In her Brands-Only Summit presentation, The Kroger Company's Jorie Mark shares a case study on how they improved their social media engagement strategy. She talks about how their two-person social media team used associate contests, user-generated content, and a deepened relationship with PR to secure engaging, geo-specific content for their highly diverse audiences.

1. SOCIALMEDIA.ORG/SUMMIT2016ORLANDOJANUARY 25–27, 2016
Because, sometimes customers
give birth in the supermarket
JORIE MARK
THE KROGER COMPANY

2. BECAUSE, SOMETIMES CUSTOMERS
GIVE BIRTH IN THE SUPERMARKET.
@kroger: A Content Case Study.
Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016

3. In January 2015,
Kroger’s social media team looked like this…
@storyjorie
@annebellek04
Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
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4. …and
Kroger’s social media content looked like this…
On Facebook…and Twitter…and Instagram.
Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
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5. This is also the way social looked
for a dozen other grocery brands we own.
Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
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6. It’s not that there wasn’t good social content out there…
We just weren’t sharing it.
(Or even “liking” it.)
View Our Gallery
of Missed
Opportunities
Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
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7. @MojoSavings
11,000 followers
Foodie recipe that calls
out shopping at Kroger
No retweet, no “yum,” not
even a favorite!
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8. We did NOT enable Lyz’s Kroger sushi addiction.
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9. 7,200 followers.
No <3, No regram.
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10. Free, word-
of-mouth
advertising
for our floral
department?
No thanks,
we’ll pass.
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11. And now for a moment of pure social
media agony….
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12. 11

13. THEN, a few weeks into my new gig as
Kroger’s Social Media Manager, this happened.
Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
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14. Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
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15. Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
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16. Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
The Baby Cora story fell in my lap(top).
But the question remained, how did we get MORE of
these “warm & fuzzy” stories?
Where do babies (being born in grocery stores)
come from?
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17. A few months later,
Sherry fell into Anne’s lap(top).
Sherry, mom of an infant with life-threatening
allergies, realized she had no money in the checkout
line.
Another shopper, Brian, paid the whole bill. Sherry
posted a “Thank you, Brian, where ever you are!”
note on Facebook. This emotional “thanks” got to
my colleague Anne’s desk, and she:
• Tracked down Sherry to get permission to share
this thank you note from our wall.
• Tracked down Brian.
Our Paid Media team on a weekend put money
behind this post share

18. 4,257,792
People Reached
117,925 Likes,
Comments, Shares
& Clicks
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19. Results of Sherry & Brian post
• Amazing feedback from Kroger shoppers
• Amazing feedback from our Kroger colleagues
• Amazing feedback from Kroger leadership
• The request, plea & directive, DO MORE OF THIS!!!
But HOW do you do more??
Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
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20. We Threw a Party to Find Out.
Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
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21. Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
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22. Summit Details
• Invited key social media
decision makers from every
Kroger Division
• Presented Social Engagement
Strategy
• Taught them how to take
“shareworthy” photos of their
stores for Instagram—
CONTEST for free iPad for the
winning photo and catered
lunch for Division producing
most photos
Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
(Oh, and drinks were involved.)
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23. RESULTS • More than 1,000 photos submitted by Divisions,
many of which we used to replace the “cookie
cutter” content on Instagram with real, in-store
content. Our Instagram follower count increased
by 816% in 2015, in large part due to this new
content!
• Support and appreciation from these key
stakeholders—one increased her paid social
media budget; others collaborated with us on
innovative approaches such as Twitter parties
after getting “fired up about social”
• MOST IMPORTANTLY…we now had partners in
securing these great warm fuzzy stories we
needed to grow our social media content!
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24. 23

25. 24

26. Warm & Fuzzies Aren’t the Only Part of Our
Engagement Strategy…
• NO MORE “CRICKETS”—We now
have a Community team that
responds to all positive customer
engagement posts, liking and
sharing every cute baby, sushi roll
and #krogering
• USER GENERATED CONTENT—All
of our most important social
campaigns have a UGC component
• INFLUENCER STRATEGY—Blogger
outreach has become one of our
most powerful levers to pull
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27. YOY Growth—Enterprise Wide*
Channel Followers as of
1/3/15
Followers as of
12/28/15
% increase
Facebook 1,276,000 2,090,580 64%
Twitter 100,386 134,382 34%
Pinterest 9,560 13,118 37%
Instagram 2,115 19,375 816%
*Kroger, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, King Soopers/City Market, Dillons, Bakers, Gerbes, QFC, Foods
Co, Food 4 Less, Smiths, Frys
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Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016

28. Jorie Mark *SocialMedia.org Case Study*
January 26, 2016
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29. Questions? Feedback? Need the Kroger
Sushi Addiction Hotline?
Jorie Mark
Manager, Social Media
The Kroger Co.
jorie.mark@kroger.com
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@storyjorie

30. Learn more about past and
upcoming events
SOCIALMEDIA.ORG/EVENTS
SOCIALMEDIA.ORG/SUMMIT2016ORLANDOJANUARY 25–27, 2016