The Situation:

Throughout 2018, Siarza worked with 66 Diner, a popular casual dining restaurant on Central Avenue in Albuquerque, NM. The Diner holds a special place in the Albuquerque community, and Siarza wanted to expand upon that to encompass a broader audience. Route 66, the diner’s namesake, carries with it positive experiences and wanderlust for many. Leveraging those positive associations to maximize 66 Diner’s returns throughout the year was an exciting opportunity for Siarza to utilize the team’s skills in social media content curation and development to further promote 66 Diner’s goals and mission.

The results of the campaign highlighted the special position 66 Diner held both in the Albuquerque community and in the minds of Route 66 travelers.

Research:

PURPOSE: Siarza was hired by 66 Diner to increase brand awareness and recognition while driving an increase in patronage to the restaurant. 66 Diner wanted to educate customers about the history of the diner, their product, mission, and values, the 50’s era, and to promote the retro diner experience. The Siarza team first conducted research on industry best practices and how those practices relate to the food industry, primarily analyzing the niche 50’s restaurant experience that 66 Diner serves.

Primary research:

Siarza first began to analyze its past work, building brand identity and recognition. The team also analyzed the past work it had done promoting restaurants through organic Facebook and Instagram content, poring through analyses for engagement, reach, impressions, and total followers.

Once data had been organized and analyzed, the team moved on to researching similar brands within 66 Diner’s niche. Organic Facebook content frequency and type, organic Instagram content frequency and type, following, voice, engagement, and audience were all analyzed and compared. Having previously worked on social media content development for 66 Diner, Siarza had statistics compiled that showed trends from previous years.

Secondary research:

The Siarza team made use of research compiled by companies (such as Sprout Social, HeyOrca, and Hubspot) that specialize in social media analysis and frequently and regularly publish their findings. SiarzaSD analyzed the reported best times to publish, the highest performing posts by type, and the greatest performing hashtags.

Effect of research on implementation:

Siarza was able to use its research to optimize the campaign for reach and growth according to trends and to build a more unique position for 66 Diner by looking at what other brands weren’t doing, all the while making use of the available data points to see what was working best for other brands. Because of this research, Siarza was able to promote 66 Diner as having a unique position while simultaneously utilizing trends to optimize the campaign, such as trending hashtags and best-performing posts by type. Siarza was also able to distinguish and solidify the 66 Diner content’s voice and tone.

Tactics:

TACTICS: Throughout the twelve months, Siarza implemented 66 Diner’s social media campaign, and the team executed the following tactics to accomplish its objectives

1. Monthly Social Media Calendars: The Siarza team was responsible for creating a social media calendar that included written content and ideas for Facebook and Instagram. Full calendars for the accounts were sent to the Diner team for review and approval before scheduling. The food, decor, and memorabilia featured both inside and outside 66 Diner were heavily featured. Employee spotlights were posted to foster a connection between customers and those who assist them whenever they go to the restaurant. Glowing customer reviews and testimonials were featured to promote positive experiences involving 66 Diner staff and customers. Trivia and quizzes were posted to increase overall engagement. When the overall tone allowed for it, 50s memes and stylized graphics were posted to further the niche experience. Holiday celebrations, especially including food holidays and 50s celebrity birthdays, were heavily featured. The popularization of Facebook and Instagram stories allowed for the diversification of content types, furthering the creative and unique tone of 66 Diner.
2. Utilizing Social Media as a Customer Service Hub: SiarzaSD was responsible for alerting and working with the Diner team to craft appropriate responses to questions, comments, concerns, and mentions involving 66 Diner. Using social media monitoring tools enabled the Siarza team to stay effective in generating goodwill and positive customer experience between the Diner and its customers. SiarzaSD regularly updates all review-based social media, such as Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zomato, Foursquare, and Facebook.
3. Reputation Management: Siarza utilized monitoring tools to analyze customer reviews across various platforms, including Google, Yelp, TripAdviser, Zomato, Foursquare, and Facebook, assess public opinion, and stay ahead of potential issues with negative reviews or press coverage.

Please note that this campaign is ongoing.