What is Starbucks’ marketing strategy?

What is Starbucks’ marketing strategy? Starbucks’ marketing strategy is very effective, and everyone wants to know why. The truth is that this company sells millions of coffees daily in various parts of the world, so they have had to do a lot of marketing. In fact, for many years, this giant has implemented different business strategies. And as a result, it is one of the most successful companies today.

 

In this post, let’s see what the most successful Starbucks marketing campaigns have been and why they have managed to be so effective. If you have a business in Canada, this company’s strategies can inspire you to achieve your goals as a business owner.

 

The Starbucks Company

 

Starbucks is a coffee shop chain founded in 1971 in Seattle, Washington. Currently, we can say that it is the most relevant coffee chain in the world. Since it has a presence in more than 60 countries. To satisfy the tastes of its customers, it has a wide variety of drinks for sale, where coffee continues to be the protagonist. Similarly, it offers cakes and other snacks to please diners.

 

It is essential to mention the significant importance that this company has had in social media.

 

On Instagram, they have more than 18 million followers, while Twitter has almost 3 million followers. Their marketing allows them to reach a wider audience, so their fame in the world is indisputable.

 

Starbucks Marketing Strategy

 

Let’s see what Starbucks’ marketing strategies have consisted of:

 

Customer loyalty programs

 

This is one of the reasons why Starbucks’ marketing strategy is so successful. Thanks to these types of programs, the company can count on the loyalty of its customers. To do this, customers are rewarded for making repeat visits, and as a benefit, they are provided with coupons or free products. There is also a program managed by American Express, where customers can access “Amexdiamonds” to be exchanged for different items.

 

The company also has a loyalty program called “MyStarbucksIdea,” through which people can earn “MyStar” by making a purchase, creating a video, or doing other actions. Also, MyStar points can be redeemed for merchandise or gift cards.

 

And finally, we cannot fail to mention the loyalty program that Starbucks offers online from its website, as it has been one of its best marketing strategies.

 

In-store marketing

 

This is an old Starbucks marketing strategy but one of the company’s most effective. It allows you to notice your business, and they know your customers stop by your stores when they have time to do so. For this reason, they put up displays outside of stores to grab your attention. As a result, studies have shown that people prefer to buy a Starbucks coffee before making another purchase.

 

This company’s marketing in its stores may vary depending on your location. However, the goal has always been for their clients to have a great experience while they are there. Therefore, they focus on establishing a welcoming environment with friendly employees who know how to interact with their customers and make them feel at home.

 

Social responsability

 

Part of the success of Starbucks is because it is considered a 100% responsible company in the market.

 

For example, in 2010, the company committed not to sell coffee from the 100,000 farms that Hurricane Mitch destroyed.

 

To date, Starbucks is involved with different non-profit organizations, such as the Starbucks Foundation and the United Nations World Food Program.

 

Customer service

 

Customer service and communication are also part of Starbucks’ marketing strategy. With millions of stores worldwide, it has established a customer service culture. This can be seen at all levels of the organization. Since managers to employees have the training to offer a service of the highest quality.

 

For the company, its customers must have a pleasant experience whenever they visit some of its stores, regardless of their location. Even if the customer enters the store and does not buy anything, the treatment towards them must be worth remembering.

 

There are several strategies that the company uses to make its customers feel comfortable when they visit its stores. Some of these strategies include a mobile application for customers to tell a nearby store or free Wi-Fi access in their stores.

 

Mobile App

 

The use of technology is part of Starbucks’ sales strategy. The company has a mobile application to attract more customers and increase sales. Through this free app, users can find Starbucks stores closest to them. Similarly, they can check if offers are available, pay for orders or check the availability of products.

 

What have been the best marketing campaigns for Starbucks?

 

Next, we will mention some of the best Starbucks marketing campaigns:

 

“Tweet a Coffee” campaign

 

This Starbucks business strategy began in 2010. The goal was to provide customers with a new way to get information about their favourite coffee shop. Tweet a Coffee motivated people to create projects in the art of coffee. Likewise, relationships were built with other brands to promote another campaign called Share a Coffee. A partnership was made with the United States Mint to produce a commemorative coin. Also, it worked with the National Parks Foundation to preserve historic places.

 

By 2015, the Share a Coffee campaign had expanded, and more collaborations were made with other companies like Facebook, Netflix, and Google. As a result, in 2017, this campaign won several festivals.

 

The campaign aimed to encourage customers to buy a coffee to share with family or friends. To do this, he created short videos promoting real-life stories of those who shared a coffee. These videos were shared on social media, causing a real stir.

 

“Red Cups” Campaign

 

In the Christmas season, Starbucks usually shines. For Christmas, it launched red cups with festive designs to encourage customers to share photos of their cups on social media using the hashtag #redcupcontest. Although this campaign started in 2010, it was so successful that it has become a Christmas tradition for the company.

 

This contest generated excitement; by 2016, so many photos were shared on social media that it was difficult to find original designs for the mugs. In fact, for this occasion, the contest was extended so that the winners would visit their corporate headquarters.

 

The red cup competitions have been a resounding success, and it’s all thanks to the creativity of the design. It does not matter if they are not original. The important thing is that they are fun and related to the Christmas season. Indeed, this type of campaign is a way to be creative on social networks to promote your products.

 

Do you need a marketing strategy like Starbucks?

 

This has been Starbucks’ marketing strategy. Each of these strategies or the campaigns of this company can inspire your business model. The key has been that Starbucks has been able to understand its customers’ emotions to create powerful and successful campaigns. And so, they have held the attention of their target market.

 

If you need a marketing strategy like that of Starbucks or an action plan that fits your business model, at BluCactus Canada, we can help you. We have a marketing and content creation team to design viral and personalized campaigns. Contact us right now and tell us about your project so we can offer you the service that suits your needs.

 

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