Growing #tentree.

Ten trees planted for every item purchased seems like an unobtainable goal selling clothes, but Tentree has made it their mission.

At Tentree, their goal is to become the most environmentally progressive brand on the planet. They don’t want to just reduce the negative impact of the apparel industry, they want to use it as a vehicle for change. Their purpose is to revitalize our environment and inspire a generation to believe that they can do the same. Their current goal is to plant 1 billion trees by 2030. (Tentree.com, 2017)

TenTree’s a socially oriented company, that is already on track to have over 17 million trees planted by the end of 2017. This significant achievement showcases the level of success that the company’s current high-cost business model enjoys. As a start-up business that is already making profits in the early stages of its life, TenTree’s is a great example of social entrepreneurs that employed a premium differentiation strategy and succeeded. In addition to this, TenTree’s has accomplished putting their products onto the shelves of 300 Canadian stores; doing so indicates the level of demand for their product in the market despite the high pricing. A last example of this is the company’s ability to garner strong internet sales; proving their marketing strategy’s impact in action is a force that can be relied on throughout its future. (Ho, 2017)

Tentree has been transparent with their social media presence as well as to their customers. New or existing customers are available to see current tree planting projects and get a better understanding of their goal and mission as a social media leader in the space as a whole enterprise. Tentree has mastered the social media space by interacting with their customers with photos, videos, testimonials from around the world.

Some fun social media facts about #Tentree:

• Facebook: Over 400,000 likes on their brand page (Facebook, 2017)
• Twitter over 25,000 followers (Twitter, 2017)
• Instagram over 2.2 million followers (Instagram, 2017)
• Engagement Rate: 3,45% (Clasen, 2017)
• Posts on Hashtag: 16,5K (Clasen, 2017)
• Average Number of Likes: 1,311 (Clasen, 2017)
• Average Posts per Week: 18 (Clasen, 2017)

In a recent interview with iconosquare blogger Anthony Clasen, @tentree explains how vital their social media presence really is, and how mastering Instagram has assisted with user generated content.

Q: How relevant is Instagram for a brand like yours? 
A: It’s extremely relevant -it is a way for us to communicate directly with consumers and get real time feedback.

Q: How has Instagram helped you more than other social networks, to connect with your consumers?
A: Instagram is a great medium for sharing your story through pictures and short videos. The fact that every post is distributed to everyone following you has proven to help us more than other networks.

Q: How has UGC (User-Generated Content) helped you develop your account?
A: We get almost all of our content through people we met on instagram. It’s helped us reach out to people all over the world.

Q: On your last 100 media posted, none of them are videos. Why? Is managing your account with pictures more efficient than videos?
A: We are working to add more videos into the mix however we find that videos are currently performing better on other mediums (such as Youtube and Facebook). We will be adding significantly more video content in the near future.

Q: What strategies do you use to attract new Instagram followers and keep them engaged?
A: We work with influencers who believe in the brand and in helping the environment.

Q: How do you measure your brand influence on Instagram?
A: – Follower engagement (as a % of total users)
– # of followers

Lessons for Others

When starting a social media campaign it is important to have a strategy up front. Realizing wheere your audience is, assists with having relevent content and engaging with your audience. Attracting new and retaining existing customers is key. Pumping out content that is humanizing, relatable and shareable is how Tentree has been able to succeed in their whole social media enterprise.

TenTree’s was able to utilize Instagram to test out visual content as a means to help them decide which content was worthy to be put onto their website. By utilizing Twitter and Facebook, they determined its ability to push out news about the company and website.

Figuring out which social platforms that are relevant to your brand and your demographics is key to any content and messaging you portray. Tentree has done this well, while still encouraging to get outdoors and enjoy nature.

If you have concerns as to the accuracy of anything posted on this site, please send your concerns to Peter Carr, Program Director, Social Media for Business Performance.

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