In his BlogWell presentation, REI's Manager of Digital Engagement, Jordan Williams, talks about the benefits and challenges of distributing social media throughout the organization.
25% of shopping conversations are posted online from consumers while in an actual store - ListenLogicMore effective / higher engagementTime zones / local interest
Retail team members aren’t traditional social media workers!Not sitting at desks; Limited access to the web, computers or devicesHourly employees present unique challengesLegal issues: minimum wage act / after hours / personal devicesHourly employees mean every hour spent is an incremental investment (e.g. training, tech support, et al)Tension between time on the floor & time on the social media “floor”Retail Managers incented to sell, social designed to engage
National presences plus…53 new market-level Twitter handles53 new market-level Facebook fan pages300+ new social media practitionersSocial Media 101 & 201 training curriculumNew social media management platformRapidly expanding self-help & internal-communication resources
Your numbers may be different… but what you can expect is slow, steady, organic growth.
14k training session15 modules3k certified
Big enough to: distribute the load & serve all needsSmall enough to: hold accountable Rotating-dailyRotating-weeklyAnchor-store carrying the load
Organizational trust. Our practitioners are -- very naturally, and with precious little training and guidance, doing exactly what we hoped they would -- delivering the green vest experience online. So far, the organizational trust in this program is paying off, without anything other than very minor "coachable moments" here and there.Traffic: local following up to almost 20k (aggregate) w/o any marketing support to-date + nice Ad Age article on our local approach