Last week we touched on how Home Depot and other companies use social media well. While Home Depot was not used in the Social Media Examiner’s post, the company does a good job of leveraging social media.
Home Depot already has a large following on Twitter, 44,166 as of now. Home Depot kicks some serious butt on Twitter for a few reasons:
- Multiple accounts. The company recognizes that you cannot always accomplish everything from one Twitter account; so Home Depot has separate Twitter accounts for different needs. Separate accounts mean consistent and tailored messaging. Followers will not see as many updates they don’t care about.
- This is a good tactic with larger companies that have the need and the bandwidth. There is a Twitter account for the regular store account, Home Depot deals, the Home Depot Foundation, and more.
- Transparent. On each Twitter account Home Depot tells you who is in charge of Tweeting. On their main account Ryan, Sarah and Jon are the ones responsible for tweets. When individuals know that maybe Ryan from Home Depot is tweeting to them it adds another layer of personalization to that. (Sometimes they add a signature to the end of the tweet.)
- Responsive. Once I tweeted a photo and a comment when I was at Home Depot. I did not have a question or a complaint. I received a response from the Home Depot Twitter account while I was still at Home Depot. You don’t just respond to the confused or bad, you respond to the good too.
- Relevant. They post tips, facts, and other relevant information. This keeps their content useful and not spam-like.
The Home Depot Facebook fan page has 419,887 likes to date. There are a few steps Home Depot has taken to have a good Facebook page:
- Multiple pages. Once again Home Depot has multiple pages to sort relevant content. However, there are fewer pages than Twitter accounts due to the differences between the social media platforms. It is crucial to recognize that different platforms have different utility.
- Definition. The Facebook page has a detailed description of what the page is for and what you can expect. Home Depot also lists what will not be tolerated on its page. This is similar to a comment policy for blogs, but for Facebook – and something that other companies do not always do. This adds another layer of transparency.
- Interaction. By nature Facebook at least is “more” interactive than Twitter, but in different ways, there are polls (directly on the platform) and more. Home Depot takes advantage of this strong interaction.
YouTube
The Home Depot YouTube channel is awesome. Home Depot is a store that you go to when you want to do something yourself. Although filming “how to” videos is time consuming, it was very beneficial for Home Depot. Users are being shown how to execute items they normally would have paid someone for, and in turn buy their supplies at Home Depot. On YouTube you can find video tutorials on DIY Repair, Paint, Tools, Hardware, Lawn care, Garden care and more.
Website
When I say “website” I don’t mean that Home Depot can incorporate a Facebook/Twitter/Everything button on every page. I mean that even Home Depot’s website is a social medium. On the Home Depot website there is a How-To Community page that offers guides for purchasing items, guides for projects, hosts topic-specific forums and more. This page is the ultimate interactive advice/how-to/DIY guide and fact page. Don’t take my word for it; check it out for yourself.
Blog
What social media plan would be complete without a blog (when necessary)? Home Depot blogs too, providing in-depth tips for readers. Learn things you didn’t know about planning a garden, buying tools, prepping a college room or more. You can search by categories if you aren’t completely certain what you are looking for.
Ultimately any social media plan depends on what works for you and what spaces your target audiences are active in. Home Depot is a great example of how to do social media well. You can reference different platforms you would like to use that Home Depot uses (or other companies that do a great job) to see employed effective tactics. What are some companies that you think do a good or not so good job with social media and why?
