Week #2: Five Businesses that are using Social Media

Five Businesses that are using Social Media

Martell Home Builders - http://themartellexperience.com/

Most home builders rely on realtors to get the ball rolling. They decided to ditch the middleman and go straight to the source. They use a blog to help get the word out; they would post How-To’s and guides on their blog in order to grab the attention of prospective home buyers.

Starbucks - http://www.starbucks.com/

With over 25 million on their Facebook and over 1.5 million on their Twitter feed, Starbucks has mastered this game.  Using these social media tools, Starbucks engages its customers and interacts with them. It’s not just a way to pitch their products, Starbucks uses social media to engage its customers by asking them for ideas or collaborating with them.

Zappos – http://www.zappos.com

An online shoe company, Zappos have used social media – Twitter and Facebook – in order to grow. Between the two sites, Zappos has millions of followers, some of whom are the company’s own employees—almost all of its employees have accounts on both its Twitter and Facebook, ensuring that customers almost always have someone to talk to, giving the whole thing a more “human” experience.

Ford – http://www.ford.com

A staple of the American car culture and an ancient company by today’s standards, Ford uses social media to pull customers in. Using their blog, The Ford Story, Ford not only has a place where it can share its story, but allows customers to share their own stories and ideas with the company and other bloggers. It’s not just a place to get together with its customer base, however; Ford uses its blog to find and create new innovation.

San Chez Bistro - http://www.sanchezbistro.com/

San Chez Bistro is a restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan that has taken a unique look at social media. Customers can use its Twitter feed to reserve seats—someone posts a request on the feed, and a hostess shortly responds. They also use Foursquare, a location based service in order to gain more popularity.