Bob Evans Restaurants Embraces Social Media
The restaurant chain's digital media guru, Stephanie Busack, extols the advantages of tweeting, blogging and "friending" on Facebook.
By David Farkas, Senior Editor -- Chain Leader, 5/13/2009 8:19:00 AM
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| Stephanie Busack, digital marketing manager, Bob Evans Restaurants. |
Stephanie Busack oversees Bob Evans Restaurants' considerable social media efforts. In her role as digital marketing manager, she posts to three blogs, produces an e-newsletter, manages a Facebook page, and works with interactive ad agencies on various promotions and microsites. She also uses Twitter (@DigitalSteph_BE) to promote events at the Columbus, Ohio-based family-dining chain.
Busack, who joined Bob Evans in March 2008, explains why the company has jumped into the digital world headfirst.
Why is Bob Evans using social media in the first place?
It enables us to more proactively engage in a two-way conversation with our guests as well as monitor what they're saying about our brand, our products and our service. It's an amazing tool for not only promoting the brand and our new products, but getting a better understanding of what our guests expect out of us.
Also, as we begin to restyle our restaurants, like our newly restyled Columbus, Ohio, location at Graceland Plaza, we will be able to reach out to an entirely new audience, which we might not have reached with traditional media.
In terms of creating awareness, as opposed to sales, which social media have been most effective, and how do you measure that?
One of the most successful digital media initiatives used to date has incorporated the use of microsites. These seasonal sites include either an instant win game, such as "Bob Evans Race the Bases Instant Win Game," www.AllStarValues.com, or a sweepstakes like our "Win Some Green" Sweepstakes, which was promoted this past spring.
These games draw in a large audience, most coming back an average of seven to eight times during the promotion to play or register and interact with our brand. The instant win games and sweepstakes are easily measured by the use of analytic tools that gauge daily interaction.
| When and Where: Social Media in Use at Bob Evans |
| Twitter: @BobEvansFarms, 549 followers; began March 2009 |
| Facebook: Bob Evans page has 3,025 fans; began January 2009 |
| Blogs: B3 BEST began June 2006, Rise & Shine began July 2007, Homestyle Happenings August 2008 |
| Microsites, such as the current Big Farm Salads, featuring new products, game offers, and links to Facebook and Twitter |
| Video submission contest: BOBurrito Movie Trailer Contest ended in March but the videos are still live |
Can you quantify the number of new guests social media are bringing into the restaurants?
It's always difficult to quantify the exact number of new guests that social media efforts drive into the restaurants. In the past, for example, we have used online coupons to help drive sales. With every coupon that we offer, we are able to track redemptions and determine the impact.
How accurately can you target a customer using social media?
With the use of Facebook, we're able to send updates to Bob Evans Facebook Fans by using the "Send an Update to Fans" feature, which enables us to send out highly targeted and relevant messages to these guests at no cost. These updates are great since the target audience has already stated they are Bob Evans Fans.
Another example of sending out targeted messages is the use of banner ads. With nearly every online media buy, we use psychographic and demographic data available from our marketing research department. Once we establish who the target audience is for any given promotion, we then work with our agency partner on selecting the sites and networks that will display the most relevant and highly-targeted ads possible. To promote our seasonal microsites, we use banner ads on a variety of highly targeted sites, as well as niche ad networks, We only use sites that align perfectly with the demographics that we are targeting.
Which social media tool has the biggest potential for promoting products or deals at the lowest reach cost?
Twitter is definitely one of our newest areas of concentration. However, it is important to note that we feel that all social media tools have high potential to reach a variety of key target audiences at l
ittle to no cost. We definitely see the importance and benefits of integrating digital initiatives into our marketing communication program.
Where is time better spent: measuring the effectiveness of social efforts or designing promotions/advertising around it?
We're just beginning to measure the effectiveness of our social media efforts. So most of our efforts are spent on strategizing and developing seasonal promotions that include social media.
MORE: The tiny social-networking tool Twitter proves a powerful--and free--way for restaurant chains to reach avid fans.
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As the founder of TasteCasting it was a pleasure to work with the Bob Evans Farms social media team. They embraced the idea of treating socially networked and social media savvy people in Central Ohio to help spread the word on www.tastecasting.com. TasteCasting looks forward to working on additional promotion and out reach initiatives with the Bob Evans Farm team.
Dan Harris - 2009-7-6 13:08:00 MDT -
sociology and hospitality industry are double face for one current ,dining within social goals increase restaurants business whenever in tough time or smooth time ,social midia, or hosting social activities/hosting cuilnary class training for explaintion to regular customer daily soub of the day ,daily home special/hosting social tv program /hosting cultural seminar with famous authors,writers/hosting comptetion of beauty king/hosting social seminar for helpfuL poor people/hosting social event of birthday and other promomtions within special menu,special beverge list,it will be modern standards of restaurants industry
Hossam aboueissa - 2009-14-5 18:34:00 MDT
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