Starbucks Copycat Recipe

Photo from Women's Health Magazine

If you are on Pinterest, you have likely found—and tried—a copycat recipe or two. But for this week’s posting, I am not copying a cappuccino. Instead, I am taking a look at the ways that Starbucks creates a favorable social media strategy and then comparing it to the strategies of two local organizations (which happen to be my previous and current employers). This will allow me to note how their social media and marketing strategies are similar, but also to see what Starbucks’ practices can be utilized to improve their current social media practices.

For background, my former employer was a local non-profit that is an affiliate of a global, highly recognizable non-profit. My current employer is our local community college.


In the article titled “8 Ways Starbucks Creates an Enviable Social Media Strategy” written by Kavya Ravi for the Unmetric blog, Ravi highlights the following eight strategies:


1. Starbucks is relatable

According to Ravi’s article, Starbucks is relatable to customers because “their iconic coffee cups are presented in a context which their customers can relate to – by a beachside, the city square or in the comfort of your room.”

At the non-profit, we tried to create the feeling that we existed in the same context that a donor did, by showing that giving to our organization was easy and could be done right where you worked.

The article also stated that “by encouraging users to tell their own stories centering around their Starbucks cups, the brand has established itself as a part of their customer’s everyday life.”

At the community college, we have social media ambassadors who tell their own stories about their programs so that social media messaging is shared from an actual student’s perspective and appeals to our target audience of incoming students.

2. Building a narrative

Ravi wrote that “Starbucks aims to show that its product is more than just coffee. The brand prioritizes personal experiences of their customers and the shared moments.”

Both the non-profit and community college used their social media to share that they weren’t just about money or enrollment—they focused on how lives were changed through their involvement with donors and students respectively.

Stories were shared about how actual recipients of services provided by the non-profit’s funding so that the donor could truly see the difference he or she was making in someone’s life. The community college periodically features former students and what they are doing now, to show how their lives were impacted by the education they received at our college.

3. Consistency is key

Starbucks “manage(s) to put forward a consistent imagery and tone that has helped them build a coherent brand identity,” says Ravi.

At the non-profit, we had national branding that was always used to convey consistency. In addition, we had a local marketing theme that would run for two years to increase our branding consistency. We would always aim to use the same tone and voice in all our posts.

The community college is in the process of restructuring how we use social media. Two of the items in that process are making sure that we are student-focused in our social media efforts and using the same voice and tone in our posts. The voice of the college is friendly, positive, and professional.

4. Posting Frequency

“Starbucks treats their different social channels differently in terms of posting frequency. Overall, they prioritize quality over quantity,” says Ravi.

This is where both employers could benefit from Starbucks’ strategy. At the non-profit, posting was sporadic and occurred as only as events happened. Maintaining a regular posting schedule and using scheduling tools to create content to go out at selected future dates are two ways it could approach posting more like Starbucks.

At the community college, content is no problem! We post regularly and frequently. Sometimes we almost have too much! Establishing a strategy to space out posts would be helpful in making sure we were not overwhelming anyone’s news feeds.

5. User Generated Content

According to the article, “one of the main reasons for Starbucks’ success on social media is in how they build their brand image around both themselves and their audience.”

While both employers definitely utilize their audience in their posts, I think they could both benefit from engagement from the audience in a way that doesn’t look solicited.

At the non-profit, we would share posts that people tagged us in, but they were almost always posts from our events or fundraisers. It still carried the sense that the post was generated or solicited on our part.

The community college has many more opportunities to share posts that come from our students. We have social media ambassadors who are essentially our “users” and they help us create content that has the student's voice. We can share posts that our students tag us in additionally.

6. Friendzone your customer

“Starbucks embraces all kinds of feedback and consistently engages with their customers,” says the article.

Again, this is an area of improvement for both employers. It would have been easier to establish a pattern of responsiveness at the non-profit—the volume of content was small enough that a little time spent in comment engagement would be been an easy and valuable addition.

At the college, the volume is much larger, but making time to reply to and like comments or posts that tag us, or sharing posts when we have been tagged would greatly increase our engagement on the platforms.

7. The brand with a soul

“Emotional connection has been known to be a key driver of brand awareness and loyalty,” says Ravi. “This also enhances the authenticity of the brand.”

The non-profit had a very easy job of establishing its “soul”. Sharing how the funds made impacts on individuals and families in the community was one of the key messages of social media. They even would let partner agencies take over our social media accounts once a week to showcase what they used funding for.

The true “soul” of the college is our students. In the short amount of time I have been here, in several interviews with students the number one thing they say about the college is that the faculty and staff made them feel valued and welcomed. Student testimonials help share this message on our social media platforms.

Both employers had the right idea when it comes to how they market the brand’s “soul” by answering Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle question of “why” both entities do what they do.

8. Create a fandom

Finally, the article states that “Starbucks and their seasonal staples have a fan culture of their own. Starbucks has been extremely successful in building momentum around their products on social media.”

Building a fandom online was based on building a fandom in real life at the non-profit. They have thousands of volunteers across the coverage area per year. They provide matching shirts that have been the same, high-quality design that identifies volunteers as part of the team.

At the community college, our fandom consists of past and present students and community partners. Student life and academics can be a generator of fans, but the perk of having athletic programs lets your audience become literal fans. The excitement and camaraderie of everyone cheering for the same goal are invaluable in creating a sense of community among the students.

Photo from Mashed

In conclusion, I’ve shared ways that my two employers compare and contrast with Unmetric’s assessment of Starbucks. In the future for both entities, copying the Starbucks recipe will enhance their social media marketing strategies.