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Preeya Bajaj

Saturday 14 February 2015
Popularity of Social Media usage for Businesses

Many organizations have turned to social media to use it as a platform to market their products and services.
 The question is why?
businesses-on-social-media

Many companies think that by utilizing social media, they are able to gain profits and recognition easily. However, they are companies today who in fact do not benefit much from social media as they do not know to utilize social media platforms effectively. However, Starbucks is one of the companies listed that has benefited from social media.


Case Study: Starbucks

Thanks to social media, companies like Starbucks are making loads of $$$$.

They are one of the earliest adopters of the use of social media and social commerce. They focus their branding on their homepage and on various social media websites such as: 






The Starbucks Facebook page is their main social media platform and  was created in 2008 and today has 38,107, 783 likes. 
Success Formula for Facebook: created an online community where friends and fans share their comments, stories and news to everyone who loves Starbucks.

The Starbucks Twitter profile is not as large scale as their Facebook page and today has 
7.2 million followers. 
Success Formula for Twitter: Believe in reaching out and connecting with every follower rather than spamming with advertisements.

The Starbucks Instagram profile today has 3.8 million followers. They were one of the earliest adapters of Instagram. 
Success Formula for Instagram: Amplifies a strong sense of its brand via its captivating visual content.

The Starbucks Pinterest profile today only has 
177, 369 followers
Not so successful as compared to other social media platforms. 

In the U.S. , Starbucks has taken over the popular social media platforms as shown in the picture below. They have made their presence known on every popular social media platform. 


There are 6 reasons as to why Starbucks is successful:

1) Customer relationships

Starbucks focuses more on current relationships that they have with their customers instead of forming new ones. This ensures that Starbucks has a faithful fan following and brand supporters in the long run. 

2) Going on to its customers

A photo is always  regularly uploaded onto the various social media websites. It is shared on Instagram, posted on Facebook and tweeted on Twitter. Starbucks makes sure that all different kinds of audience have access to their posts which is crucial as  it makes them have a lasting impression on the users on the various social media platforms.

3) Customer engagement

Starbucks believes in online engagement with their customers which in turn emphasizes on customer service. They listen and try to implement what their customers have to say. 

4) Encourages sharing

Starbucks always has promotions, be it a festival, a holiday, free gifts or just their famous '1 for 1' promotions which has gathered a lot of attention on the different social media platforms. Many users have liked and shared their promotions which in turn creates more publicity for them. 

5) My Starbucks idea

My Starbucks idea is an idea which does its business crowdsourcing. It encourages its customers to share their ideas that may lead to better products, improve customer service and more community involvement. Customers are able to view and discuss ideas with the Starbucks employees. It has a leaderboard which tracks customers whom are the most active in submitting ideas, comments and poll participation and is declared on social media platforms. This is turn creates more awareness about the Starbucks idea among users. 

6) Experience Customization

Programs such as "Starbucks Rewards", personalized signature drinks and localized store experiences are some of the ways Starbucks provides unique and personalized experience to its customers. They encourage users to share their Starbucks experience on Instagram and Pinterest to be able to lure other users. 


Conclusion

With many people owning various social media platforms and being hooked on them everyday, companies are definitely taking advantage. Companies like Starbucks are great examples that show the immense potential any form of company can have to make profits just through social media alone. Social media is definitely a tool that small companies can utilize effectively to expand their businesses. With many organizations already on social media, the techniques of doing business has changed immensely. 

Social media is not just an activity; it is an investment of valuable time and resources. Surround yourself with people who not just support you and stay with you, but inform your thinking about ways to WOW your online presence”
Sean Gardener