In today’s market, it has become almost second nature for a company to be immersed in all aspects of the social media world. With the new craze of micro-blogging and sites such as Twitter, it is interesting to take a look at a company’s blog and see its benefits and relevance with the addition of these new platforms.
One company that has been in the public eye as of recent has been Whole Foods Market for their CEO’s, John Mackey, controversial opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about health care. This controversy led me straight to Mackey’s CEO blog for Whole Foods. However, I was far more drawn to the company blog, which is fittingly named Whole Story. Perusing the blog, I noticed the immense amount of interaction from readers and the number of comments posts were receiving. Of particular importance is that the tone of the blog is able to remain informative yet casual despite the contribution from numerous authors. Personal anecdotes from the authors are often given to introduce a recipe or update from the newsletter, which makes it seem all the more sincere. The focus is strictly food; in fact, specific Whole Foods products aren’t mentioned in recipes. There are links convienetly linking to the Whole Foods Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr page as well as videos and podcasts for your viewing pleasure. As an avid buyer from Whole Foods, I found the company blog to be useful with a great mix of updates, useful information, and community interaction. A great place for Whole Foods lovers to get a more in depth connection with what the company is up to and how they can share their thoughts. No products were being shoved in your face to buy, instead a conversation was built between contributing writers and blog readers.
Upon thinking of this connection in the blog, it is apparent the benefits this is givin
g to Whole Foods as a company. I was impressed to see the number of comments at almost 300 when the post asked for ideas with the chance to win a giftcard! These responses where both thorough and in depth, which gives Whole Foods great ideas and information while giving consumers a chance to voice their opinions and have a say. From the blog, Whole Foods actually uses the ideas they recieve, which is beneficial for the company and exciting for the consumer.
Another way the blog is able to benefit the company is the extra publicity Whole Foods is able to recieve from the blog. In doing a simple google search of the blog, I was able to come up with numerous results that incorporated subjects specifically related to the blog. 
The more people spread word about the blog, the more traffic it will recieve and more awareness for Whole Foods and its offerings will result. Information from the blog has been released as part of press releases and buzz around posts have made their way to other networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, and YouTube. The Whole Foods blog is able to effectively reach and connect with a wide range of current and potential consumers and get them talking and sharing ideas. The connection is not only beneficial for the company, but also builds loyalty in a consumer as their thoughts and ideas are clearly appreciated.
