Online Social Media Strategy Proposal

1. Trader Joe’s Online Social Media Strategy Proposal Samantha Blackmore New Media Drivers License MSU Summer 2011

2. About Trader Joe’s Started in 1958 as a small chain of local convenience stores originally named Proto Markets. Changed to Trader Joe’s in 1967 and started putting innovative, hard-to-find, great-tasting foods in the stores. In 2007 Trader Joe’s made a commitment to eliminate all trans fat, artificial colors, preservatives and GMO ingredient products from their private label products. Value is a concept taken very seriously at Trader Joe’s but is very simple. Great food + great prices = Value

3. Existing Social Media Homepage layout is excellent but social media is lacking. No official universal Facebook page or consistent store by store pages. No official Twitter account. A couple unofficial blogs on first page of Google search. Cooking with Trader Joe’s What’s Good at Trader Joe’s

4. Google Search Results Google Search results show the main website as the number one result No social media sites return on Google search

5. Twitter Create a Twitter account @TraderJoes to… Tweet about sales and promotions on in store items Tweet about products new to the store Followers can mention or retweet@TraderJoesto interact with the store Provide a link to Twitter site on the homepage for easy access

6. Facebook Create an official Facebook account either companywide “Trader Joe’s” or store by store based “Trader Joe’s – Livonia, MI” to… Increase your network by gaining “likes” Share photos of the store, products, and events Post information about sales, products, or events Involve your audience by posing questions or other interactive posts People in your network can comment on existing posts or share their own comments Provide a link to Facebook site on the homepage for easy access

7. Blogging Create an official blog to… Post recipes using Trader Joe’s products Write about the importance of using organic products Inform readers about food’s nutritional properties Consider moving the recipes tab from the homepage into a blog for better search engine optimization. Blogging will allow readers to receive the information as well as give feedback on it as well. Provide a link to the blogging site on the homepage for easy access.

8. Timeline & Budget Continuous Marketing Schedule Twitter – Biweekly Facebook – Weekly Blog – Weekly Added extra burst of marketing during peak times right before holidays such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. Budget: upkeep of homepage, management of social media sites (account set up is no cost), metric tools that are most beneficial (most offer free versions to decide which ones return the best information)

9. Metrics of Success Twitter Tweetstats: graph your Twitter patterns Klout: can measure your influence style TwitterCounter: can predict your growth for the next 15 days TwitterGrader: measures power reach and authority with a grade 0-100 Facebook Page growth, active users, page views, daily page activity Facebook Insights Analytics Tool Weekly Summary Email Feature Blog Google Analytics: measures audience growth Technorati Rank: measures citations Conversion Rate: visitor comments/number of posts

10. Summary Keep up on main website but move certain aspects to a blog or Facebook page. Develop social media base – Facebook, Twitter, Blog site. Use different analytics programs to measure effectiveness of new social media sites Goal: Google search of “Trader Joe’s” shows homepage, Facebook, Twitter, and blog all on first page of results. Goal: Provide customers with a platform to interact with the business by leaving comments. Goal: Increase overall sales by improving Trader Joe’s network and increasing awareness.