Smithfield’s – Social Media and Southern BBQ Part 1

Where you go for pulled pork.

If you want the best pulled pork BBQ in the south, you need to get out to Smithfield’s Chicken N’ BBQ.  They have 33 locations in North Carolina and I haven’t had a bad meal there ever.  Are they paying me to write this?  God, I wish.  Tragically, they’re not.  And before you think that this is just a big ad for their delicious, delicious pulled pork (and hush puppies and fries that are equally as fantastic), I want you to know that the main reason that I’m writing this up is because Smithfield’s is also a perfect example of how social media can truly work for a business.

Richard Averitte is the Marketing Director for Smithfield’s and manages their social media efforts.  We connected via me raving about their BBQ on Twitter.  He oversees their Twitter account (follow them!).  I had planned a series of blog posts about how social media works for specific business – and what businesses could be using it better – and based on their Twitter activity, it seemed to me that Smithfield’s was having success with their social media efforts.  What Richard understands, that I think is a stumbling block for other businesses, is that social media works best when it’s about communication and interaction, as opposed to just broadcasting their message in a traditional media one way fashion.  I emailed Richard to chat with him about it, and I’d like to share with you his responses back to me on how things are working for them.  Part one is his answer on blogging:

How has blogging worked for you?

Richard: “This has been great for a number of reasons.  It allows us to post photos of new stores, fundraisers, etc.  It’s good for tagging and SEO.  We post all of our press releases and articles here.  It also can give some insight on why we do the things we do and ask for feedback.  It also allows us to post announcements immediately.  When the whole swine flu thing went down in Mexico a few months ago, I immediately blogged about the fact there is no connection between bar-b-q and the flu.  I also posted links from the CDC.  We had an announcement up before the NC Pork Council.  This positioned us as leaders in the industry and an agile company who can be proactive.  That following week, I was interviewed  by local radio and t.v. and I appeared in the Wall Street Journal blog, http://blogs.wsj.com/independentstreet/2009/04/29/swine-flu-fears-worry-restaurants-hog-farmers/“

The one thing that Richard mentions that I want to point out and emphasize is agility.  Richard understands that being able to respond quickly, address concerns and try new ideas, and most importantly  – communicate with your customers, talking with them and not at them, is key to successfully positioning yourself in the online space, building a loyal audience, and converting them into people who promote you because they not only love your product but also the fact that you listen to them.  And Smithfield’s is a business that gives Richard the space to move and allows him to move quickly.  If you’re a business that’s not agile in the online space, then I would say take a look at Richard, Smithfield’s, and what they are doing.

Next up, Richard talks about how Facebook works for Smithfield’s!

~ by g14matthew on September 16, 2009.