Twitter Strategy Delhaize, Marketing Genius 2012

Twitter Strategy Delhaize

@Leaurend

Although I strongly believe that being present on social media is not an obligation for every company, I am convinced this is key for Delhaize. Since Delhaize has always positioned itself on quality and consumer experience, I personally believe building a strong twitter account is needed to further build the Delhaize brand and deliver added value to her (future) customers. The 3 main reasons why Delhaize could opt to use twitter are: 1. Connect and interact with consumers 2. Share news and information 3. Give coupons / rebates

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First of all, I am convinced that building a twitter account would help Delhaize in gaining a more profound understanding of what is happening in the surroundings she is active in and what is living in consumers their minds. In the medium to long run, Delhaize’s twitter presence would help her to build better relationships and an even stronger brand. One of the first steps in achieving this goal would consist of using an RSS-tool that searches twitter for strategic topics (#Delhaize for example). Once a message has been detected via this tool or when a message has been posted on the regular twitter account, Delhaize should react in a fast and correct way. Not only should they try to accelerate positive messages but also embraced the negative ones and reply to them. Special attention should be made to key-influencers (detectable via Klout-scores) tweeting about Delhaize. It is important to provide those people with scoops and special bonuses in order to be able to make use of their network. The tone of voice should always be in line with the values of Delhaize and how they want to be perceived. Nevertheless, a fun, friendly and open approach is recommended in order to build a strong twitter-brand. Furthermore it is important to not take yourself too serious and to find a balance between fun and professionalism.

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@EvelineDM. We are happy you found love ;) Enjoy!

@Hanskoyen. Vergeet de handleiding niet te lezen voor je je maaltijd in elkaar zet ;)

@Shuchii. Oei, sorry! Hopelijk komt dit niet meer voor. If so, please let us know!

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One possible pitfall when developing twitter would consist of using twitter as an advertising tool which is only used to spread promotions and some basic company information. Since the promotional-offers would not be personalized, they might easily be seen as clutter in the twitter feed. This is why Delhaize should work on valuable / fun / interesting content. Twitter is not about you as a brand but about your audience. It is important to figure out

what the audience wants to hear about. Generating valuable content might be hard for Delhaize if they limit their scope to promoting products and services they are offering. That is why I would propose to generate content which is in line with Delhaize values but not necessarily linked to the Delhaize portfolio. An Inspiring example on how to create valuable content is Delichoc (the biscuit). Since there was not enough valuable Facebook-content available around the biscuit itself, they chose to post fun content (found on the internet) people could read/watch during their breaks (the classic consumption moment of biscuits). These updates were called the “DailyChocs” and were well received by the target audience.

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CONTENT !!! Although interaction with customers is of greater importance than content !!! (content strategies are more valuable on Facebook) I added some possible topics below: 1. Delhaize might tweet about nice recipes they found on the Internet or retweet messages from interesting international chefs. 2. Other tweets could be linked to special actions / Delhaize news. At this moment, while the stars and tunes action is running, Delhaize could tweet some new updates about a couple of artists. 3. Delhaize could also post and comment on news and special occasions (Halloween, valentines day, etc. ). !!! But in the end it is more important to monitor what information your followers share/like. Try to find a match between this content and your company profile. !!! When posting new updates on the twitter page it is recommend including a question or a contest since this will increase the likelihood of interactivity.

Which creep are you going to play this evening? Don’t forget your tick or treat candy! #Halloween

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CONTESTS Although I advise against using twitter as a blunt promo channel I do believe that organising contests is a good way to promote your products while also boosting interaction. Contests however should only be organised after a while to make sure there will be enough interactivity. Delhaize could launch its own hash-tag contest for instance. An example would be #Star&tunes contest where twitterati could should post the song they are listening to (or the song they like the most) together whit the hashtag of the contest. The winner would receive Delhaize Star&Tunes credits. Other contest (#WeWantDHZ) could be used as a form of crowdsourcing: “which cool drinks / food have you encountered during the summer holidays and would you like to see at your Delhaize?”.

Listening to Moby @Delhaize #Star&Tunes  

COCONUT water!!! @Delhaize #WeWantDHZ  

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CONTESTS / VARIA An other way of promoting social interaction about certain products/brands in an acceptable way is linked to the “social buying trend”. Delhaize could launch a promo campaign where the reduction on the product would become greater when the number of tweets about the product increases. An easier approach consists in launching a “pay with a tweet” campaign. After people have tweeted they will directly be able to print out a coupon.

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TIPS FOR CONTESTS - Try to build a basic network first, otherwise you will not really be able to leverage your contest! - Keep subscribing super simple (max. 2 steps, ideally one step) - Twitter = timely

=> it is better to do 5 smaller contest of 50 euro than one of 250, especially in the beginning when followers are rather limited. Of course you have to make sure the prize is high enough to motivate.

=> Use short deadlines = “win today!”, again twitter = timely.

- Ask people to retweet things! This is a great way to build your network. - Promote your twitter contest on twitter, Facebook and web.

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SOME ADDITIONAL TIPS WORTH MENTIONING In order to make Delhaize’s twitter reputation grow they could opt to organize a #Twunch (this is a lunch organised via twitter). Furthermore it is important to make sure your twitter and Facebook accounts are communicated in all Delhaize's outgoing communication. An easy way to do this is to incorporate them in the e-mail signature. Using software like Conversocial is highly recommended. This allows you to easily follow back who follows you. In addition Conversocial will allow Delhaize to have a better understanding on when to post their new messages which is crucial to obtain interaction.

Need more info? Want to brainstorm? Twitter: @Leaurend LinkedIn: be.linkedin.com/in/laurentbeyer

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