So depending on where you're located, you're really going to love this interview with the CMO of Rita's Italian Ice or Rita's Water Ice. Yes, it's Robin Seward. Robin is a phenomenal leader who's been through many iterations of social media, including the famous incident of Pharrell and the GRAMMYs and his hat.
Key Topics
- The Story of Robin's Career
- The Pharrell Hat Tweet
- The Networks That Resonate Best for Rita's Italian Ice
Key Answers
Why is Rita's on social media?
"My perspective on social media is that it's a pure engagement tool; we use it to engage with customers on a 1:1 basis as much as we can. We're a visual brand that's confidently quirky. We're OK in our own skin, and we try and communicate that across all of our social activities. We promote user-generated content - we're proud to share the photos that people send to us - and we also respond to any question or comment because we want to be interacting with you as much as possible."
How do you manage social across your franchises?
"We have our national Facebook and Instagram pages. Almost all of our individual store locations also have their own Facebook Pages. They use their local Pages to really promote what they are doing on a super local basis - events they're holding, fundraisers, etc., to communicate with their immediate audience. We provide them with a lot of graphics and verbiage to use if they want to take what we're doing nationally and grow this locally. We try to make sure that our brand personality is coming through and that they're speaking with that same tone of voice."
Key Soundbites
- "Successfully empower your team to have live conversations. Make sure they understand your brand position, who you are at your core and the voice you speak with socially"
- "We're a visual brand that is confidently quirky"
- "It's less important about how many people you have following you than how they're engaging with you"
Resources
- Company Website: http://www.ritasice.com/
- Company Twitter: @RitasItalianIce
- Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-seward-500aa51
- Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rita's-italian-ice
Enjoy, and check back here for more episodes of the All the Social Ladies podcast on Social Media Today.