Brewing a strong social media presence: a Starbucks analysis
In the wake of the digital age we now live in, virtually everything is online. From your favourite recipes to that one Target employee who became famous overnight, you can find just about anything. And when I say “anything”, I mean ourselves, too. That’s why organizations and large, corporate brands even use social media in the first place.
But don’t get me wrong — some businesses are MADE for social media.
In Starbucks’ case, they can found online at the following (statistics as of April 7, 2017):
- Twitter (11.9M followers)
- Facebook (36.7M likes)
- Instagram (13.7M followers)
- Google+ (4.9M followers)
- Pinterest (302.4K followers)
- YouTube (131.1K subscribers)
And I think the data alone frightens me. Ever since the company was first founded in 1971 and popularized within North America and essentially the WORLD, Starbucks has taken over the Internet — establishing itself as a household name, in and out of the coffee shop. But it was no miracle: from their strategic social media campaigns to their well-crafted feeds, you’re bound to be drawn to their artistry, regardless of what and where you drink.
Let’s start by dissecting one of my personal favourites — a video recently uploaded called “Starbucks — A Year of Good”. It starts off with your expected, cliché statements about coffee, but as it progresses, points out that you helped hire over 8,000 veterans. You helped send 6,535 baristas to college. And you helped support 301,506 ethically sourced farms. Not only is there a sense of individual importance emphasized throughout, but that Starbucks takes the time to appreciate everyone who’s supported them this past year. Though it’s not a campaign, it certainly holds the same weight.
Also, can we talk about their YouTube channel? WOW. Just wow. They separate their videos amongst various playlists and the first two I see are “How To” clips and “Coffee Recipes”. Admittedly, I had never been on their channel before this week, but to say that I’m impressed is an understatement. As I quickly learn how to make an Iced Coffee Lemonade and Cold Brew Mocha Ice Cubes — which, by the way, are all under two minutes for your own convenience — I start to get the sense that it’s not just about the coffee. It’s about the customer relationship that ensues afterward that’s important to them. Other categories even include “About Our Food” (so you’re aware of what you’re consuming), “Giving Back”, and “Starbucks Jobs”. They even distinct between countries, allowing one to see what’s going on in an Asian-Pacific Starbucks! I highly recommend checking it out.
If you’ve ever stumbled upon Starbucks’ Pinterest, however, you would have noticed a similar trend. More coffee recipes. More tea recipes. And more cute photos of people sipping coffee. Except this time you get to pin the posts and save them for later! A big part of the coffee culture is basically the fancy cups you get to hold, and Starbucks definitely does not hold back on visual platforms — Instagram being another opportunity for more eye candy.
Feed goals, anybody? I particularly admire their minimalistic approach to images. Whenever I see Starbucks on my feed, I get a “lazy Sunday” vibe and immediately want to curl up on bed with a book and cup of coffee in my hand. And that’s exactly what their brand is selling me: comfort and satisfaction. Just like their caption, “Inspiring and nurturing the human spirit — one person, one cup, and one neighbo[u]rhood at a time,” I’m simply captivated by their approach. Instead of pushing the product to you, you feel the need to buy one.
And, of course, I didn’t forget to address the elephant in the room: from morning fixes to late-night lattes, there is a tendency for people to post their lovely, handcrafted beverages online. Guess what — that’s all free marketing! Whether or not the barista intentionally spells your name wrong so you’re inclined to complain via social media, it’s publicity. And nothing goes viral as quickly as someone spelling the most generic name wrong. (Or Starbucks introducing plain, red cups as “Christmas” cups. But that’s to be discussed on another day.)
“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” — Jeff Bezos
Nonetheless, you won’t have to worry about being “mad” at Starbucks for too long. While their posts are comedic too in the slightest ways, they don’t shy away from answering concerned and frustrated customers. In their “About” section on Facebook, it says that Starbucks “typically replies within an hour”; however, it is already very likely that they’ve addressed a common issue on http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/apex/ideaHome. (This is also where you can go to share ideas and comment on others; make your voice heard! At the time of writing, there are 48,000 coffee & espresso ideas, 25,141 for food, and 11,898 for merchandise & music, which is pretty cool.) And even so, their replies in comment section are very genuine and encouraging, prompting individuals to return. Similar to how you would reach out to a friend, Starbucks is there for you. Personalized and thoroughly planned content? Check.
I low-key saved the best for last: Twitter. I’m usually not a fan of companies retweeting customers because I just want to see the content right away without disruption. However, with Starbucks, I cannot complain because everything is curated SO. WELL.
Upon scrolling, I see Friends and Elf GIFs being used to describe coffee. A woman thanking a stranger for paying for her drink. Starbucks’ new line of Spring cups. Lady Gaga. And you get my point. Instead of reading canned content as shown other businesses, you get live content from real people — people just like you! Even advertisements are carefully mapped out to correspond to current events. I could literally spend ages rifling through their “likes” and not be bored, which excites me further. Did I mention that they also follow customers back?
And in the case you argue that Starbucks isn’t an effective social media user, I would like to pull up two campaigns I wish I’d thought of:
1) “Meet Me at Starbucks”
- Starbucks has always been a lovely place to meet up with and talk to people! Sometimes even strangers. Launched in late 2014 worldwide, Starbucks gave individuals the chance to win free coffee for a year (!!!) in exchange for their “How We Met” story. Whether it’s a significant other, your best friend, or even just a friend, using the #HowWeMet hashtag provided an interactive experience on multiple social media platforms. The promotional video, although missing a Starbucks product itself, was filmed in over 28 countries in a day and displayed the particular bonds formed within their stores and company.
2) Tweet-a-Coffee
- Launched in late 2013 in the U.S. and early 2014 in Canada, Tweet-a-Coffee was Starbucks’ attempt to build awareness and engage customers through a new e-gifting service. This allowed individuals to essentially gift “a coffee” via Twitter: all you had to do was mention @tweetacoffee and the person’s Twitter handle for a $5 gift card and the logistics would be sorted out via email. Although seemingly very simple and effortless, this campaign was carried out several times by 27,000 people — generating over $180,000 USD in a few months. Starbucks came at a time when “mobile ordering” wasn’t the norm, proving to be extremely innovative and comprehensive of its audiences. The bonus: people were engaging on Twitter!
Obtaining customers is great, but retaining them is even better. When dealing with a company as large as Starbucks, it can be frustrating getting their attention; however, Starbucks values every single person and doesn’t take success for granted. As evident through the social media campaigns, there is a mutual understanding between the two parties because coffee is something worth enjoying. It’s a routine story that can be told over and over again, and, yet, it’s made interesting and creative from a business that cares. Rather than slapping advertisements on Facebook, take note and create meaning for your followers. (Take it from a company that actually has social media accounts for individual drinks. cc: Pumpkin Spice Latte, Frappuccino)
In my opinion, Starbucks takes an expressive and visionary twist in regards to customer service. I’ve said this many times, but the company comes off more as a friend through its posts, rather than your average business across the street. And a big part of it has to do with the top management too: if you recall, then CEO and current Executive Chairman Howard Schultz launched the infamous #RaceTogether campaign in 2015 in hopes of speaking about African-American injustice. However, there was backlash after many people exclaimed their frustration, stating that engaging in a race conversation before having their morning coffee would “not end well” — given how delicate of a topic it is. But despite his goodwill and display of CEO activism, Schultz ended up apologizing. His response? “We made a tactical mistake. So what? We’re moving forward.”
Some food for thought: among “limited-service restaurants” in the U.S., Starbucks is in the lead with Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+ followers and had the fifth-highest total of “likes” on Facebook for brands, as of 2012. You can imagine how much that’s improved.
“It’s a reflection of the personal relationship people have with the beverage. A lot of photos with Starbucks cups say, ‘here I am, this is the view from where I sit.’” — Ryan Turner, Starbucks director of Global Social Media
A brand is a collection of ideas. It is the telling of a story. And there’s no doubt that Starbucks maintains an accurate and consistent brand throughout all their platforms. No matter which outlet you visit, there’s that special “Starbucks touch” to it and a vibe that closely matches its stores’. Even if you don’t drink coffee or get your fix elsewhere, there’s no denying that Starbucks’ social outreach is one of the best. And that’s enough reason to love them.
