Social Media Analysis

Analysis of GreenTree Cooperative Grocery's social media presence with suggestions to magnify and improve it.

Facebook: GreenTree needs to draw people to their page through being more interactive, creative and tech-savvy as well as giving visitors an incentive. They regularly post videos that relate to their products, with a caption that reads “today we’re talking about,” with topics like sweet potatoes, apples and more. This is a creative idea, that promotes products they carry, but lacks an appeal through a repetitive, dull caption. They could interest more people through adding a simple question prior to the typical “today we’re talking about” description. Making these questions interactive will increase the success of the video series even more by encouraging conversation and viewership. For example, “What is your favorite recipe that includes apples? Today, we feature our favorites.” By letting visitors and viewers participate, the page becomes a two-way communication tool. However, a requirement to interactivity is showing viewers that they are heard. If GreenTree took this recommendation, they would have to find ways to incorporate visitors’ suggestions into future videos. A way to do this would be making a follow-up video that may feature the most unique or most-liked recipe commented on the original post. In addition to this suggestion, GreenTree would benefit from posting statuses asking visitors what product they would like to see featured on upcoming videos. Whichever product is mentioned most can be covered in a weekly edition that mirrors the regular, GreenTree-chosen product videos.

Twitter and Instagram: This same idea can translate over to Twitter and Instagram. GreenTree maintains an active presence on all sites, but lacks in the interactivity. By asking followers/visitors what they would like to see, they will feel appreciated, listened to and represented within the company, which can yield substantial rewards by further setting them apart from other grocery store corporations. Another way to increase their social media presence is to ask followers/visitors to share their content. Using the Facebook video series example, rather than just saying “What is your favorite recipe that includes apples? Today, we feature our favorites,” the caption could read “What is your favorite recipe that includes apples? Today, we feature our favorites. Share and see what your friends and family say their favorite recipes are!” This will spread their content to a wider audience and solidify their interactivity, inclusivity and customer appreciation. On Twitter this would take the form of retweets and on Instagram, users could tag their friends and family in the post. If this was implemented, GreenTree would then need to figure out ways to reward their active followers and give them incentives to retweeting, tagging and liking/sharing their content. This could take the form of giveaways. These are popular on all social media sites, where businesses will set up guidelines that, if followed, will enter users to win various prizes. For GreenTree, this could be a gift card, prize basket or the grand prize of ownership (which is a $10 monthly fee that gives “owners” deals not offered to regular customers).

GreenTree needs to ensure their Twitter and Instagram sites do not replicate their Facebook and instead provide something unique and different. This will give customers and potential followers a reason to follow each one of their sites, as opposed to just Facebook, where all content can be found. Currently, their Instagram feed includes all the pictures they upload on Facebook and nothing else. Their Twitter is an exact replica of their Facebook, minus a few occasional videos and statuses shared on Facebook and excluded from Twitter. This gives no incentive for customers to follow their Twitter or Instagram, when all their uploaded material can be found solely on Facebook.

Instagram: Appealing to foodies will make GreenTree’s Instagram more engaging and fortuitous. This can be achieved by uploading mock Buzzfeed videos and aesthetic pictures of meals with attached recipes. Buzzfeed uploads short, simple videos of recipes that typically do not include dialogue and just picture each ingredient being added to a dish and then cooked. Despite its simplicity, this concept gained worldwide popularity. For a grocery store that also frequently uploads recipes, imitating something similar will prove advantageous. Similarly, uploading pictures of food that looks delicious, colorful and photogenic will entice followers. Using ingredients that can be found at GreenTree will then increase its customer base and business.

All Platforms: For all social media vehicles, GreenTree needs to use more hashtags. Twitter is the only site that GreenTree utilizes hashtags on, but they serve a purpose on both Facebook and Instagram as well. Using hashtags helps social media users find the content they are searching for and they are becoming increasingly popular on both Facebook and Instagram. Due to this, GreenTree must incorporate relevant hashtags into all of their posts on each social media site they maintain.

Maintenance: To maintain these sites, GreenTree must post on each platform daily. Although Facebook is the most popular, all three sites need to be updated and added to frequently otherwise Twitter and Instagram will never grow. Like previously mentioned, Twitter and Instagram must be their own sites separate from Facebook as opposed to mirroring it. Someone must monitor the comments on any post that asks feedback from visitors/followers, so they know their input is heard. Any giveaways GreenTree incorporates must be consistent in entering people only if they follow all the requirements. Then, GreenTree needs to award winners their prizes promptly and professionally.

Overall: The tone for all of these sites is categorized as inviting, informational and fun. GreenTree should continue this tone, while taking the advice of increasing interactivity, incentives, recipe videos and pictures and hashtags. Through interactivity, all three tones of “inviting,” “informational” and “fun” will be magnified.