The document is a social media strategy plan for Starbucks created by Tara Thomson. It includes an executive summary, social media audit of platforms like Facebook and Twitter, objectives to increase engagement and followers, brand persona, paid and owned strategies using hashtags, a critical response plan, and metrics for measuring success. The plan aims to build positive brand perception and loyalty through quality content on key channels.

1. Project 1:
Social Media
Strategy,
Starbucks
Coffee
Tara Thomson
2/21/16
1

2. Table of Contents
 Executive Summary: Slide 3
 Social Media Audit
 a. Social Media Assessment: Slide 4
 b. Traffic Sources Assessment: Slide 5
 c. Customer Demographics Assessment: Slide 6
 d. Competitor Assessment: Slide 7
 Social Media Objectives: Slides 8-9
 Online Brand Persona and Voice: Slide 10
 Strategies and Tools: Slides 11-12
 Timing and Key Dates: Slide 13
 Social Media Roles and Responsibilities: Slide 14
 Social Media Policy: Slide 15
 Critical Response Plan: Slides 16-17
 Measurement and Reporting Results: Slides 18-21
2

3. Executive Summary
 For 2016, Starbucks will focus its social media efforts
primarily toward building positive brand perception and
creating/keeping loyal consumers of the brand
 In order to keep perception (and sales) high, the brand
will concentrate on creating and sharing quality content
to its four main channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
and LinkedIn
 These strategies will help us achieve our
objectives:
 Post quality content that also compels the audience
to follow us on our social media channels
 Provide strong, efficient customer service online
 Circulate and monitor positive commentary about the
brand online
3

4. Audit:
Social Media Assessment
4
Social
Network
URL Follower
Count
Average
Weekly
Activity
Average
Engagement
Rate
Twitter https://twitter.co
m/Starbucks
11.6 MM 6 posts 4.5%
Facebook https://www.face
book.com/Starb
ucks/
36 MM 2 posts 6%
Instagram https://www.inst
agram.com/star
bucks/
7.7 MM 6 posts 4%
LinkedIn https://www.link
edin.com/compa
ny/starbucks
661,670 2 posts 2%
Assessment:
At this time, the
highest amount of
engagement
seems to occur on
Facebook,
with Twitter
and Instagram
lagging behind.
Despite a strong
company
presence on
LinkedIn,
engagement here
is much lower.

5. Audit: Website Traffic Sources
Assessment
5
Source Volume Percentage
of Overall
Traffic
Conversion
Rate
Twitter 2500
unique visits
12.2% 1.3%
Facebook 4000
unique visits
41.74% 3.2%
Instagram No data
available
No data
available
No data
available
LinkedIn 900
unique visits
No data
available
0.7%
Assessment:
Once again,
Facebook leads
the pack in social
media channels
that excel in
bringing consumers
to the business
itself. In this case,
Facebook drives the
most traffic to the
Starbucks company
website.

6. Audit: Audience
Demographics Assessment
6
Age
Distribution
Gender
Distribution
Primary
Social
Network
Secondary
Social
Network
Primary
Need
Secondary
Need
2%: 13-17
40%: 18-
24
49%: 25-
40
3%: 41-55
2%: 55+
68%
female
32%
male
69%
female
31%
male
58%
Facebook
26%
Twitter
12%
Instagram
35%
Twitter
25%
Instagram
20%
Facebook
A craft,
quality
caffeinated
beverage
that the
consumer
cannot
receive
anywhere
else
A “third
place,” in
the sense
of a
community
space
where the
consumer
can spend
time
Assessment:
The majority of
Starbucks’s target
demographic
comes in the
form of adults
between the ages
of 25 and 40.
Women make up
the majority of the
target audience,
and Facebook
once again
emerges as the
primary social
network.

7. Audit: Competitor
Assessment
7
Competitor
Name
Social Media
Profile
Strengths Weaknesses
Dunkin’
Donuts
Twitter:
Dunkin’
Donuts
Bright colors and lots of
visual content, especially
of the products. The
brand posts frequently
and replies to users
quickly and thoroughly.
Surprisingly low
engagement from
followers in comparison
to brands such as
Starbucks. The brand
posts perhaps too often.
Seattle’s
Best
FB: Seattle’s
Best Coffee
Seattle’s Best knows
how to get back to its
audience in a timely
manner. Those fans who
do engage with the page
provide quality and
positive commentary.
Posts are infrequent and
not always compelling.
Some images look
unprofessional or do not
capture the main selling
points of the business.
Peet’s
Instagram:
peetscoffee
Beautiful visuals, rich
media content. Content
is also timely and
relevant (as with
holidays). Also uses the
Instagram page to notify
audience of promotions.
Could do with slightly
more frequent posts and
faster replies to its
audience.
Assessment:
Here, we have
three major
competitors to the
Starbucks brand, all
with
social media
presences on
various channels.
Rich, visual media
proves a strong
engagement tool in
the coffee category,
while infrequent
posting and slow
replies do not.

8. Social Media Objectives
 In 2016, Starbucks’s social media strategy will
be to keep revenue goals and brand perception
high by creating and keeping brand loyalists via
quality posted content on social media channels.
 Specific objectives:
 1. Increase engagement in target markets on
Facebook by 10% over the next 6 months
 2. Increase LinkedIn followers to 1,000,000
over the next 6 months
 3. Increase expressed customer satisfaction
on Twitter (including mentions) by 15% over
the next 6 months
8
Primary target market:
Adults aged 25-40
Secondary target market:
Young adults aged 18-24

9. Objectives:
KPIs and Key Messages
 Key Performance Indicators:
 1. Number of likes/comments from users on
Facebook posts
 2. Number of followers on LinkedIn
 3. Number of positive mentions/replies from users on
Twitter
 Key Messages:
 Warmth in a place and in a cup
 Your craft, quality coffee at any time of the day
9

10. Online Brand Persona
and Voice
 Adjectives that describe our brand:
 Trendy
 Warm
 Community
 Craft
 Quality
 Addictive
 When we interact with our customers, we are:
 Genuine
 Proactive
 Sympathetic
 Expedient
10

11. Strategies and Tools
 Paid:
 On Mondays and Thursdays of each week, boost popular
brand-related posts on both Facebook and LinkedIn. On
Facebook, the post must have a reach of 100 and a
minimum of 10 likes, 5 comments. On LinkedIn, the post
should have a reach of 50 and a minimum of 5 likes, 5
comments.
 When creating LinkedIn posts, focus specifically on
reasons to follow the brand; employee advocates would be
best for this purpose.
 Owned:
 On Twitter, introduce the #BeAStar hashtag, asking
consumers to tell the company about positive experiences
they have had with Starbucks’s service in exchange for
possible giveaways.
 Earned:
 Watch Twitter for #BeAStar hashtag use, as well as positive
mentions or replies about the brand from users. Retweet
superior ones and extend giveaways to those brand
advocates.
11

12.  Approved Tools:
 Buffer
 TweetDeck
 Rejected Tools:
 uberVU
 Existing Subscriptions/Licenses:
 Photoshop
 InDesign
 Illustrator
 Canva
12
Strategies and Tools

13. Timing and Key Dates
 Holiday Dates (over next six months):
 St. Patrick’s Day
 Easter
 Mother’s Day
 Father’s Day
 Fourth of July
 Internal Events:
 March 11-12: Company-wide coffee bean
event
 Reporting Dates:
 Reporting will occur once a quarter in April
and July (after initial six months, also in
October and January)
13

14. Social Media Roles and
Responsibilities
 Marketing Director – Sharon Rothstein
 Social Media Manager – Stephanie Marx
 Social Media Coordinator – Kelli Broili
 Supporting Social Media Team Members
 POLICY:
 Social Advertising Support –
Bradford Baker
 Customer Service Support –
Reid Prichard
14
Stephanie Marx,
Manager of Global Social Media
Kelli Broili,
Social Media Coordinator

15. Social Media Policy
15
 Maintain the Starbucks brand image
 (Be on brand)
 Be respectful to others
 Listen to customer concerns and respond with
sympathy
 Avoid inflammatory posts or responses
 Be kind online
 Be proactive and ask the right questions
 Confer with other Starbucks social media
representatives if you’re unsure what is okay to post
Failure to adhere with
this social media policy
could result in
corrective action or
termination.

16. Critical Response Plan
 Scenario 1 – Controversial or offensive Facebook
post posted by Starbucks account
 Action Plan
 1. When Starbucks social media employee notices post, he or she
should save its image to a computer, delete the post and get in
touch with Social Media Manager Stephanie Marx
 If unable to reach Stephanie, contact Social Media Coordinator
Kelli Broili
 2. Together, Stephanie and Kelli will evaluate the reach of the post
and decide whether to take further action
 3. If further action agreed upon, Stephanie will draft a new
referential Facebook post, which Kelli and Marketing Director
Sharon Rothstein will both approve
 During this time, Sharon will evaluate and clear up any damage
this post may have caused, including speaking with any media
members
 4. Stephanie and Kelli will carefully monitor the responses to the
new Facebook post while addressing the original poster’s
consequences
 Pre-approved messaging:
 Because this scenario is dependent on the decisions of the social
media management, no messages will be set ahead of time
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17. 17
Critical Response Plan
 Scenario 2 – Incident at Starbucks location, no
one hurt (i.e. explosion of espresso machine)
 Action Plan
 1. Employees at location to alert both Social Media Manager Stephanie
Marx and Marketing Director Sharon Rothstein; they should report all
details, including any injuries or issues that might have arisen
 2. Stephanie, Sharon and Social Media Coordinator Kelli will work
together to find out how far this story has spread; any media contact
will be handled by Sharon
 3. Stephanie will use pre-approved messages to speak to any
concerned audiences over social media channels
 4. Stephanie and Kelli will begin drafting a follow-up message, in the
event that any further explanation may be required of the company in
the near future
 5. The team (including support employees Bradford Baker and Reid
Prichard) and will continue to watch the interactions online and respond
accordingly
 Pre-approved messaging:
 Facebook: “No one was harmed as a result of the incident at our
Starbucks location this afternoon. We appreciate your concern and
want to let you know that this location will re-open shortly.”
 Twitter: “No one hurt after this afternoon’s incident. Thank you for
concern. Location will re-open shortly.”

18. Measurement and Reporting Results:
Quantitative KPIs
18
Website Traffic Sources, April 2016
Source Volume Percentage
of Traffic
Conversion
Rate
Twitter 2700 unique
visits
+ 8% growth
18.2% 1.3%
Facebook 4300 unique
visits
+ 7% growth
47.75% 3.2%
LinkedIn 1000 unique
visits
+ 10% growth
2.1% 0.7%

19. Measurement and Reporting Results:
Quantitative KPIs
19
Social Network Data, April 2016
Social
Network
URL Follower
Count
Average
Weekly
Activity
Average
Engagement
Rate
Twitter https://twitter.co
m/Starbucks
13.2 MM +
12%
growth
6 posts
+150%
increase
6%
Facebook https://www.face
book.com/Starb
ucks/
40 MM
+10%
growth
4 posts
+200%
increase
12.1%
Instagram https://www.inst
agram.com/star
bucks/
8.1 MM
+5%
growth
6 posts no
change
4.7%
LinkedIn https://www.link
edin.com/compa
ny/starbucks
880,000
+15%
growth
6 posts
+20%
increase
3.2%

20.  In creating quality content and providing frequent posts
across our social media channels, we have seen
increases in both followers and activity on Instagram and
Twitter, as well as on our other platforms:
 Facebook: We are well on our way toward our goal of
increasing engagement by 10% among the target
market, having already doubled our average
engagement rate
 LinkedIn: By increasing our “follow us”-centric posts
on this platform, we have set the page on course to
achieve the desired 1,000,000 followers by the end of
the six months
 The #BeAStar hashtag on Twitter has also garnered
results, with mentions more than 4000 times since
February 2016; at several times, the hashtag trended on
the platform’s homepage
20
Measurement and Reporting Results:
Quantitative KPIs

21. Measurement and Reporting
Results: Qualitative KPIs
 Analysis of expressed customer satisfaction
 An analysis by the Starbucks social media team of
more than 300 tweets revealed a strong positive
brand perception by loyal Starbucks customers
 Many would recommend the brand to a friend (or
indeed advocated for the brand via the tweet itself)
 The trending hashtag #BeAStar supports this idea
with the sheer popularity it has shown throughout the
first half of this campaign
21

22. Measurement and Reporting
Results: Proposed Action
Items
 Continue to post quality, rich media content
frequently on each of the social channels
 Continue to monitor (and build) positive
brand perception through interaction on
each of the social channels
 This includes the continued circulation of
the #BeAStar hashtag on Twitter and—to
an extent—on Instagram
 Continue to focus heavily on the following
aspect of interaction in the Starbucks ads on
LinkedIn
22

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