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How Publix Loves Their Customers in Social Media

Authors: Jay Baer Kandi Steiner
Posted Under: Social Pros Podcast
Hosted By
Jay Baer

Daniel Lemin

Convince & Convert
Jay Baer

Hannah Tooker

LaneTerralever
Jay Baer

Leanna Pham

Convince & Convert
About Social Pros Podcast:

Social Pros is one of the longest-running marketing podcasts in existence (10 YEARS and counting), and was recently recognized as the #1 Audio/Podcast Series by the Content Marketing Awards.

Our purpose? Making sure that we speak to real people doing real work in social media.

Listeners get inside stories and behind-the-scenes secrets about how teams at companies like Google, Reddit, Glossier, Zillow, Lyft, Marvel, and dozens more, staff, operate, and measure their social media programs.  With 600+ episodes, the Social Pros Podcast brings the humanity of social media to the forefront, while providing incredibly useful marketing strategies that listeners can immediately implement.

Follow Social Pros on LinkedIn.

To inquire about becoming a guest or show sponsor, please email our Executive Producer, Leanna Pham, at leanna@convinceandconvert.com.

Apple Podcast Reviews:

The Social Pros podcast has quickly become a favorite in my feed! I'm consistently impressed by the engaging conversations, insightful content, and actionable ideas. I truly learn something every time I listen!

@Arlie K

This is absolutely an awesome listen for anyone in communications or social media!!

@Will31C

This podcast has become one of my staple weekly podcasts for learning about marketing! Love the conversations that they have and it's always enjoyable and educational!

@Simonstone95

Love the podcast - informative, in depth and spot on for any business size.

@MissTriathlon

Kandi Steiner, Senior Social Media Specialist for Publix Super Markets, joins the Social Pros Podcast to reveal how a chain of 1,100 stores maintains close relationships with all their customers through social.

Kandi Steiner - InstagramSocial Speed Dating

Social media can seem like a never-ending round of speed dating. Every day/hour/minute/second can be filled with new people with whom you need to forge a relationship from (near) scratch. Once that intro is made and the connection established, it has to be cultivated and sustained through product changes and launches, employee turnover, and a revolving door of seasonal trends in your marketplace.
This ongoing cycle can be a lot for any business to manage, let alone a franchise with multiple locations across the country. While it make seem easy to delegate this dating scene to each store, Kandi is here to show how and why it’s best to keep this relationship at home.
With stores spread across five states, Kandi has helped make Publix Super Markets an eligible find for super market social fans. She has helped grow their social presence to a whopping 2.5 million Facebook fans, 193k Twitter followers, and 13.3k Instagram followers in the span of five years. Her unique approach is customer-focused, research-based, and HQ-centralized which has spawned a growing community that generates sales, creates lifelong customers, and recruits high-level applicants.

In This Episode

  • How centralizing a chain’s social media leads to deeper connections with customers
  • Why responding publicly to a customer’s question doesn’t need to be terrifying
  • How promoting technologically unskilled but teachable dedicated employees leads to the perfect social advocates
  • Why properly handled but ultimately unsuccessful social posts don’t equal a failing social media plan

 

Quotes From This Episode

“Although we have over 1,000 stores, you’re still speaking to the people who are in charge of all of them. It’s not just your store manager.” —@KandiSteiner
“Take your people who really know the brand and put them out in front.” —@JayBaer
“This is our store, but online.” —@KandiSteiner
“When you have the entire team in there working together, you can really make some magic happen.” —@KandiSteiner
“You can’t put a value on a customer’s feelings about you.” —@KandiSteiner
“We want them to be excited to talk to us and know that when they come to us with an issue or a question, they’re going to get that resolution and they’re going to get it the Publix way.” —@KandiSteiner

Resources


See you next week!

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