Social Media Strategy of McDonalds - Case Study Example

Social Media Strategy [Name of the Student] [Name of the University] Social Media Strategy Introduction With regard to the marketing of products, at the international level, several franchises have realized that they could either emerge with outstanding success or end up as miserable failures, in the all-important task of attracting global audiences. In this regard, McDonald’s of the US has achieved outstanding success. This company has studied and adapted its marketing strategy to the cultural differences to be found in its target national markets[Glo13]. With respect to marketing strategies, around 97% of the marketers declared that they employed the social media to market their businesses. The importance of social media for business was affirmed by 86% of the marketers. The importance attached to social media, by marketers, in this context, had been 83% in the year 2012. In reply to the query, as to from when they had been utilizing the social media for their business, 47% of the marketers indicated that they had been using this technique for more than two years[Ste132]. Company Name – Mc Donald’s Mandate and Overview Since the year of its inception, namely 1955, McDonald’s has been serving customers, some of their preferred food items. Several innovations in the fast food industry emerged from the initiatives of this company. Some of these being; Chicken McNuggets, drive-thru restaurants, and college credits for Hamburger U[McD143]. Mission and Values. It is the brand mission of McDonald’s to provide the most desired premises, and most popular food items to its customers. The Plan to Win, is a global strategy of this company, which concentrates upon providing customers with an exceptional experience. As such, this company works untiringly towards improving its operations and bettering the experience of its customers[McD143]. Contemporary Social Media Techniques. Rick Wion the first social media director of McDonald’s had original ideas regarding the use of the social media in marketing. He was a strong advocate of transparency and trust among the public relations department of an organization that conveys information over the social media[Sud10]. This would enable the organization to respond effectively to online criticism. Mobile Media. McDonald’s has been at the forefront, with regard to its outstanding and imaginative campaigns. These have been disseminated, among other channels, over the Twitter and Facebook mobile applications, and the mobile site of the National Football League. Such mobile marketing endeavors constitute an important component of the larger marketing initiative that leaves no stone unturned in informing the public about its new products[Joh134]. Driving foot traffic. The objective of McDonald’s campaigns is to improve awareness among the public, regarding its new products. This is to be achieved by inducing consumers to visit its outlets. McDonald’s relies quite heavily upon mobile and social media advertisements. Moreover, it also resorts to iAd and location based advertisements to promote its Mighty Wings campaign. Furthermore, McDonald’s had formed a partnership with the National Football League, which entailed the use of a mobile application that provided consumers with access to exclusive content[Joh134]. On account of these endeavors, McDonald’s made itself a giant in brand construction. McDonald’s adopts an innovative approach to the development of its marketing strategies. For instance, it expects its director of social media to undertake several initiatives. These include; first, the formulation of social strategies that are similar to what had rendered this company the most famous among the companies in the non-technology area. Second, to shift the emphasis upon social media from that of a marketing device to that of a leading initiative to construct branding and to improve sales. Third, to convey over Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, important features of its brand. Fourth, combining social and in-store experiences, with a view to providing customers with an outstanding and personalized experience[Lin14]. Achieving alignment. It is essential to procure alignment across communications and marketing, irrespective of the size of the organization. This becomes a very difficult task, when the different departments of an organization exhibit a keen desire to own social media. With respect to McDonald’s, it has around a million Twitter followers, and 27 million fans on Facebook. Furthermore, this company has in excess of 90 local Twitter and Facebook pages. These sites interact and share information with customers in diverse global markets[Wio14]. Some of the important suggestions made to achieve alignment have been described below. First, the marketing policy should focus upon goals, and the focus should not be limited to obtaining likes on Facebook and tweets on Twitter. The success of a venture depends upon the presence of goals. In the absence of aims, a venture cannot succeed. Any user of social media is aware of the fact that there is no possibility of controlling conversations with customers. This has to be extended to the organization, and it is to be comprehended that it is futile to attempt to control conversation within the organization. To its credit, McDonald’s develops content and engagement opportunities at the local and national levels[Wio14]. This makes it possible to include local relevance and influences in the content. Another recommendation is to monitor social media. This is indispensable for a company that desires to comprehend public opinion regarding its products. In addition, offline and online opportunities have to be combined, as this makes it possible to connect marketing initiatives at the nation level with local promotions[Wio14]. Tools to Measure Effectiveness. A number of free tools are available that provide an organization with information regarding its mention in the social networks. One of these devices is Social Mention. This is a social media analysis and search platform that enables an organization to effortlessly measure and track comments about it and its products in real-time. Some of the significant features recorded by this tool are; the brand strength of the organization, ratio of positive to negative comments, and range of influence[Car14]. Mc Donald’s can make use of this tool namely, Social Mention for evaluating their Social media effectiveness. Future Initiatives for Improvement. It is necessary to realize that the number of customers in the market is limited. Therefore, it is essential to preserve customer loyalty for promoting long-term business. As is to be expected, customers come in different categories, and these have been identified by market research. Advertising is an important method for conveying information to the existing or potential customer regarding the products or services of the company. This activity employs television, radio, cinema, Internet, poster sites, and newspapers and magazines. In advertising, unlike other methods of marketing communication, the media owners have to be paid prior to placing the advertisement in the medium. Some of the other promotional techniques are; point of sale display, direct mail, telemarketing, exhibitions, door to door campaigning, and sales promotions. The expert in marketing communications will develop a campaign that combines many of these techniques, in a manner that produces the best outcome[McD08]. The above mentioned methods are more effective in advertising. Innovation. Several marketing experts have disclosed that transparency is crucial for developing trust in the social media. In this endeavor, the marketing and public relations departments have to combine forces. It should be the objective of the public relations department to develop trust. Realizing the significance of this concept, McDonald’s USA created a digital task force. This department functions on the basis of information provided to it by public relations and marketing. It is difficult to isolate a specific innovation as the best, due to the veritable plethora of outstanding innovations. Some instances are; the open graph of Facebook, and mobile and video storytelling[Sud10]. In addition, the latest mobile initiative of McDonald’s demonstrates the manner in which the quick-service restaurants forge ahead of their competitors. This involves investment in rich media advertisements that promote and preserve its Facebook presence. For example, the Big Mac sandwich is promoted by means of rich media mobile advertisements on the mobile site of The Hollywood Reporter. The success of this initiative of McDonald’s can be appreciated upon viewing it in the backdrop of the extant situation, wherein the trend is that of losing organic reach on Facebook[Joh143]. The Future. McDonald’s has become very active in its marketing and it has commenced to actively participate in the social media. This is aimed at contesting allegations regarding the unhealthy nature of some of its products. The queries of the consumers on the social media are provided with sincere answers by this company. Some of the questions have been quite difficult to answer. For instance, consumers had enquired whether their burgers contained horsemeat, what was the pink slime noticed in some of their products, and whether McDonald’s sold real food[Wil14]. A novel development is the possibility to pay for McDonald’s products through the Apple Pay mobile payment system. This smartphone application has proved to be very convenient for the consumer. Another momentous development is that of the cloud based point of sales systems. These systems are secure and convenient. In addition, businesses can access sales data from any place that is connected to the Internet, and at any time of the day or night[Wil14]. In addition, McDonald’s has significantly improved its reach, by employing QR codes. These codes are provided on its products, and a joint campaign with the National Football League has been launched. Upon scanning these codes, the consumer obtains exclusive video content. These codes are a cost-efficient source of mobile technology. For instance, medium-sized beverages will furnish a QR code that provides access to exclusive National Football League content. Furthermore, every McDonald’s restaurant has been provide with Wi-Fi connectivity. This makes a trip to these restaurants very attractive, as the exclusive content provide by the QR code can be viewed, while consuming the delicacies at that place[Boh14]. Conclusion The emergence of social media has made vast changes to marketing strategies. Companies were forced to integrate social media into their marketing mix. McDonald’s found its way to success, by adopting several innovative media campaigns and online marketing strategies. References Glo13: , (Global E Brands, 2013), Ste132: , (Stelzner, 2013), McD143: , (McDonald's, 2014), Sud10: , (Sudhaman, 2010), Joh134: , (Johnson, 2013), Lin14: , (Linkedin, 2014), Wio14: , (Wion, 2014), Car14: , (Carter, 2014), McD08: , (McDonald's Corporation, 2008), Joh143: , (Johnson, McDonald’s bets on rich media to build Facebook following, 2014), Wil14: , (William, 2014), Boh14: , (Bohannon, 2014), Read More