Lowe’s tailors social media strategy to platforms; has 4 million Pinterest followers

North Wilkesboro, N.C. – Despite discussions about the need for retailers to develop a “social media strategy,” the reality is that social media is not a monolithic entity. Different social media platforms reach different types of consumers, are used for different purposes and draw traffic at different times of the day. Thus, a social media strategy really needs to be a collection of smaller strategies that are built around the dynamics of each individual platform a retailer chooses to leverage.



One major retailer that recognizes the need for this type of multifaceted social media strategy is Lowe’s Companies. At the recent Internet Retailer Conference in Chicago, Lowe’s director of social media and emerging platforms, Brad Walters, told workshop attendees that retailers must establish objectives that are defined for each social platform.



“Content is key,” said Walters. “Look at the daypart that attracts the most traffic for different platforms and the frequency of posting that will work best.”



For example, Walters said Lowe’s views Facebook as a shareable solution.



“Facebook gives you an ‘a-ha’ moment,” said Walters. “You can get tremendous engagement from shares and likes.”



Lowe’s also uses the Vine mobile Twitter video service to tweet short “how-to” videos, such as a video showing customers how using a rubber band can allow them to remove a stripped screw. And the retailer uses Pinterest as an opportunity to inspire customers.



“We released a ‘Spring Has Spring’ Pinterest board with colorful images and videos and gained 80,000 followers,” said Walters. “We don’t use Pinterest to extend our catalog or flyer. It’s a way to provide valuable content for inspiration. We don’t have pictures of products with a white background.”



To date, Walters said Lowe’s has accumulated 4 million Pinterest followers.