Presented at Natural Products Expo East, Baltimore, MD. September 20, 2012 Whole Foods is using social media to engage its customers across the nation in conversations about food. With over 300 Twitter accounts and 250 local-store Facebook accounts, Whole Foods Market has created an online community for useful exchanges between shoppers and their grocers. Beyond those accounts, Whole Foods' blog, online newsletter, mobile apps and flickr account all contribute to their booming online voice.

1. WHAT’S BEHIND WHOLE
FOODS MARKET’S SOCIAL
MEDIA STRATEGY
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

2. Ryan Amirault
Digital Marketing Manager
Whole Foods Market
Boulder, CO & Austin, TX
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

3. Before we get started...
EVERYONE
PLEASE
STAND UP
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

4. In the last 24 hours...
Sit DOWN if you did not update your Facebook status
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

5. In the last 24 hours...
Sit DOWN if you did not send a Tweet or check your stream
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

6. In the last 24 hours...
Sit DOWN if you did not check into Expo East on Foursquare
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

7. In the last 24 hours...
Sit DOWN if you did not share a photo on Instagram
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

8. In the last 24 hours...
Sit DOWN if you did not pin something on Pinterest
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

9. In the last 24 hours...
Sit DOWN if you did not use Yelp to find something to eat
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

10. In the last 24 hours...
Sit DOWN if you did not post a photo on Foodspotting
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

11. In the last 24 hours...
Sit DOWN if you did not +1 something on Google+
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

12. Social Media @ Whole Foods Market
- Non-traditional marketing
approach
- Unique culture & values
- 330+ U.S. Stores and now in
Canada & UK. Divided among 12
decentralized regions.
- Each store has a dedicated
marketing and community relations
professional.
- Regional marketing teams & global
team in Austin, TX provide support
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

13. Social Media @ Whole Foods Market
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

14. Social Media @ Whole Foods Market
Most common question...
- How does Whole Foods Market
manage so many accounts?
- Short Answer: hire the right people, be
efficient, utilize the right technology,
educate.
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

15. Social Media @ Whole Foods Market
“The secret to Whole Foods Market’s success in social
media is that we don’t social media. We see being
social as core to who we are as a company. We want
our stores to be an integral part of the communities
they serve. Our social media efforts are merely a
digital extension of the conversation we seek to have
with our customers and our partners every day.”
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

16. Social Media Today
- 3 in 4 minutes on social networking sites are spent on Facebook
- Nearly 1 in 5 minutes online is spent on social networks today
- 1 in 7 minutes online are spent on Facebook
- Across all regions of the world, women are more social
-82.4% of the world’s online population use social networks
Source: Comscore
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

17. Social Media Today
- 40% of social media users view their social networks from
smartphones
- Internet users over age 55 are the most growing segment of
social media users
- 53% of active adult social networkers follow a brand
Source: Nielsen’s state of social media Q3/2011
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

18. What We’ll Cover
- General Social Media Strategy - Step by Step
- Case Study: Facebook Offers
- Other uses for social media
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

19. But First...
- If you think of your social network as $$, you
will not succeed.
- Don’t just DO social for your brand, BE
social.
-Quality over quantity when growing your
social network, ALWAYS.
- Just like any relationship, social media takes
time and dedication.
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

20. Social Media Strategy
Step by Step Process:
1. Get the rest of the company involved.
2. Define your goals.
3. Determine your channels.
4. Listen & understand your audience.
5. Measurement & analytics.
6. Content for success.
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

21. Social Media Strategy - Step 1
Get the rest of the company involved...
- Social media cannot just live in
marketing or PR - never in isolation
- Spend time with all potential
stakeholders.
- Integrate social into other areas of the
company.
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

22. Social Media Strategy - Step 2
Define your goals...
- Generate new leads?
- Signups to an e-newsletter?
- Sales on your e-commerce site?
- Fewer calls to customer service?
- Customer satisfaction?
- Brand awareness?
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

23. Social Media Strategy - Step 2
Define your goals...
Better customer engagement 78%
Revenue generation 51%
Better customer experience 47%
Increased thought leadership 41%
14% Operational efficiency
10% Other
@RyanAmirault Source: emarketer.com “State of Social Media Marketing” 9/7/12
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

24. Social Media Strategy - Step 3
Determine your channels...
- What sort of time and resources can
you dedicate?
- Align channels with your brand
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

25. Social Media Strategy - Step 3
Don’t believe me...
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

26. Social Media Strategy - Step 4
Listen and understand your audience...
- Before jumping into the conversation,
first listen!
- Consider a social media dashboard
- Setup keyword searches: brand names,
product names, executive names,
competitors, etc.
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

27. Social Media Strategy - Step 5
Measurement & Analytics
- If you’re not measuring yet, start now.
Establish a baseline.
- Engagement: consider weighting
engagement rates to determine a
“score”. Facebook example: Shares
(50%), Likes (10%), Comments (40%)
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

28. Social Media Strategy - Step 5
Sales Impact
- Clicks: link shortener tools, google
analytics, decorated links.
- Consider A/B Testing
- Correlate engagement rates to sales
- Report results, show your successes and
areas to improve.
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

29. Social Media Strategy - Step 6
Content is King! Actually NO it’s not!...
- Relevant content is KING!
- Edgerank
- Keep it FRESH & add value
- Photos of events
- Short videos of products and your
people. Personify your company
- The people behind a product is what
makes your brand
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

30. Social Media Strategy - Step 6
What time to post
- Posts published outside of normal business hours
have 20% higher engagement rates.
- Engagement rates on Thursday and Friday are
18% higher than any other day.
- Food & beverage brands: look to Tuesday,
Wednesday & Saturday as anchors for publishing.
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

31. Social Media Strategy - Step 6
Other Content Tips
- The 80/20 rule
- Photos receive 40% greater engagement
than text only posts.
- Short and sweet Facebook posts.
- Consider not using URL shorteners on
Facebook, drastically reduces engagement.
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

32. Social Media Strategy - Case Study
Facebook Offers
- Facebook Offers: newly relaunched,
integrated into mobile apps. (iOS,
Android, Windows Phone, etc)
- Facebook now integrated into iOS 6
and the latest update of OS X Mountain
Lion.
- Recent spike in the number of
companies hosting offers
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

33. Social Media Strategy - Case Study
Facebook Offers
- $5 off any purchase of $25 or more.
- Promoted exclusively on Facebook.
- Offer only available for 5 hours.
- Redemption period 6 days.
New today (9/20/12): $5 per offer, can
add unique bar codes or promo numbers
to offer for improved tracking
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

34. Social Media Strategy - Case Study
Facebook Offers
The Result:
- ~1,200 redemptions across 37 stores
- Significant increase in average basket
size (average total receipt $)
- Total post views: 708,815
- Total shares: 348
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

35. Other Uses for Social Media
- Information gathering; an inexpensive
way to capture consumer insights
- Drive product trial
- Event promotion
- New Product Launches
- Keep your brand top of mind
- Communicate with your customers at
their convenience
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

36. Tactics - Top 5
Tactics that work (for us anyway)!
1. Consistent and relevant content.
2. Allow 3 hours between Facebook
posts and 1 hour between Tweets.
3. Tread lightly with automation.
4. Be Honest, Be Humble, Be Helpful, Be
Human.
5. Add character to your post’s language.
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

37. Key Takeaways
- Integrate social media into all aspects of your
company
- Determine your goals and communicate them
- Report on your results to key stakeholders
- Set clear expectations & consistency with your
customers
- Is your content shareable?
- Don’t be afraid to try something new and test
- Have fun!
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial

38. Q &A
Let’s connect:
@RyanAmirault
Slideshare.net/RyanAmirault
linkedin.com/in/RyanAmirault
@RyanAmirault
@WholeFoods
#ExpoSocial