1. Social Media Strategy:
Joanna Papastavros
10.08.17
Whole Foods

2. Table of Contents
Executive Summary
-Company Description
-Target Market
Social Media Audit
Social Media Objectives
-Key Messages
Online Brand Persona & Voice
Strategies & Tools
Timing & Key Dates
Social Media Roles & Responsibilities
Social Media Policy
Critical Response Plan
Measurement & Reporting Results

3. Executive Summary
Our priority for 2017 will be focused on
building the foundation of a strong and
welcoming online community associated
with our company. By increasing the
frequency of engaging content on our
social media accounts we will vastly
improve our online presence and brand
awareness, therefore increasing the traffic
to Whole Foods stores and turning
potential customers into lifelong
customers.
Main Strategies:
-Frequent posts with relevant and
engaging content
-Frequent engagement with followers
across all social media platforms

4. Company Description
“Who are we? Well, we seek out the finest natural and organic foods
available, maintain the strictest quality standards in the industry, and
have an unshakeable commitment to sustainable agriculture. Add to that
the excitement and fun we bring to shopping for groceries, and you start
to get a sense of what we’re all about. Oh yeah, we’re a mission-driven
company too.”
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company-info

5. Target Market
-Adults aged 18-40
-Upper middle class
-Interested in sustainability
-Health-conscious
-Value quality over quantity
-View shopping at Whole Foods as
an “experience”

6. Social Media Audit
Social
Network
URL
Follower
Count
Avg. Weekly
Activity
Avg.
Engagement
Rate
Twitter
https://twitter.com/Whole
Foods
4.86 million 18 posts per week .0004%
Instagram
https://www.instagram.co
m/wholefoods
2.4 million 7 posts per week .0003%
Facebook
https://www.facebook.co
m/WholeFoods
4.1 million 12 posts per week .0003%

7. Social Media Audit (cont.)
Website Traffic Sources Assessment
Timeframe: Monthly average, August-September 2017
Source Volume
Percent of Overall
Traffic
Conversion Rate
Twitter 25,000 unique visits 15% 2.5%
Facebook 45,000 unique visits 30% 5%
Instagram 30,000 unique visits 20% 3%

8. Social Media Audit (cont.)
Audience Demographic
Age Distribution Gender
Distribution
Primary Social
Network
Secondary
Social Network
Primary Need Secondary
Need
10% 18-23
15% 24-29
50% 30-35
25% 36-40
51% Female
49% Male
51% Female
49% Male
35% Facebook
25% Instagram
40% Twitter
45% Facebook
20% Instagram
25% Twitter
Buying food that
is organic from a
company that
supports
sustainability.
Being apart of
the “experience”
and “prestige” of
shopping at a
Whole Foods
store.

9. Competitor Social Media Profile Strengths Weaknesses
Costco
FB: Costco
Instagram: @Costco
Twitter: @Costco
YouTube: CostcoTV
-Frequent updates to Youtube -Does not have a large
following on social media
platforms
-Inactive on Twitter
-Could be more active on
Instagram
-Little to no engagement
across all platforms
Sprouts
FB: Sprouts Farmers
Market
Instagram: @Sprouts
Twitter: @Sproutsfm
Youtube: Sprouts Farmers
Market
-Frequently posts on
Facebook, Instagram, and
Twitter
-Also uses Twitter to post
about special store
promotions
-Could be more active on
Youtube
-Needs to build up a bigger
Instagram following
-Try and create opportunities
to engage more with
consumers on social media
Trader Joe’s
Instagram: @traderjoes -Daily Instagram posts -No official FB or Twitter
account
-Lack engagement with
followers on Instagram
-Weak online presence overall

10. Social Media Objectives
In 2017, the primary focus of our social media strategy will be to build stronger
relationships with followers and increase brand awareness in order to bring more
traffic to the stores through our engagement on our social media accounts. In
order to achieve these goals we need to:
-Post more frequently to increase engagement rate
-Increase the number of interactions we have with followers

11. Social Media Objectives (cont.)
1. Increase traffic to company website from social media accounts by 40% in 6 months
a. Increase brand awareness through increased mentions on Twitter, Instagram,
Facebook
b. Increase use of hashtags related to the company on Twitter, Instagram,
Facebook
2. Increase Instagram followers by 35,000 in 6 months
3. Increase the amount of original, engaging content posted on Facebook and Instagram
channels by 30% in 6 months

12. Social Media Objectives (cont.)
Key Performance Indicators
1. Number of visitors directed to the Whole Foods website from
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
2. Number of Instagram followers gained
3. Number of daily posts with original content uploaded to Facebook and
Instagram accounts
4. Analysis of feedback received from followers on social media posts

13. Key Messages
- “We make grocery shopping an experience”
- “Foods that are good for you; sustainable methods
that are good for the planet”
- “Your health is our top priority”

14. Online Brand Persona & Voice
Adjectives that describe our
company:
When interacting with customers we
are:
-High-quality
-Organic
-Natural
-Socially-conscious
-Eco-friendly
-Healthy
-Accommodating
-Trendy
-Engaging
-Polite
-Professional
-Responsive
-Timely
-Supportive

15. Each of the company’s Instagram post ends with a question, which gives
followers a voice and increases engagement.

16. This Facebook post promoting a
charitable organization shows
that the company is socially
conscious and wants to use its
platform to spread awareness
for good causes.

17. This is an example of a dissatisfied customer on Facebook. If a customer
leaves a negative comment, their feedback is always appreciated and
they are responded to in a professional and timely manner. It shows that
Whole Foods highly values customer satisfaction.

18. Strategies and Tools
Paid: Carousel ads on Facebook: Will allow them to promote several different items within the
same advertisement.
Social shopping posts on Instagram: The linked products in the photo will direct people right to the
company website where they can purchase the exact items or find a store that carries that item.
Owned: Introduce the hashtag #FreshFridays on Instagram.
Encourage followers to take a photo of an original recipe they made using ingredients purchased
at Whole Foods.
Track the hashtag and regram/reply to posts using the hashtag in order to increase engagement,
spread brand awareness, and increase follower count on the platform.

19. Strategies and Tools (cont.)
Earned: Monitor Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for any hashtags, mentions, or keywords
associated with the company.
Partner with 10 popular social media influencers/content creators whose follower demographics
fit within the company’s target market.
Team up to create original content, like recipe videos, which can be posted weekly on Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter.
Ensure that relevant hashtags and the company account is tagged in any additional posts created
by the influencers.

20. Tools
-Hootsuite
-uberVU
-Twitter Analytics
-Facebook Insights
-Instagram Insights

21. Paid: Example of a carousel
advertisement on Facebook.

22. Paid: Example of social
shopping posts on Instagram.

23. Owned: Example of a weekly
hashtag currently being used on
the Instagram account.

24. Earned: Examples of cooking videos
posted on the Facebook page. By using
well-known influencers in future cooking
videos, the company will be able to expand
their reach.

25. Timing & Key Dates
Holiday Dates Internal Events Reporting Dates
Earth Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Hanukkah
New Year’s Eve
April 22: Earth Day event; 10% of
proceeds on groceries
purchased will be donated to the
Wildlife Conservation Network.
November 1-24: Thanksgiving
can drive for the month of
November; Whole Foods gift card
will be awarded to those who
donate 20 cans or more.
Reporting will occur on a
quarterly basis:
Quarter 1 (Q1): January 1 - March 31
Quarter 2 (Q2): April 1 - June 30
Quarter 3 (Q3): July 1 - September 30
Quarter 4 (Q4): October 1 - December
31

26. Social Media Roles & Responsibilities
- Marketing Director: Marci Frumkin
Leads a fully integrated marketing program and manages and develops the regional marketing teams.
-Social Media Manager: Lisa Grimm
Leads integrated brand content and social media teams responsible for the development of the
company.
-Social Media Coordinator: Natanya Anderson
Leads customer service initiatives to help evolve engagement and communication with customers.

27. Social Media Policy
Do’s Don’ts
-Be respectful at all times
-Remember that “The customer is
always right”
-Engage with customers as much as
possible
-Always respond to
comments/concerns in a timely manner
-Post engaging content consistently
-Promote important store events
-Respond to negativity with more
negativity
-Post anything that will reflect poorly on
the company
-Use offensive or inappropriate
language
-Speak negatively about competitors

28. Critical Response Plan
Scenario 1: Inappropriate tweet was sent out from @WholeFoods Twitter
account using offensive language.
1. Locate the tweet
2. Take a screenshot
3. Delete the tweet off of the account
4. Contact the social media manager (Lisa Grimm)
5. Have Lisa analyze the reach and impact of tweet and create apology tweet on behalf of
the company
6. Person responsible for the original tweet will be identified and further action will be taken

29. Critical Response Plan
Scenario 2: Negative comment posted on Whole Foods Facebook page in
response to a dissatisfied customer.
1. Locate the comment
2. Take a screenshot
3. Have the comment deleted from the Facebook page
4. Contact social media coordinator in charge of handling customer service (Natanya Anderson)
5. Have Natanya analyze reach and impact of the comment and write an apology on behalf of the
company
6. Person responsible for the comment will be identified and further action will be taken to address the

30. Critical Response Plan (cont.)
Pre-approved messaging:
Twitter: “Earlier today, a tweet was sent out from our account that reflected poor judgement on
our part. It has since been deleted, and we sincerely apologize to those who were offended.”
Facebook: “Our company strives to ensure that customers are always satisfied, but when they
are not, we want to always allow them to share their feedback and voice their opinion so we
could improve our company. We sincerely apologize for the original response that was left on
your comment, and action is currently being taken to address this issue. Please let us know if
there is anything we can do to help, and again, we thank you for your feedback and apologize
for the way this situation was handled.”

31. Measurement & Reporting Results
Quantitative KPIs
Reporting Period: 3 months
Date as of January 1, 2018
Source Volume
Percent of
Overall
Traffic
Conversion
Rate
Twitter 65,000
+160%
growth
30% 2.5%
Facebook 100,000
+122%
growth
50% 5%
Instagram 150,000
+400%
growth
35% 3%
Website Traffic Sources Assessment

32. Measurement & Reporting Results (cont.)
Social Network Data (Timeframe: As of January 1, 2018)
Social Network URL Follower Count
Avg. Weekly
Activity
Engagement Rate
Twitter https://twitter.co
m/WholeFoods
4.9 million
+.82% growth
21 posts per week .0004%
Facebook https://www.face
book.com/WholeF
oods
4.2 million
+2.4% growth
25 posts per week .0006%
Instagram https://www.insta
gram.com/wholef
oods
2.45 million
+2.1% growth
12 posts per week .0005%

33. Measurement & Reporting (cont.)
#FreshFridays Hashtag Performance
-Between October 1, 2017 and December 1, 2017, the hashtag was mentioned 150,000 times
on Instagram.
-15,000 of these posts had extremely high engagement from the followers of the individuals
who posted. Many expressed interest in trying the recipe and visiting a Whole Foods to
purchase the necessary ingredients.

34. Measurement & Reporting (cont.)
Qualitative KPIs
Sentiment Analysis
-An analysis of 1,000 posts on each of our social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
revealed that:
● Followers seem to be a lot more active on the company’s pages, and often tag Whole
Foods or use related hashtags in any of their relevant posts or comments
● There are still some negative comments regarding quality of produce or customer
service, but they are always addressed in a respectful and professional manner

35. Measurement & Reporting (cont.)
Proposed Action Items
-Continue #FreshFridays Instagram campaign
-Consider offering incentives to followers who post using the hashtag in order to get more
people interested in participating and spreading brand awareness
-Continue posting original and engaging content, like the partnered cooking videos and
increase the frequency if they elicit positive reactions from viewers