One glaring issue with the service industry is that the market is too saturated. It’s a challenge to succeed when there are dozens of vendors offering similar services in your area. In order to thrive, one needs to find ways to differentiate their business from competing vendors in his or her market. In a post on OdwyerPR, Ronn Torossian discusses the success of five different food and beverage brands that “win at social media”.

In further response to his article, I want to discuss the works of Chobani, Dunkin’ Donuts and Gatorade. Each company has gone above and beyond with its efforts to build rapport with its customers. Utilizing social media to the best of their capabilities, all three have increased the loyalty of their customer base.

Chobani sent a customer a “get well” gift when shared on social media that she survived on their yogurt after an oral surgery.

Dunkin’ Donuts utilizes Facebook’s live video steaming service to host contests and share recipes. A valentine’s day contest generated over 21,000 views in less than 15 minutes.

Gatorade is active on all of their social media profiles, and doesn’t use canned responses when communicating with customers. According to Torossian, “They do this so well that on Instagram when they respond to customers, those same people will often tag the friends so they can see what Gatorade does.”

What’s important to note is that each of these companies found a way to build rapport with their clients. In order to maximize your success, and differentiate yourself from other businesses, you must find a way to connect with others on a personal level. Don’t just sell them a product. Relate.