Tweeting, Posting, Blogging: Social Media the Macy's way

 Since it is 2010 companies everywhere seem to have hopped on the social networking bandwagon, and bonus points to them for doing so. By now it has been proven that the use of social and new media (If used correctly) can do nothing but improve a companies image and brand awareness. So in this growing age of technology it seems that Buzz words and a clever magazine adds do not seem to cut it anymore.

So where does Macy's fall in this category? As I look into what is really keeping the magic dust going in this successful company I wonder. Is there magic behind Macy's social media? Is the consumer active in the life of the company, up date on the stores latest deals, campaigns, and styles in fun and exciting ways, or does the magic stop where the internet begins?

Since facebook.com is the first site that comes to everybody's mind when thinking of social media, I'll start there. Like all companies, when logging on the Macy's fan page the viewer is greeted by the classic Macy's red star followed by the "Info" tab with a detailed description of what the company represents. This seems to be standard on any companies page. So wheres the spice and more importantly, where the PR? When looking on the pages "wall", Macy's posts a "daily fashion challenge". Setting up a scenario for consumers, encouraging them to scroll through their website site and find the best outfit to match the given situation. Here is an example from Wednesday, September 22: "Today's Daily Fashion Challenge: you landed a walk-on role for a music video! Pick a look that’ll turn heads." These challenges are not only fun for the viewer but beneficial. Not only are participants  able to stay updated on the latests styles and trends, but  Macy's also adds in the ability to submit the created outfits with chance to win a $100 dollar gift card for the person able to put together the best outfit for that day. Other tabs on the macy's page include  a "magic" section giving to viewers the opportunity to "find their magic" by seeing daily deals, taking fashion challenges, view exciting in store events and more. The page also has areas for product reviews , upcoming events, and a special area for brides to be, which includes a bridal list matching game. It seems that Macy's fan page on Facebook has it all covered. It has all the information a customer could want while engaging then in a fun magical setting. However at the end of the day does the Macy's fan page stand out further than any other fortune 100 company? Probably not.

When it comes to tweeting for Macy's, the company has two different accounts, Macys Inc. and Ask Macy's. "Macy's Inc" seems to follow the same time line as the facebook fan page except the only difference is every post is 160 characters, making all posts in true twitter style, short, sweet, and to the point. It is important for companies to stay cohesive within facebook and twitter, this way people with only facebook or only twitter accounts are not missing out on any important information, and Macy's seems to be successful in this. "Ask Macy's" is a bit different from the original Macy's page offering tweets on the products customers are raving about. 

One area where Macy's really seems to be taking charge is in the area mobile devices. In a news release sent out on Sept. 14, 2010 Macy's is looking to expand its market and improve in the area of mobile technology. Some areas include improving the ability for users of smart phones to visually see the Macy's website on their phones. Macy's is also testing out an new phone app called "Shopkick", a phone application which allows customers who walk in into stores to automatically gain "kickbucks" which can be redeemable for awards. In this day and age it seems as if many people are starting to look to their phones as their main access to the internet, with that, it seems Macy's has taken a step ahead of the game keeping the feeling of magic flowing through the company.