Cottage Inn Pizza, a pizza chain started in Michigan that has expanded throughout the state and Midwest, presented a social media strategy to increase sales and branch out to more states. Their plan was to integrate Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Groupon and LivingSocial promotions over a 90 day period from Super Bowl Sunday through March Madness, with a focus on Groupon and LivingSocial deals to become better known nationally while competing against larger chains.
During my presentation, I plan on going over the main goal which is to increase sales by gaining a larger audience through online content.
My first idea is to integrate all the online content.I want them to see how linking everything together will benefit them. Cottage Inn already has a Facebook and a Twitter, however they fail to integrate with each other. They should get in on every social media networking tool and take advantages. Foursquare should be added into the mix, as well as a blog. In addition, Cottage Inn should connect with local food/pizza bloggers to get some more articles written about them. If they offered a free pizza or something to area bloggers, they could get some free reviews of their products.
One strategy I think Cottage Inn should take advantage of is websites like Groupon and LivingSocial. If they offered a coupon on one of these websites, they could get a lot of possibly first timers to their place. By offering coupons, newcomers will try their products, love it and then went to come back for more! I know that’s what happened with me. Groupon & LivingSocial are all the rage right now…why not stay ahead of the competition this way? This is a fantastic way to stay ahead of the other pizza joints.
Here is a chart showing the growing sensation of Groupon. It’s continuing to soar and Cottage Inn should get on the ride.
Next up is METRICS. If we don’t get an increase in sales, we aren’t doing something right. I will give a 90 day plan of action to increase our sales and then we will reevaluate our plan. I think we should have the campaign go through Super Bowl and March Madness seasons so that we can maximize the audience most likely to order some pizza. We will start at the plan right before Super Bowl Sunday and we will complete it right after March Madness ends. If we don’t get at least a 7% increase in sales, I will be astonished. Everyone love pizza. Those most active in social media is a younger crowd. This same crowd eats pizza often. Putting social media and pizza together is a fantastic way to reach out to consumers.
In conclusion, with social media and pizza joining forces there is no stopping success. Cottage Inn is guaranteed to have a great year and increase their sales and gain some loyal customers. The end.