Does Your Business Knead Social Media? Wildflower CEO Interview.

Posted by Jack Smith in Social Media | View Comments

Last week I had the honor of sitting down with Louis Basile, @WildflowerCEO on Twitter, and talking about the Wildflower business and social media.  The goal of the interview was to give businesses viewpoints from companies who are already using social media in their business.  I picked Wildflower because of their interaction on a recent blog post I wrote about here.

Several things came out the conversation that I would like to share but the first being a huge thanks to Louis for the generosity of sharing his time and passion for the business with me.  It was also great to meet Lauren who manages their @WildflowerBread account and their online presence (she makes a wicked latte too).  So with that said, let’s move on to the 3 big take-aways I would like to share.

1 – Good Social Media Comes From Good Businesses – When talking with Louis, there is no doubt he has a wealth of experience in both business, the industry and specific category (fast-casual) under which Wildflower restaurants fall.  He is also clear on what has made the business successful to date – the value of a handshake and word of mouth referrals, being sleek and nimble, and being customer centric and focused.  Wildflower has used social media to improve upon all of these.

The Wildflower Twitter account is used to connect with customers, promote the brand/products/events and as a channel to be respectful, responsive and appreciative of customers.  To Wildflower, the ability to have this kind of connection and interaction with customers and stakeholders is of huge value to the business.  The ability to add this kind of connection, feedback and service to their company made the decision to undertake a social media initiative an easy one for Louis.  But they take it one step further.

Louis uses the WildflowerCEO account to directly ask questions about how Wildflower is doing.  There is no event or product promotion via this account but rather, it acts as a vehicle to directly ask customers how well Wildflower is meeting their expectations and delivering on the Wildflower brand promise.  It’s a great distinction in how two accounts can be used to achieve different objectives and at different levels in the company.

2 – The Value Of Social Media To A Business – Although Louis mentioned that his biggest fear

in starting/using social media was around time management of both staff and himself personally, it has shown itself to be incredibly valuable to Wildflower.

One of the main benefits to Wildflower has been the ability to connect with ‘Bread Heads’ (fans of Wildflower bread).  But just connecting isn’t enough to Wildflower, the ability to be transparent, kind and accountable were mentioned several times throughout the interview.  These values lead to delivering ‘over-the-top’ customer service which is also something that Wildflower prides itself on.

And although many businesses have been concerned over online review sites like Yelp, Louis views it as a way to raise the bar within Wildflower.  To him, it is a way to remind his staff how important it is to always be thoughtful and accountable in order to ‘treat people right’.  And although he knows Wildflower will never be perfect (no business is), social media allows him to strive for that goal by easily being able to see snapshots and views of the company from those who mean so much to the business – the bread heads!  This immediate feedback helps him to better respond and adjust to customers faster.

3 – How To Get Started – As mentioned earlier, time management was an initial concern for Wildflower but when asked what his advice would be to other companies considering utilizing social media, here were is thoughts:

1. Hire A Consultant – Though not mandatory, this was the approach Wildflower took to help them get a grasp on tools, messaging, etiquette and get started quickly.
2. Just Jump In – At some point in time, this is what you are going to have to do.  Based on your comfort level, Louis also suggested jumping in and asking questions of people already in social networks,  “The community is incredibly open and willing to help and you can form your own network of consultants to help get you started”.
3. Stay The Course – It takes time to begin to see the impact social media can have on an organization – both internally and externally.   So stick with it, experiment and have fun.
4. Clarify Roles – In Wildflower’s case, be clear about the differences between the company account and a C-Level account.  This could be in setting response expectations, messaging, frequency, measurement and results.

Well said.  Hopefully everyone can tell that I REALLY enjoyed this interview, was impressed with Louis’ business philosophy and how Wildflower is approaching social media.  If you have not been to a Wildflower, I would highly encourage you to make a visit or return to your favorite location, enjoy a meal and then let them know what you thought.  I can tell you they are eager to hear your feedback and appreciative of your business.

Also, if you have any questions that came up as you read the article, please leave them below and myself and/or Louis will be happy to respond.  One of the questions I wanted to address that was asked via Twitter by @jmchood.

I thought Louis’ answer was both unexpected and great all at the same time, “Hopefully, never.”

Louis went on to explain that Wildflower’s brand promise centers around the idea of ALWAYS giving customers the best product at the best price, so a coupon type of incentive discounts the promise and that should never happen.  Now, to be fair, we didn’t go on to discuss any type of loyalty program or other benefits of FourSquare in business (check out this post by Jay Baer for some ideas).  Thanks Justin. So what’s your question?