Let's Get Down To Business

Social media may have started as a way for Average Joe and Ordinary Jane to share their lives, post pictures of their kids and cats, document family trips, wish grandma a happy birthday, and play words with friends. But now, it is one of the most powerful business tools at a marketing team's fingertips.

The reality is that most everyone is on social media. People who businesses want to reach are scrolling on their phones daily. It has become culturally normal: much like reading the paper was once the way to unwind, social media has replaced it as a new leisurely pastime. Tell me—why are businesses still paying for their ad to have a slot in the local paper when they could be reaching a far wider audience for less expense by pushing out the same advertisement on social media? We are in a digital age, and businesses should take advantage of it!

In fact, many businesses already are. One account I would like to focus on today is Chipotle's Instagram. In short, they know their audience. Chipotle is creating content that is fun, timely, and real for the younger audience. They quietly promote their products, but ultimately, they cultivate brand loyalty. A recent example is the addition of their honey chicken. Officially launched just about one month ago, Chipotle devoted three posts back to back to their new menu item, and one following in the week of its debut. The first post was only a teaser, then the official promo video, a promo graphic, and a follow-up featuring their honey chicken in the tacos. Largely, Chipotle's account is focused on engaging with its audience and promoting Chipotle as a brand. Currently, they have only 729 posts dating back to 2018. Their account puts up new grid content about every 1-3 days. Right now, they are coming in at 1.5 million followers. So, what is working with Chipotle's Instagram? Let's look at a few of their strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

1. Strong target market

Chipotle knows their target market and acts like it! Their content is obviously tailored to a young audience and it is working.

2. Evergreen content

Chipotle doesn't post every day, but that's okay! Their page is widely made up of content that remains relevant weeks after it is posted. They're on trend but not too trendy. This means that when someone who does not follow goes to their page, they can scroll for a while and not become bored by content that is irrelevant or out of style.

3. Brand promotion

As mentioned earlier, Chipotle does not spend that much time promoting their menu items, but talks more about their brand. This is not by accident. By promoting the brand and creating a culture of individuals who genuinely just love Chipotle, they gather attention for all their menu items. They also cultivate brand loyalty over product loyalty which promotes customer retention and brand recognition.

4. Engaging content

Chipotle's content invites audience participation. This is a great way to get increased engagement on social media and build your page. And, it would be unfair not the mention Scott. Scott is Chipotle's social media commentator presence who responds to a variety of consumer comments on the page. Scott has quite a following, and signs off his comments. This is creating a culture in the Chipotle Instagram comment section, with some people heading straight to the comments simply to say hi to Scott and show him some love.

Weaknesses

 1. More content!

Chipotle's content is amazing! But, they could always put more of it out! This is a surefire way to increasing social media presence is simply to have more to present. No, someone does not need to post every day, but in general more is better in this area.

2. Short form videos

Instagram is all about the reels. Chipotle has not neglected this area, but upping the ratio of reels to static or carosel posts is the way to go.

3. Types of engaging content

Chipotle knows how to get users to interact with their posts, they just need to take it a step further. Currently, Instagram is prioritizing content with a high send rate. This could be posting to a story or sending over DMs. Chipotle could maximize this by creating more shareable content. They have the humor down, just invite their community to send their content would work wonders in the algorithm.

So, dear readers, I once again turn the conversation over to you. What businesses are doing well in their social media presence? What are common areas of strengths and weaknesses? What are your takes on the Chipotle strategy? Keep the conversation rolling on social media & let's get down to business.