Houlihan's Isn't "Just There" and "That's Not Rare"

In the Thursday (01/31/2013)  lecture for our social media communications class we went over a lot of very interesting material. The emphasis on not "just being there" but as a company having reasons and objectives for being there.

Some of the things we discussed included:
- They (the company) shouldn't just be there.
- The company should have a reason to be there.
- The reason should align with company goals.
- They should have measurable objectives.
- They should listen, talk, energize, support and embrace the culture of their chosen online social medium.

An example of a company that users these techniques to engage their customers is using social media like Facebook and Foursquare. They also send out text and email coupons. I used to work for Houlihan's as a server and I know from experience and observation that they do a very good job of managing their social media outlets.

You can view how they engage their customer by viewing their Houlihan's Company Website and their Facebook Website. The previously mentioned Facebook link links to the Houlihan's in Brentwood's webpage.

The following are examples of how Houlihan’s adheres to the previously mentioned rules.

Shouldn’t Just Be there:

            They are not just there. They have a clear reason to be online and engaged in social media.

Should Have a Reason:

            Their reasons include addressing customer complaints, informing the customers about the products and services, heightening company interest and to converse with the clientele.

The Reason Should Align With Company Goals:

            All of the above mentioned reasons align with the company goals of being a profitable organization, which produces an affordable but delicious dining experience.

They Should Have Measurable Objectives:

            There are many ways that Houlihan’s can measure the success of it usage of social media. For example, they can track how many people used a coupon that was only available on Facebook to gage and get an idea of how many people are bing actively engaged by the website. Also, perhaps the Houlihan’s in Creve Cour has yet to be involved in any social media. Is there a difference between the sales and activity at the two different locations?

Listening, Talking, Energizing, Supporting, Embracing:

            The manager, Grace Deuschler, who runs the Facebook account does an excellent job of being actively engaged in the running of the website. She sends out funny jokes and is entertaining in her writing. She offers Facebook only specials and competitions. She also makes an honest effort to respond to and comment on every post made by fellow facebookers.

In the above mentioned ways, I believe that Houlihan’s does a great job adhering to the suggested rules of engaging customers in a social medium. Also, it is important to note that they have delicious white bean hummus, flatbread pizzas and flavored long island iced tea pitchers! (If you are of age of course!)

Thank you for looking at my blog. – Meredith Rolen