In Social Media, Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

Sometimes, less can mean more in the marketing world.

But you wouldn’t know that based on The Vitamin Shoppe’s newly announced Instagram strategy.

The Vitamin Shoppe’s plan over the coming months is to actively support its individual stores – of which there are at least 800 – as they create and manage their own Instagram accounts.

Yes. EIGHT HUNDRED ACCOUNTS. Is your anxiety as high as mine right now?

You can read the entire story here.

Lisa Chudnofsky, head of content and customer engagement at The Vitamin Shoppe, described the move as being an answer to “a real hole in our Instagram strategy.” Calling the company’s store employees “secret weapons,” The Vitamin Shoppe has chosen to market these people as influencers at a local level. While the company says it will occasionally supply photos or videos, each store is largely on its own to post what they want. As for social content monitoring, that’s a different story.

The Vitamin Shoppe has a community manager who will oversee all accounts as part of her job. This includes Facebook groups in addition to each individual store’s page.

You read that right: ONE person, with more than 800 brands to manage. Let’s hope there was an accompanying raise.

Overextension of one’s marketing efforts – particularly within social media marketing – is a problem MGH regularly sees among clients of all shapes and sizes. New, exciting opportunities arise in the digital world multiple times per day, and it can be painful to constantly remind yourself to maintain focus.

But keeping your goals consistent is what really matters in the marketing world. Driving brand dependability over an extended period of time with a focus on execution, rather than flash-in-the-pan tactics, is what will drive your results.

If The Vitamin Shoppe chooses to market itself as a collection of 800 different brands, they could have 800 headaches on the horizon. Instead, the use of user-generated content could give the company’s single Instagram account more of a local feel. Combine that with a few location shout-outs peppered into each month’s editorial calendar, and you have what appears to be a collection of individually-owned stores operating under one umbrella.

It’s something we’ve done in the past with clients like Round Table Pizza, Great American Cookies, Pretzelmaker, Marble Slab and more.

The best part about it? We didn’t make our employees lose their minds in the process.