: "Join us in making a difference in your community this month." By reminding its customers that Starbucks' work for a better world is made with its customers in mind, but is also in the hands of its customers to make possible or to make a greater impact, Starbucks customers are reminded of their involvement in making the world a better place, and I, for one, am compelled to become engaged in one of the Starbucks programs.
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| Links to various different topics of interest to SBUX website visitors |
Also on its front page are links to the company's blog, quick links to its newest product features, Starbucks Rewards program, and more. One thing is clear throughout all of Starbucks' use of graphics and media: Starbucks is committed to bringing value to its customers. To do this even better, Starbucks utilizes primarily Facebook and Twitter, but also YouTube and Flickr to connect with its customers in a one-on-one, interactive medium.
On its Facebook, Starbucks' cover photo screams, "Starbucks is a company of partners in every respect, and we're dedicated to helping you, our customers!" A team of Starbucks employees in support of April's Global Month of Service stand committed and strong. The company posts at least once a day, with topics related to its monthly offerings, new products, or it shares personal stories from its partners and customers. In terms of the 80-20 rule, it does a pretty good job, because even if a post isn't directly related to promoting a specific product, all the posts bring customer interaction into play, and subtlety remind Starbucks customers the value that they can receive by supporting their favorite Starbucks location.
The Twitter pages follow suit. Multiple Twitter accounts focused on different business aspects allows customers to choose the way in which they engage with the company. If customers would rather discuss Starbucks' innovations, then it can follow or tweet at the My Starbucks Idea twitter page (@MyStarbucksIdea). If they're looking for a job and want the inside scoop on the latest job opportunities, fans can follow the Starbucks Jobs sites. Additionally, separate Starbucks sites exist for different global markets, so that fans can engage in their language of preference with other customers like them within some specific region.
The YouTube and Flickr accounts certainly have smaller followings, however, these pages are viewable and easy to follow if you follow the other social media sites, as at this point, they're all usually linked to each other in some way. The YouTube videos have over 8.3 million views, which shows that people tend to enjoy Starbucks' videos. However, one way that I may critique them, is that they could create videos that are more engaging--videos that bring customers back to the YouTube page a second time after they see it the first time. A recent great example of this from a very different industry is the Alice Receptionist video. What would be a humdrum technology service before, becomes an engaging and funny conversation piece for people considering how to improve their office's environment. Starbucks has the resources to create the same kind of funny and entertaining video content, so I want to see it do something like "Who is Alice?".
Overall, Starbucks does a great job at engaging customers and delivering fresh and relevant content. The company's focus on corporate responsibility linked to its business model makes Starbucks influential, because it forces customers to consider how their consumer behavior can also support greater causes.
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| Starbucks' Facebook page |
Strength in Numbers:
- Facebook Likes: 29,553,355
- Twitter (@starbucks) followers: 2,341,868
- Starbucks Jobs (@starbucksjobs) followers: 35,970
- My Starbucks Idea (@MyStarbucksIdea) followers: 31,439
- YouTube: 13,266 subscribers, 8,384,788 views
- Flickr members: 4,867 (8,034 items)
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