Paw-some Guidelines For Chewy’s Instagram
Hello, welcome to our social media team! We are thrilled to have you on board with us. At Chewy, we are creative individuals who are culture-obsessed, knowledgeable of all things trending across the internet, and treat our pets as part of the family.
Below you will find a guideline on how we manage our Instagram page, @Chewy.
Tone And Voice
When it comes to the brand’s tone and voice, we like to keep it friendly, playful, and upbeat. We want people to feel they can speak to us as one of their friends. Throughout our posts on Instagram, you will find us replying cheerfully to our customers’ comments. On occasion, we like to use pet pun words to display wit and humor.
Quality Of Pictures
When it comes to our images, we like it to be colorful, engaging, and, most of all, showcase pets as the primary focus. For pictures, we avoid using blurry, pixelated photos. Instead, we use clear, close-up shots to grab our followers’ attention.
Captions
Every caption must correlate with the image. We like to keep it under 100 words unless it’s a post highlighting a story or a brief description of one of our doctor’s segments, or a current event.
Emojis
You’ll find we are a company that enjoys using emojis. We use icons that are relevant to the post and express what the caption is describing. However, we like to keep it under four for the majority of our Instagram post.
In the example below, you will find two eyes and a pair of lips emoji within the caption because it emphasizes what pets are experiencing and seeing while staying home due to the coronavirus.
Hashtags
When it comes to hashtags, we like to stay under three in one post. The hashtag has to be relevant to the content in the photo. Most of our hashtags have the company’s name, including #ChewyEats, #ChewyGivesBack, and #ChewyVetQA.
As of now, our current brand hashtag is #PetsBringUsTogether, which is about the on-going pandemic. The hashtag is located in our bio and our recent post, dating back since March.
Number Of Post
At Chewy, we don’t like to overwhelm our customers feed with multiple posts throughout the day. As a rule of thumb, we post once a day to keep our customers in the loop about new products, promotions, and all things pet-related. If the need to post again arises on the same day, it will only be for promotional purposes. Overall, two posts are the maximum for a day.
*Note: This rule does not apply to Friday’s since that is the day we post user-generated content (we will cover that section afterward).
In the example above, you will see one image is to promote our new fall styles for pets to wear, while the other is to let our shoppers know Halloween is right around the corner, and now is the time to buy treats for their furry companion.
User-Generated Content
Besides our post, we love to promote user-generated content from our animal lover customers onto our page. We believe it’s a great way to engage with consumers while organically promoting our brand and products.
Every week on Friday, one post will be user-generated, followed by the hashtag #FanFriday. As such, our followers will have multiple chances to be featured on our page.
When we are tagged and sees a picture or video we love, we ask permission to repost and always give them credit. When posting someone’s content, you will first write a caption and follow it with the camera emoji, plus the @ symbol to mention them. The best way to set up a post with these instructions is to follow the example below.
Engagement
One day out the week, we post a challenge for pet parents to participate. The post can be anything from asking a question, a task, or tips and tricks for pet owners. The idea is to get the ball rolling and have people engage in the conversation.
Another way we utilize this strategy is doing giveaways from time to time. It encourages the readers to complete the tasks mentioned in the post to win the grand prize. The purpose is for customers to have fun when they participate and share it on their feed. These giveaways allow people the chance to win while promoting our brand.
Gives Back to the Community
The company is all about staying on trend with current events and giving back to the community. If there’s a way to help, Chewy will get right on it to make a difference.
For example, during the pandemic, Chewy aided countless pet parents who are coping financially by donating products to food banks nationwide and non-profit organizations. Furthermore, we will add a specific hashtag, such as #ChewyGivesBack, to our post’s project/program to stay consistent and easily found.
Influencers
From time to time, we like to team up with a celebrity or an influencer. It’s crucial to partner with public figures to promote the brand further and expand our target audience. A recent example is when we teamed up with World Champion track and field star, Kori Carter. The post tells a story about how her dog Kovu helps her cope with change.
How To Speak With Customers
When a customer comments on a post, make sure to respond as this strengthens our relationship with them. Depending on the remark made, use the appropriate tone when replying. We can’t respond to each comment, but use your judgment to know which one takes precedent over another.
Response To Customer Service Issues
When responding to a customer who has an issue, we like to answer as swiftly as possible. The first thing we do is apologize and be understanding about the problem. We should never place the blame on them. If the situation escalates, ask the person to send us a message directly to assist them better. Always avoid going back and forth with the customers in the comments. Our goal is to be helpful and for the customer to be happy no matter what.
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