With more than 18,000 retail locations in 60 countries, the coffeehouse Is the picture f success. Cataracts rode the baby boomer trend in the asses, the swelling ranks of mid-age professionals that created the need for a "third place," an "affordable luxury' where people could share and enjoy a cup of coffee with friends and colleagues, away from work and home.

In our opinion, the company has inserted itself into the American urban landscape more quickly and craftily than any retail company in history. It has forever changed the way companies market themselves to customers.Here is how we feel they have been so successful: Market segmentation The company has stayed with the upper-scale of the coffee market. Omitting on comfort rather than convenience, which are the case with its closest competitors, McDonald's and Dunking Donuts. Execution The company continues to focus on its original product bundle that includes good coffee, quality service, and a nice environment to hang around.

They keep their attention on paying attention to the details of great execution and service. Social Media One of the earliest adopters of the use of social media for marketing and social commerce, Cataracts has certainly taken a leadership position. Their social media strategy is built around their company web site and 6 additional social platforms, including Twitter, Backbone, Pinsetters, G+, Youth, and My Cataracts Ideas. We will review Cataracts social media strategy In detail below. Adaptation and Innovation Stardust's business scrounging, via its My Cataracts Idea website, has been a Hugh success. Why you may ask?Because they have combined the concepts of change, experimentation, social media, customer engagement, and market research and made the results key components of both their brand as well as their marketing strategy.

Have you given My Cataracts Idea a try? What did you think? Social networks, the brand has set a high bar when it comes to being social and engaging its customers. They are at or near the top of nearly every major brand ranking in social media. Cataracts' ability to wear so many hats-?corporate success, "local" favorite, and Internet sensation-?warrants strategic examination.Why is Cataracts such a social media marketing success story? There are seven key reasons their social media strategy is a successful difference maker for their marketing campaign: Here is our take on why: Customer relationships Instead of solely focusing efforts on accumulating new customers, it cultivates its current relationships.

This ensures more fans/followers in the long run, as well as the intended existence of brand advocates. This holds true across the board: In-store experiences are highly valued-?along with online engagement-?emphasizing the importance of customer service.Going to its customers When Cataracts takes a photo, it shares it on Mainstream, posts it to Backbone, tweets it on Twitter, and pins it on Pinsetters. It clearly goes to where all its customers like to hang out. Cross-promotion is more valuable as the world becomes more digitally focused. Each network provides an opportunity to reach a new audience, and integrating your strategy on each is crucial to increasing visibility and promoting the rand.

Customer engagement They believe in letting customer engagement and conversation occur as naturally as possible. They listen carefully, observe, and apply new ideas from what they learn.Encourages sharing Happy customers are eager to share good experiences and offers. For example, the Cataracts frequent promotions like "buy 1 get 1" garner an extraordinary amount of engagement on social media through comments, "likes," and shares. My Cataracts Ideas The My Cataracts Idea website, where Cataracts does its business scrounging, has been actively engaging customers for over 4 years now.

It encourages customers o submit ideas for better products, improving the customer experience, and defining new community involvement, among other categories.Clearly, Cataracts has seen and believes what Peter Trucker has to say about business adaptability. Customers can submit, view, and discuss submitted ideas along with employees from various Cataracts departments - "Idea Partners". The company regularly polls its customers for their favorite products and has a leadership to track which customers are the most active in submitting ideas, comments, and poll participation. The site is at once a scrounging tool, a market research method that brings customer priorities to light, an on-line community, and an effective internet marketing tool.Cataracts provides its unique experience through programs such as My Cataracts Rewards, personalized "signature" drinks, and localized store experiences.

Their social sites, in particular Pinsetters and Mainstream, encourage users to share their Cataracts moments-?whether it be the return of a favorite holiday drink or Just an artsy coffee cup shot. Taking a stand Giving consumers a charitable reason to buy that steaming cup is beneficial for all. The takeaway from Cataracts is to know your customer and tie that in with what taters in the world-?so, pay attention to how your brand can fit into trending topics.Cataracts reflects a mission Its mission is "to inspire and nurture the human spirit-?one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time. " They believe lifting customers up will lead to more customer loyalty. It's "The Way I See It" quote campaign is a perfect example.

Lots of ideas here that can be easily replicated which ones do you feel could benefit your business? How could you improve the Cataracts Coffee Social Media campaign concept for your business? Cataracts is one of many businesses we can learn from. Please post your comments low, offering questions or your own great examples of social marketing strategies.An excellent marketing strategy by cataracts Every day we are swarmed with ads, promotions, coupons, billboards, multiple forms of marketing from companies that are fighting for our business. A company with an admirable marketing strategy is Cataracts.

They have portrayed their coffee as accessible, trendy and personal. They make it accessible for almost everyone as they are located everywhere; sometimes even multiple stores per block. Cataracts makes every drink you order customized to you by giving you the exact drink that you want, even giving you the option of making it extra hot.Some of their marketing strategies include; buy 4 get 1 free promotions, cheap lattes at a certain time of day, social media posts on Mainstream and Twitter, the mobile phone app, memberships to collect points from purchases, etc. These strategies and tactics have made Cataracts appealing Tao broad target market, including myself.

One of my favorite features that Cataracts offers is the mobile app. It allows me to find the nearest stores, browse drinks, access my membership card and best of all, it allows me to pay with cell phone.I love this app and it is one of the reasons I choose Cataracts over different coffee companies. My favorite feature is not having cash on hand and still being able to buy a coffee. This has given Cataracts a sustainable competitive advantage over the competition, which is absolutely necessary since $5 for a coffee seems slightly overpriced to have without getting extra benefits in return.

Points to Learn from the Cataracts Marketing Strategy Every business can learn from another, especially if a particular business is one that has displayed tremendous success over the years.The Cataracts Corporation and its successful marketing strategies are definitely something that anyone interested in were these able to reach out and attract millions of people worldwide? Some of their best strategies are outlined below. * "Perfect Cup of Coffee" - Cataracts history has shown that they place a huge emphasis on product quality. Their coffee, even if priced slightly more expensive than expected, is notorious for satisfying customers with its rich, delicious taste and aroma. "Third Place" - From the very beginning, the Cataracts marketing strategy has focused on creating the "third place" for everyone to go to between home and work. Creating this unique and relaxing "experience" and "atmosphere" for people has been very important for the company as they have realized that this is one of the strongest concepts attached to the company, to which customers have been strongly attracted.

* "Customer Satisfaction" - Customer satisfaction is a very important issue with Cataracts.From entrance to the store to the very last drop of their coffees, it is a must that customers feel the uniqueness of enjoying their Cataracts coffee experience. Without a doubt, Cataracts Coffee Company knows the answer to the question, "Why is customer service important. " "Creating a Cataracts Community' - The Cataracts marketing strategy has even expanded to create a community around their brand. On their website, individuals are encouraged to express their experiences with Cataracts history, and the company strives to "personally' Join in the discussions.This technique was cleverly pointed out by Wobbliness: The Strategic Marketing Agency in their "Cataracts Marketing Observations" article.

* "Smart Partnerships" - Cataracts Coffee Company has been known to create strategic partnerships that demonstrate the fact that another way to grow your business is to partner smart. Over the years, the Cataracts Corporation has greatly increased sales Just by using this strategy. * "Innovation" - Through the years, the Cataracts Coffee Company has been known to think up creative and innovative ideas to add to their products or services.They've added different flavors to their coffee, more food on their menu, and even became one of the firsts to offer internet capability in their stores. * "Brand Marketing" - The Cataracts marketing strategy has always focused on "word-of-mouth" advertising and letting the high quality of their products and services speak for themselves.

For years, this has been uniquely Cataracts, and it has played a huge art in making Cataracts Coffee Company a success. The definition of viral marketing speaks to this new word of mouth that Cataracts has run with, and made their own.