Amy Smith
Professor DiPalma
Social Media Paper
Picture yourself at a crowded department store a few days before Christmas.
Many things could go wrong in this situation. Maybe you find an item with the price
marked wrong or maybe the shirt you want to buy is damaged. You could try to find a
manager and report the problem, but the chances are it will be difficult and likely
ineffective. However, what if you could post an instant online complaint that thousands
of people would see and receive feedback from the company? This is now possible by
Twitter, where companies can utilize social media to interact with their customers.
Social media is a fairly recent development in the world of public relations. It has
altered the one sided advertising and communication between companies and their
customers into an interactive relationship. Social media helps companies to be
transparent, allows them to voice their opinions, engage in conversation with customers,
receive feedback on products, and more. Non-profits can also use social media as a way
to offer aid, advice and support to the community.
The purpose of this paper is to explore three different companies and how they
have used social media to increase their reach, promote their reputation and engage with
their consumers. The two Fortune 500 companies analyzed in this paper are the retail
stores Gap and Target, and the non-profit retail organization is Goodwill Industries. For
purposes of this paper, the companies have been analyzed from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31,
2011. As can be expected, the for profit companies had a different approach to social
media than the non-profit.
As an introduction to each company, it seems suitable to show how the companies
represent themselves on their Twitter homepages- Gap’s page says, “Gap was founded in
1969 with a single store in San Francisco. We are committed to bringing you accessible
style.” “Expect more. Pay less,” says Target’s page. While Goodwill’s page says, “We
are North America’s leading non-profit provider of education, training, and career
services for people with disadvantages and disabilities.”
It is worth noting that while all of these companies specialize in the sale of
clothing, none of them mention clothing in their brief Twitter bios. They are more
worried about their image. Gap wants people to know that they are a company that has
been around for a long time, Target focuses on the fact that they have cheap prices and
Goodwill wants to make sure people know they are a non-profit with the main goal of
helping people. These themes carry on throughout the way the companies represent
themselves on their websites, Twitters, Facebooks and Youtube channels.
ReachOf the three companies Target has by far the largest social media reach. As of
Nov. 14, 2011, Target had 186,410 followers on Twitter, was following 1,162 Twitter
accounts and had posted 3,194 Tweets. On Target’s Facebook page it shows that
5,881,342 people like target and 127,468 are talking about it. Gap has the second largest
reach with 93,980 Twitter followers, 1,182 they are following and 1,735 tweets. On
Facebook 1,713,438 people like Gap, 19,087 were talking about it, and 31,363 had
visited their Facebook page. Goodwill has a few different Twitter pages that are specific
to regional areas of the country. The one followed in this paper is specific to Goodwillintl
from Rockville, Maryland. This Goodwill page came in last with 9,638 followers on
Twitter, following 5,144 and 2,694 tweets posted. 40, 603 people liked Goodwill’s
Facebook page and 499 were talking about it.
It is interesting that the company with the most followers has also posted the
most tweets, and the non-profit is following almost 4,000 more accounts on Twitter than
the other two companies. Target also has a Youtube channel with 6,235 subscribers and
595,402 views. Gap’s Youtube channel has 1,747 subscribers and 181,705 views.
Goodwill has a few different small Youtube channels, but no main consolidated channel.
One Goodwill Youtube channel is called Goodwill Industries of Northern New England
or Goodwillnne’s channel. It has only 18 subscribers and 879 views, and the latest
activity was six months ago.
Gap’s Twitter page provides a link to their Facebook page so that they can expand
their reach from just Twitter followers to Facebook fans as well. Target’s Twitter
provides a link to their website, and their Facebook says “Don’t be shy, say hello to us
across the web” and gives links for other ways to connect with the company through
different avenues of social media. Goodwill has a large section on the side of its Twitter
page that has quick links labeled “Find, Follow, Learn, and Retweet.” The reach of all of
the companies has increased over the course of the paper as they have received more fans
and followers.
ReputationGap did a very good job of using social media to promote their new products by
using pictures, videos and links. They advertised sales, and utilized many good ways to
attract interest and draw people in. Such as this tweet on September 5th “Can you pull off
the drop-crotch jeans? Ricky, our fashion-forward #DIY guru, shows how he makes them
his own.” This allows people to focus on the free fashion advice provided and forget that
they are being subjected to advertising. It seems more like a social interaction than an ad.
Also this tweet,“Attn. parents! Spend $50 at GapKids/babyGap and get $35 off your
photo holiday cards at Tiny Prints. More: gap.us/TinyPrintsDeal.” The company is
promoting their sale and also utilizing cross marketing with Tiny Prints.
Gap posted a lot of photo galleries of their company events and promotions. For
example “Our U.K. team had a blast recreating the 1969 denim studio in London for
#FNO. Check out pix: gap.us/LondonFNO2011.” Those pictures were posted on their
Facebook page. They also introduced many new products and seasonal items such as
“Get an early glimpse at our upcoming Spring 2012 collection, unveiled during New
York Fashion Week this week.” They often used tweets like this promote the company as
being involved with high fashion. They posted tweets asking people questions about their
favorite colors and styles of their new products as a way to find out what their consumers
like. They retweeted things that people had to say about their clothing for example, “We
approve. RT @KThomp1: So obsessed with new tuxedo jacket frm @gap that I think I
will start wearing it every day from this point forward.” Retweeting shows people that
others are happy with Gap products and proud to say they shop at Gap.
The company also thought of unique ways to market themselves. They launched
their own Gap taco truck called Pico de Gap in San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles and
New York, to celebrate the launch of their 1969 collection. Pico de Gap had its own
Twitter account so that people could follow the trucks. It tweeted secret code words for
free pairs of Gap 1969 denim, and the trucks gave out Gap coupons with taco purchases.
This was a well thought out strategy, and a good way to get Gaps name out there and
advertise their new collection.
During the course of this research paper, Gap did not have any major crises occur
on Twitter, but they did have a big financial crisis. As of October 14, 2011, The
company’s CEO issued a statement about Gap closing a fifth of their stores in America,
and planning to open more overseas. The retailer that owns Gap, Banana Republic and
Old Navy is struggling financially. Although this has been all over the news, Gap never
mentioned this on their social media accounts. They utilized reverse agenda setting,
because this is not what they want people talking about in regards to their company.
Gap’s tweets and Facebook posts around the time the statement was issued are all about
Gap Kids casting calls, new corduroy leggings and jean sales.
Target used social media in many similar ways as Gap, but they added their own
personal style. They often used Twitter and Facebook to post about things not directly
relating to what the company was selling. They worked hard to maintain the image of
being fun and trendy. Around back to school time they asked “Hot dogs or pizza?” This
question was most likely meant to get people excited about going back to school without
just saying its time for back to school shopping, as many other companies do. On
September 29, national coffee day, Target tweeted about how national coffee day would
soon be followed by national insomnia night. 13,886 people liked this post on Facebook.
This is an example of a clever and unique approach to social media in promoting the
image of the company. It seems more appealing than a post about a new sale. This is also
most likely a big part of the reason that Target has more followers than Gap and
Goodwill. They were good at clever advertising as well, in one post they asked “how do
you throw your pillow?” and then had a link to click which went to their website on the
page about their throw pillows. The question arouses interest and will most likely lead
people to click on the link. Another example of a witty tweet from Target, is one that said
“This offer really sucks (but we think you'll love it)” and then gave information about
their sale on Dyson vacuums. Target did not have any extreme crises during the period of
this research paper.
Goodwill used social media in a more serious way to offer helpful tips for getting
jobs, doing well in interviews, writing resumes and job training. They also shared many
success stories of people who overcame addiction, homelessness and abuse. They did
some self promotion such as on Halloween they posted on Twitter “Don't trick yourself.
Shop at #Goodwill and treat yourself to a great and affordable costume.
#GoodwillHalloween - http://ow.ly/6OaWW.” They also tweeted about how Goodwill
diverted 2 billion pounds from landfills last year. Many of their posts were humanitarian
for example, “Learn how hiring a person with a disability helps your community grow.
http://ow.ly/6zNbP #NDEAM.” (The CEO of Goodwill, Jim Gibbons, is a blind man, so
they also practice what they preach.) Those kinds of tweets are not sales motivated, but
they do go to show what kind of company Goodwill is, and how they are helping people
in need and accomplishing their mission statement. Goodwill also was crisis free during
the time period of this paper.
EngagementAlthough Gap did receive and respond to complaints on their Twitter, they mainly
said things like, “Sorry to hear about your experience we would love to help you. Give us
a call at” and then they provided a phone number for customer service or, “Thank you for
your input we will pass this along.” These replies do not seem as sincere as those from
Goodwill. In some cases Gap did provide specific feedback catered toward specific customers
who complained. On Facebook they replied to complaint with, “Hi Deyanira! I'm so sorry
to hear that! If you still haven't received your offer go ahead and give us a call at 1-800427-7895 and we'll see what we can do to help. Thanks! Lindsay@CustomerRelations.”
They also responded in detail to questions from customers for example “@ascottdukes Hey
Scott. Here's a list of pants we make size 30x34 with a couple of pairs of cords. Hope this
helps. gap.us/30x34pants.”
Target received many normal complaints, to which they took the time to reply
with feedback on their Twitter page. Such as when someone complained about Target not
being supportive enough towards veterans they replied with this tweet “Hi Peter - This is
based on an e-mail from 2002. We proudly support Veterans. To learn more, please visit
this website.” Target seemed to be a little more thorough with their customer engagement
on Twitter than were the majority of Gap’s replies.
Goodwill shared stories of how they help people in real life and not just over
social media. This tweet linked to a story about a nurse with a physical disability who
was able to receive training in computer skills from Goodwill. “After a career of caring
for people, Karen's getting a new start thanks to Goodwill. http://www.goodwill.org/mystory/karen-owens/ @GWIKTN #goodwillmystory.” Goodwill occasionally retweeted
good things customers had to say for example “Our family's donating stuff to
@GoodwillIntl 2day. My 6-yr-old's decided we're a "donate-o"... He said, "Like a
'tornado' only it's GOOD!"” They also tweeted at specific Twitter users for example,
“GoodwillIntl Goodwill Industries @ @DamselinAttic @NeilZabka918
@thesmartmama Yes but one of the most rewarding! :D.” Also, “@SouthernInst
@kiwimagazine Also very tasty if baked. :D.” They replied to people even if they
weren’t complaining. This helped to foster real relationships instead of just protecting
their image.
Goodwill seemed to have a lot less complaints on their Twitter than the other two
companies. Most of the time the things people said to them were very positive and
Goodwill replied by thanking the people who posted and commenting on what they had
to say. Occasionally, when people did complain, Goodwill was thorough in their
responses and tried to provide assistance for example, “@azobach - Each Goodwill lists
different things they can accept. Use our locator @ locator.goodwill.org. I apologize for
the inconvenience.”
Writing styleThe writing style each company used on Twitter was usually more condensed
than the writing styles used for the other forms of social media, since Twitter only allows
each tweet to be 140 characters or less. This can be a good thing because it forces
companies to be creative in what they tweet and eliminates long boring sentences. Catchy
tweets that are short, sweet and to the point are often best.
Sometimes the companies used the same exact post on their Twitter and
Facebook. On October 28th, Target posted this, “The only thing you have to fear is
tryptophan. Our Black Friday sales start at midnight this year. You in?” to both their
Twitter and Facebook page. Target sometimes posted quizzes that people could
participate in on their Facebook, such as the one about, “What’s your Halloween candy
dispersal method?”
On October 4th, Target replied to six different people on Twitter who were
complaining about their registries being down. On Facebook, many people were also
complaining about the registry being down, but Target did not reply to any comments. A
target customer left the comment,
“Since you deleted this off ur wall. I'll just put it here! Wow, interesting. I
wonder where all the complaints went?? I still cannot access my registry! Such
BS. You have time to delete hundreds of complaints but can't make your website
actually work. I read no less than 10 comments today within an hour stating your
"valuable" customers were taking their money elsewhere. Do you intend on fixing
any of this in the near future? I've now had problems with your site, your
customer service and my registry for a straight month. Thoughts? Because I can't
get answers anywhere else.”
Target did not respond to this on Facebook. If the woman had tweeted this to
them she would have been more likely to get a reply. Gap had the same policy, where
they were more likely to reply to complaints on Twitter. Someone left a comment on
Gap’s Facebook about the store closings and how the company is unpatriotic and “a
bunch of hypocrites,” and Gap did not respond to this. Target and Gap both make it clear
on their Facebook pages that they have the right to monitor and remove and offensive
material. Goodwill did take the time to reply to most comments on Facebook as well as
Twitter. One example is when someone asked them on Facebook how to write a resume,
they posted a link that gave instructions.
Goodwill’s Youtube channels provided minimal and short captions that told about
their videos. However, Target and Gap did more writing on their Youtube channels. The
main video on the Target channel had information about the video, a link to the website
about their black Friday sale, and also a link for those who want to follow the girl in the
video on Twitter. Gap went into detail about their videos and also provided links to their
other forms of social media for example,
“Go inside the Pico creative loft in downtown Los Angeles, where Gap's 1969
denim design team works on fits, cuts, washes and other design elements to create
a truly unique approach to affordable, cutting-edge jeans. For more on the Pico
studio, visit: www.facebook.com/gap.”
One of the most important ways companies can use social media is to show how
they are actively engaging with their customers and participating in a new form of
customer service. People can tell more about a company by what others are saying about
it than the way the company markets itself. It is essential for companies to listen and
respond to what people have to say about them and their products.
Wendy Harmon, the social media director for the American Red Cross, said “For
profit companies’ main motivation is sales, so it is hard for them to be authentic and
successful in social media. Instead of real engagement, their communication is driven by
the bottom line. It is not a long term relationship with customers, it is simply a quick
sale.” This has shown to be true in the way that Goodwill makes an effort to post things
that are actually helpful to customers as opposed to advertising in disguise. Things that
Goodwill posted were shared and retweeted more often than the other companies as well.
However, the non-profit also seemed to be making less of an effort to build its social
media presence. The scattered Youtube channels are ineffective. If Goodwill had one
large channel similar to Gap’s or Target’s, and spent more time making it better it would
have a lot more views and subscriptions. The same could also be true for their Twitter
and Facebook pages. They have many small scattered pages for different areas instead of
one large strong company presence. However Goodwill does seem to be making an effort
to improve its online presence, as shown by their tweet, “[ANNOUNCEMENT] We're
looking for a blogger to write creative, original, weekly bargain shopping posts!”
Out of these three companies Goodwill did the best job engaging with its
consumers. This makes sense because Goodwill is a non-profit and it is more focused on
people than sales. Target did the best job maintaining their reputation and coming up with
cute and original postings. Gap focused the most on marketing and promoting its
products, and made a smart move by not discussing its financial crisis on Twitter in order
to avoid drawing attention to a problem. All three companies could benefit by providing
more feedback on Facebook. When people leave long comments expressing their
concerns and the companies do not reply it seems unfair. Those people will also be likely
to tell others about the problem and how they company did nothing to help. The company
can also use what Wendy Harmon calls “thought leadership” to fix the problems people
have encountered and encourage positive thoughts about the company. The best practice
for companies on social media is a combination of engagement with customers and
coming up with clever ways of utilizing the medium to promote the company and its
products.
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
Gap
Target
Goodwill
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
Facebook
200,000
180,000
160,000
140,000
120,000
Gap
Target
Goodwill
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
Twitter
Youtube