Will a blog help Publix make social connections with customers?

Publix, which has long seen the utility of using social media to burnish its brand, is now launching its first blog site, The Publix Checkout, to help the chain make deeper connections with its many fans.

Topics on the site (blog.publix.com) will include the chain’s community initiatives, holiday entertaining, health and wellness, recipes, sustainability and more.

The blog includes contributions from employees across the organization. Sam P., identified as a store associate since 2015, has written a post on various steak cuts and the proper ways to prepare them. Aijana W., a Publix associate since 2014, has written about various ways people can recycle and re-use coffee grounds to fertilize plants, tenderize meat and exfoliate dead skin.

“As a retailer passionately committed to serving our customers, our social media presence has always been about engaging with our customers where they are and extending our in-store service online,” said Maria Brous, Publix media and community relations director, in a statement. “Having a blog provides us a fresh and inspiring way to connect socially with customers, taking them beyond the aisles and showing them we’re more than just a grocery store.”

Publix first tested the social media waters in July 2011 when it began posting on Facebook. Within 24 hours of launching, Publix had 10,000 “likes” on Facebook. Today, the chain claims 2.6 million.

Publix established itself on Twitter in 2013 with two different pages: @Publix for brand content and @PublixHelps for customer service issues. The two pages currently have a combined total of more than 217,000 followers.

Last fall, Publix added Instagram and Pinterest to its social media mix. The chain currently has over 52,000 people following it on Instagram, up from about 14,000 in February. Publix has seen the number of followers jump from 1,000 on Pinterest in February to over 22,000 today.

From Retail Wire