This document provides a social media strategy for Whole Foods. It includes an audit of current social media presence and competitors. Objectives are to increase website traffic and followers. Strategies include posting relevant content, using hashtags like #MakeMeWhole, and influencer partnerships. Metrics like website traffic, followers, and sentiment analysis will be tracked. Responsibilities are assigned and a response plan is outlined for issues. The strategy aims to strengthen relationships and drive customers to Whole Foods.

1. WHOLE FOODS
Social Media Strategy by Brynn Dalton
2/25/2018

2. COMPANY DESCRIPTION
u As detailed from our website:
u “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.”

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
u 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
u 2. SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT
u A. Social Media Assessment
u B. Website Traffic Sources Assessment
u C. Audience Demographics Assessment
u D. Competitor Assessment
u 3. SOCIAL MEDIA OBJECTIVES
u 4. ONLINE BRAND PERSONA AND VOICE
u 5. STRATEGIES AND TOOLS
u 6. TIMING AND KEY DATES
u 7. SOCIAL MEDIA ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
u 8. SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
u 9. CRITICAL RESPONSE PLAN
u 10. MEASUREMENTAND REPORTING RESULTS

4. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
u Our main priorities for 2019 surround growing and maintaining social media
presence, while adhering to trends that arise within our audience on various
social media channels. All the while, publishing relevant and fresh content.
u Focus on these priorities will thereby influence consumers and drive traffic
toward our websites, and eventually, our stores. This two-way communicative
process will create positive, strong relationships between Whole Foods and
our audiences.
u Our two main strategies:
u Post relevant, yet fresh, content that adhere to popular trends on social media
channels.
u Continue consistent engagement with customers to enable trust between business
and customer.

5. SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT
u This audit details Whole Food’s social media assessment of demographics,
web traffic and competitor analysis.
SOCIAL MEDIA ASSESSMENT
SOCIAL NETWORK URL FOLLOWER
COUNT
AVERAGE
WEEKLY
ACTIVITY
AVERAGE
ENGAGEMENT RATE (#
INTERACTIONS/REACH)
TWITTER twitter.com/WholeFoods 4.8M 25
posts/week
48%
FACEBOOK facebook.com/WholeFoods/ 4.2M 12
posts/week
25%
INSTAGRAM Instagram.com/wholefoods 2.5M 7
posts/week
30%
LINKEDIN linkedin.com/wholefoods 226K 1 post/week 5%
Assessment:
Most engagements are with Twitter and Instagram. Facebook is doing well, but
implementation of more tools & tactics can be used to further success. We should consider
closing the LinkedIn channel.

6. WEBSITE TRAFFIC SOURCES ASSESSMENT
SOURCE VOLUME PERCENTAGE OF
OVERALL TRAFFIC
CONVERSION
RATES
TWITTER 3000 unique visits 25% 4%
FACEBOOK 2500 unique visits 17% 8%
INSTAGRAM NO DATA NO DATA NO DATA
LINKEDIN 150 unique visits .3% .1%
Monthly average- May 2018-October 2018
Traffic Summary:
From May 2018-October 2018, Twitter proves to be the biggest driver of traffic from
the platform to our website. The conversion rate (conversion goal= signing up for
newsletter). Despite this, the conversion rate for Facebook are double Twitter’s at 8%.
data cannot be gathered for Instagram, but we can visualize interactions via our likes
and comments.

7. AUDIENCE DEMOGRAPHICS ASSESSMENT
AGE
DISTRIBUTION
GENDER
DISTRIBUTION
PRIMARY
SOCIAL
NETWORK
SECONDARY
SOCIAL
NETWORK
PRIMARY
NEED
SECONDARY
NEED
55% - 18-30
25% - 31-40
15% - 41-55
5% - 56-80
70% - Female
30% - Male
50% - Twitter
30% - Instagram
20% - Facebook
65% - Instagram
20%% - Facebook
15% - Twitter
Healthy and
organic
options for all
meals in order
to maintain a
healthy
lifestyle.
The experience
that Whole Foods
provides as a
grocery store.
Assessment:
Over half of the respondents are in the 18-30 age group. Twitter and Instagram are the
main channels used. The idea of organic and healthy food is the main drive for shopping
at Whole Foods. More efforts should be applied to Facebook to facilitate more engagement.

8. COMPETITOR ASSESSMENT
COMPETITOR NAME SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILE STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
PUBLIX Twitter.com/publix Strong marketing
campaign, “where
shopping is a pleasure.”
uses ethos to appeal to
customers; holds
consistent trust with
consumers
Not as active on Instagram;
loses opportunity on
engagement via Instagram
TEADER JOE’S Instagram.com/traderjoes Posts daily to Instagram;
Sells its own products and
is inexpensive
No official Facebook or
Twitter page; Online
presence is almost non-
existent
THE FRESH MARKET Facebook.com/thefreshmarket Hosts events at select
stores (ex. Citrus event);
maintains professionality
on social media channels;
very active on Instagram
Customer services falls short
despite presence on social
media; has low response rate
Assessment:
The graph details characteristics of competitors that sell similar products and have competing social media channels.
In doing so, the use of hashtags, consistency in personality/brand voice, and community engagement keep their
channels relevant. The best thing to do to grow our channels is by maintaining high response rates, growing online
presence, and remaining active on Instagram. #MakeMeWhole

9. SOCIAL MEDIA OBJECTIVES
u In 2019, the main focus of our social media strategy is to drive traffic from
our social media networks to our website in order to grow our conversion rate
and thereby increasing our consumer base. In doing so, we must engage with
our community by posting and sharing content that is relatable and provides
organic opportunity to cause reactions with the consumers.
Some specific objectives include
1. Increase unique visits to website by 20% in 6 months via:
a) Using more brand friendly hashtags on Twitter
b) Interact with customers so we show up in their mentions
2. Increase Instagram followers by 800k in 6 months
3. Increase engaging infographics and video on Instagram and Facebook by 30% in 6
months.

10. SOCIAL MEDIA OBJECTIVES
KPIs
1. Number of unique visitors from
Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to
the website
2. Number of Instagram follows
3. Number of daily infographic and
video posts to Facebook and
Instagram
Key Messages
1. “World’s Healthiest Grocery Store”
2. We Sell Highest Quality Natural and
Organic Products Available
3. We Satisfy, Delight and Nourish Our
Customers
4. “We’re the Place to Discover New
Flavors, New Favorites and New
Ideas…Whatever Those Might Be.”
5. #MakeMeWhole

11. ONLINE BRAND PERSONA AND VOICE
Adjectives that describe our brand:
u Diverse
u Unique
u Natural
u Accepting
When interacting with customers we
are:
u Friendly
u Professional
u Engaging

12. STRATEGIES AND TOOLS
PAID:
u Every Friday, boost most popular organic post in order to optimize engagement for the
rest of the weekend, as that is when grocery shopping usually occurs the most. The
post must have at an organic reach of at least 80,000 with a minimum of 750 likes and
80 comments.
OWNED:
u Introduce the use of #MakeMeWhole on Instagram and Twitter. Announce giveaways to
facilitate engagement with the use of the hashtag. Post user-generated content once
per week. Use #MakeMeWhole on the newsletter, social media biographies and on
flyers.
EARNED:
u Monitor Twitter and Facebook for keywords and terms: organic, grocery, healthy, vegan,
vegetarian, gluten-free. Send out buy one get one coupons to 100 of the most engaging
customers via Facebook.
u Every 3 months, pay an influencer to showcase our products on Instagram. This
emphasizes our interaction with social media networks. Repost on other channels.

13. TOOLS
APPROVED TOOLS REJECTED TOOLS EXISTING LICENSES
Hootsuite N/A Vimeo
Buffer Adobe Creative Cloud
Sprout Social Qualaroo
TweetDeck

14. TIMING AND KEY DATES
Holiday Dates
u New Years
u Earth Day
u Easter
u Valentine’s Day
u Labor Day Weekend
u Memorial Day Weekend
u Thanksgiving
u Christmas
Internal Events
u April 22nd: ”Whole Love for the Whole Earth”- come to your local Whole Foods
location where if you buy a reusable grocery bag, all proceeds go to GreenPeace.
u November 1st: Annual Thanksgiving food drive
Reporting Dates
u Reporting will occur once a quarter in February, May, August and November. Exact
dates TBA.

15. SOCIAL MEDIA ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Social Media Director- Brynn Dalton
u Final approval of all Marketing messages, campaigns and strategies
Social Media Manager- Greg Stephens
u In charge of day-to-day execution of activities
u Manages campaigns
Social Media Coordinator- Sarah Faulkner
u In charge of publishing content to specific media channels
u Monitors engagement via Google Analytics, Facebook insights, etc.
u Responds to questions from customers (customer service)
Supporting Social Media Team Members- Haleigh Waters (social ads support) and
Cody Lagana (customer support- social media)
u Work under social media manager
u Create social media plans, campaigns and strategies
u Help execute ideas

16. SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
Social media is an integral part of our everyday lives. Not only do we use it to share personal endeavors,
but also company messages and ideas. In doing so, the Whole Foods company expects only the highest
etiquette and regard online, as you are representative of our company as a whole. We outline the
following guidelines:
u Be respectful to all
u Use common sense
u Stay out of trouble (don’t instigate fights or post illegal mantras/propaganda)
u Be polite and courteous
u Be the solution, not the problem
u Be nice to strangers
u Act helpful to customers
u Do not bash the competition
u Ask before you tweet, we’re here to help.
Whole foods is serious about the appropriate use of social media by our employees. That being said,
Whole Foods’ social policy may result in corrective action, up to, and including, termination. You may
also be subject to legal action, including criminal prosecution. The company also reserves the right to
take any further action it believes is appropriate. Should you have any questions or concerns please
speak to your Manager or anyone on the HR team

17. CRITICAL RESPONSE PLAN
SCENARIO 1- INAPPROPRIATE TWEET POSTED BY
@WHOLEFOODS IN RESPONSE TO CUSTOMER SERVICE
COMPLAINT
ACTION PLAN
1. Once Tweet is detected:
u Take a screenshot
u Delete the Tweet
u Alert Brynn Dalton (Social Media Director). If Brynn is unable to help, alert Greg Stephens
(Social Media Manager).
2. Brynn and Greg will get in contact to discuss possible impact and reach and will evaluate
further action.
3. Greg to develop appropriate follow up Tweet, Brynn to approve.
4. If media has picked up the Tweet, Brynn to manage all direct contact. If Brynn is unavailable,
Craig (owner) will man all contact.
5. Brynn and Greg to sync with employee responsible for publishing the tweet to see if
disciplinary action is required.
PRE-APPROVED MESSAGING
**NO PRE-APPROVED MESSAGING IN THIS SCENARIO**
Messaging will be dependent on the nature of the tweet- to be developed by Brynn and Greg.

18. SCENARIO 2- POWER OUTAGE AT ALL
LOCATIONS IN ALACHUA COUNTY, FL
ACTION PLAN
1. Crew on site to alert Craig (owner). Craig to alert Brynn Dalton (Social Media Director).
2. Brynn to sync with Craig and Greg (Social Media Manager) and evaluate the number of social
media mentions, hashtags or direct messages about the situation.
3. If media has picked up the incident, Brynn to manage all direct contact. If Brynn is unavailable,
Craig will manage all contact.
4. Greg will push messages on the social network where the news broke first. He will continue
monitoring the spread of the situation to other channels.
5. Brynn and Craig will evaluate the need for a longer statement, and will write one if necessary.
6. Brynn, Greg and Sarah Faulkner (Social Media Coordinator) to continue monitoring the situation
and bring in Haleigh and Cody (Supporting Social Media Team Members) if more help is
necessary.
PRE-APPROVED MESSAGING:
Twitter: ”We sincerely apologize for the power outage that occurred at the stores in Alachua
County. The power is back on and the store is open running. Enjoy the rest of your day!
#MakeYourDayWhole”
Facebook: “A power outage occurred at a few of our stores today in Alachua County, Florida.
But, don’t you worry- our stores are up and running as of 1pm today. Our produce is as fresh as it
ever will be so come #MakeYourDayWhole.”

19. CRITICAL RESPONSE PLAN
CONTACT INFORMATION
Name Telephone # Email
Owner Craig Pollack (456) 334-7761 cpollack@wholefoods.org
Social Media Director Brynn Dalton (456) 887-2378 bdalton@wholefoods.org
Social Media Manager Greg Stephens (456) 345-0987 gstephens@wholefoods.org
Social Media Cooridnator Sarah Faulkner (456) 174-3965 sfaulkner@wholefoods.org
Supporting Social Media
Team Member
Haleigh Waters &
Cody Lagana
(456) 294-5478
(456) 345-0090
hwaters@wholefoods.org
clagana@wholefoods.org

20. MEASUREMENT AND REPORTING
QUANTITATIVE KPIS
Reporting Period: 3 months
Data as of January 1, 2018
WEBSITE TRAFFIC SOURCES ASSESSMENT
Timeframe: Monthly average, November 2017 to January 2017
SOURCE VOLUME % OF OVERALL
TRAFFIC
CONVERSION
RATE
TWITTER 125,000 unique
visits + 50%
60% 4.5%
FACEBOOK 80,000 unique
visits + 15%
30% 8.2%
INSTAGRAM 100,000 unique
visits + 10%
25% 2%

21. CONT’D…
SOCIAL NETWORK DATA
Timeframe: as of January 1st 2018
SOCIAL
NETWORK
URL FOLLOWER
COUNT
AVERAGE
WEEKLY
ACTIVITY
ENGAGEMEN
T RATE
TWITTER twitter.com/
wholefoods
5.5M + 15%
growth
28 + 10%
increase
45%
FACEBOOK Facebook.co
m/wholefood
s
4.6M + 10%
growth
15 + 15%
increase
55%
INSTAGRAM Instagram.co
m/wholefood
s
3M + 20%
growth
10 + 5%
increase
35%

22. CONT’D…
MEASUREMENT AND REPORTING RESULTS
u Our Instagram following has grown by 500,000 in 3 months, on track to hit the
target of 300,000 more by the next 3 months.
u The social meda team has done an amazing job at creating and sharing fresh
new content to feed the growth of our social media channels. We have
surpassed our goal of increasing visual content by 10% in 6 months on Facebook
and 20% on Instagram and achieved a 20% increase on both channels. We
attribute a lot of the success to using the #MakeMeWhole throughout various
channels and curating content with the help of social media influencers.
u We have decided not to continue facilitating effort on our LinkedIn
platform, as we believe it is a waste of research, and most of our audience
does not use that channel for information.

23. #MAKEMEWHOLE HASHTAG
PERFORMANCE
u Between November 2018 and January 1st 2019, the hashtag was mentioned
40,000 times on Twitter and 25,000 times on Instagram.
u 20 Instagram posts published with the hashtag yielded higher than average
numbers of comment interactions, typically involving users tagging their
friends in the comments.

24. QUALITATIVE KPIS
SENTIMENT ANALYSIS
An analysis of the interactions of 100 Facebook posts, 100 Instagram Posts and
100 Tweets revealed the following:
u The number of sentiments increased after customers visited our stores. This means
reviews, tagging us in pictures of their food creations, Tweets about experiences at
the store, and recommendations to friends.
u Negative sentiment is related to prices of commodities. Customers reflect on the
review section about finding cheaper prices at places like Trader Joe’s, Publix and
Fresh Market- our main competitors.

25. PROPOSED ACTION ITEMS
u Continue use of #MakeMeWhole campaign/hashtag use
u Consider partnering with a local gym or health group to create sweepstakes to
winning a free gym membership if you sign up for the Whole Foods newsletter
and awards program.