Starbucks Social Media Pages

In recent years, the number of users of social media has increased drastically. In this era where the 1 billion Facebook users# could form the world's third largest 'country'#, and Twitter having 11 accounts created every second#, it is very much essential for companies to leverage on social media in the conduct of their business. As stated by Erik Qualman, the author of Socialnomics#, "We don't have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it." This paper seeks to analyse the social media usage of 2 companies - Starbucks and Research in Motion (RIM), evaluate their performance and provide recommendations on how they can better use social media to their advantage.

Starbucks, founded in 1971, has more than 15,000 stores in 50 countries to date#. Not content with having such an enormous physical presence, Starbucks has built and is maintaining its large online presence, specifically in the realm of social media. Starbucks is exemplary in its social media strategy, the main focus of which is to cultivate an appealing and engaging brand that consumers can identify with both online and offline. The messages it conveys online and its online image have stayed true to its mission, which seeks to "inspire and nurture the human spirit"# by connecting with its consumers on a level that is comparable to no other. The Starbucks Facebook page was created in 2008, with a total 'Like' count of around 200,000. In the short span of 3 to 4 years, Starbucks has increased its 'Like' count to over 32,000,000#, putting it firmly at number 3 in the Facebook Page Ranking for the food/beverages category#.

Information provided on Starbucks' Facebook page benefits consumers more than the company. Things like Starbucks' international locations and employment opportunities worldwide are readily made available on its page. Besides the occasional wall posts by consumers who wish to compliment Starbucks on its products or service, the rest of the wall posts are by Starbucks, mostly showing snippets of its coffee in everyday life, hardly with any intention to sell. Starbucks makes an effort to connect with consumers in the way they know best - enjoying coffee, by not forcing its products down consumers throats through hard-selling marketing strategy. This is one aspect of what is successful in Starbucks' social media strategy, where doing so allows consumers to build intimate relationships with the company, enhancing the image of a Starbucks that is engaging.