I follow many different companies, brands, and businesses through various social media channels, not only because I’m a social media nut but also because I’m interested to see how they use this constantly growing space. (Ouch, my brain!) I don’t think it’s more apparent how valuable said space is for these companies, brands, and businesses than this past holiday season.
Promotions!
Sales!
Customer Service!
…oh my…
Of course, these are all common occurrences during the year and not just around holidays, but this particular holiday season seemed to have been inundated with Tweets and Facebook wall posts alike. In fact, I noticed some brands that have franchises have separate social media profiles for each franchise. I feel like if done incorrectly or in a sloppy manner, this can sometimes get a tad confusing to consumers, don’t you think? Especially if the brand in mention is a big, well-known brand with many, many, many “franchises.” Here’s a great example (both positive and negative) that I just stumbled on over the weekend (by the way, I Tweeted at Whole Foods and they were very helpful and responsive):
Whole Foods Corporate Voice
If a large brand or company such as Whole Foods (I love Whole Foods!) is going to have Twitter and Facebook profiles for each of their franchises, I actually think this is a great example of how to present that to the consumer. The company website explains there’s 1) a global account (i.e., “voice”), 2) topical voices, and 3) local voices (broken down by City/Metro areas). I appreciate they let their customers know there’s a centralized location where they can go and get the “local” information they need, rather than spend wasted time on Twitter and Google searches.
Whole Foods Corporate Twitter
Whole Foods Corporate Site
Whole Foods Local Voice
I chose the Twitter profile for one of our local stores here in Central Florida. I think as long as all the content is relevant and providing value to the consumer, ancillary profiles like the one below is fine. Quite pertinent, actually, with info on the store’s special, events, etc. My one BIG issue in this particular example (and it’s a big one for me personally because I’m huge on brand consitency) is the “local” Twitter profile loses all corporate branding – they’re currently using a generic, templated Twitter background. Wah!!!!
What’s your take? Do you share my opinions, or have a different take on things? Should there only be one profile on each social media channel? Or do you think local franchises can relate to their local customers better with a separate voice?
What are your thoughts?
