Dunkin’ Donuts is going back to the roots of coffee shops as being the place of social interaction within a community. Only this time they are using tools afforded by the relatively new medium of social media to do it.

Anatomy

1) They utilized customer feedback in the design of their new website. Customers like to feel that a company they give money to cares about their opinion. By crowdsourcing the design of their new website Dunkin’ Donuts is providing tangible evidence that they care about their customers’ opinions. This not only creates loyalty within existing customers, but garners new customers through the great PR they’ve received as a result of this venture. 2) They are utilizing local to build social networks surrounding their physical store locations. Geographical location is a great idea to build a social network around as it’s easy for people within that area to have common issues and interests that are needed to facilitate a social network. According to Mashable: “The new version, which was inspired by feedback from the company’s Facebook fanbase, is designed to help customers find out what is going on at their local Dunkin’ Donuts stop on both their desktops and on their mobile devices.” 3) They’re What are you drinkin’ Mosaic promotes user-generated content created from Dunkin’ Donuts products. Customers can upload a picture of themselves with their favourite Dunkin’ Donuts beverage for the weekly chance to be featured on the company’s Page’s display picture, utilizing the visibility of its display picture wisely. This strategy promotes both the company’s products and the personality of its customers, striking the perfect balance inherent in social media. 4) The DDSMART Talks videos with Executive Chef Stan Frankenthaler personalize the company and its products. In these videos Frankenthaler depicts the origination of the idea for the products of its new DDSMART line within its Nutrition Advisory Board as well as the ingredients and health benefits of the products. This strategy of showcasing the people who create the healthy, nutritional products of the company is a key part of what helped Subway gain traction with its line of low-fat sandwiches. Go to www.wishpond.com/merchant to build your Facebook Storefront that automatically syncs with your E-commerce solution and POS system.