Steak ’n Shake

Megan FieldsFebruary 19, 2017

A Comprehensive Social Media Audit and Strategy

Table of Contents1. Executive Summary 2. Social Media Audit

a. Social Media Assessment b. Traffic Sources Assessment c. Customer Demographics Assessment d. Competitor Assessment

3. Social Media Plan a. Objectives (Overall) b. Objectives (Specific) c. KPIs d. Key Messages e. Online Brand Persona and Voice

4. Strategies and Tools a. Paid Strategies b. Earned Strategies c. Owned Strategies d. Tools e. Timing and Key Dates

5. Social Media Etiquette Guidelines a. Social Media Roles and Responsibilities b. Social Media Policy for Employees

6. Critical Response Plan a. Scenario One b. Scenario Two

7. Measurement and Reporting Results

Executive Summary❖ Our social media goals are to increase engagement with our social

media posts and, by extension, to better position our brand in consumers’ minds.

❖ Keeping our business goals in mind, we want to increase positive customer service interactions to ensure that first-time customers become loyal to our brand and loyal brand followers continue coming back.

❖ Our social media strategies include:

❖ A plan to regularly engage with customers and get involved in conversations on social media channels where we are established with a strong follower base (Facebook and Twitter).

❖ A plan to regularly produce and post more social media content to our social media profiles that have fewer followers or less engagement (Instagram).

Social Media Audit

Social Media AssessmentSocial

Network URL Follower Count

Average Weekly Activity

Average Engagement Rate(# interactions/reach)

Twitter https://twitter.com/SteaknShake?lang=en 406k 11 posts per week 59%

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pg/steaknshake/about/ 3,865,555 10 posts per week 0.236%

Instagramhttps://

www.instagram.com/steaknshake/

117k 3.8 posts per week average of 1,374 likes per post

Pinteresthttps://www.pinterest.com/

steaknshake/?eq=steakn&etslf=3926

1,319 554 pins total (unable to calculate timeline) average of 6 pins per post

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/SteaknShake 532 .087 posts per week (9

videos over 2 years) average of 7,428 views per video

Data as of February 19, 2017.

Social Media Assessment❖ Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have the largest number of

followers.❖ Twitter has the highest engagement rate, demonstrating that it is a

valuable resource to continue using and expanding. ❖ However, Facebook’s large number of followers damages

engagement rates; each Facebook post reaches over 3 million people, while only a few hundred to a few thousand people actually engage with each post.

❖ Pinterest is lagging considerably behind in terms of engagement; Steak ’n Shake should shut down the channel.

❖ Youtube has very few subscribers and, given that there have only been nine videos posted in two years, Steak ’n Shake should shut down the channel.

Data as of February 19, 2017.

Website Traffic Sources Assessment

Source Volume Percentage of Overall Traffic Conversion Rate

Twitter 30,000 website visits 27% 33%

Facebook 70,000 website visits 61% 43%

Instagram 12,000 website visits 11% 10%

Pinterest 250 website visits 0.2% 0%

Youtube 100 website visits 0.08% 0%

Data as of February 19, 2017.

For conversion rate, a conversion is defined as someone clicking on a menu or signing up for the Steak ’n Shake newsletter.

Traffic Sources Assessment❖ The site most successful at driving traffic to our main website is

Facebook, followed by Twitter. ❖ Instagram follows Twitter and Facebook as the next most

successful channel for driving traffic to our main website. ❖ Pinterest and Youtube are the least useful in this endeavor, as

they have the fewest number of followers and the lowest engagement rates on posts. This lack of engagement shows that these two media channels are not as useful as a resource.

❖ Our main website has links to our menus and our newsletter. Checking a menu or signing up for our newsletter can be seen as consumers taking intermediate steps before physically going to our restaurant.

Audience Demographics Assessment

Age Distribution

Gender Distribution

Primary Social Network

Primary Need Secondary Need

18-29: 45% 30-45: 39% 46-65: 13%

65+: 3%

Female: 47%Male: 53%

Twitter: 38%Facebook: 46%Instagram: 14%

Pinterest: 2%Youtube: 0%

The consumer’s primary need is good food at an affordable price.

The consumer’s secondary need is a family-friendly environment with

good customer service.

Data as of February 19, 2017.

Audience Demographics Assessment❖ For Twitter and Facebook, the two largest demographics are

college students and families (most notably parents), meaning that the largest age brackets for those sites are 18-29 years old and 30-45 years old.

❖ Men and women make up a similar amount of the audience base. ❖ Twitter and Facebook tend to be the primary social network for

most people in the 18-45 age range; however, the specific 18-29 age range brings Instagram as the next most popular social network. This means that Instagram has some room for potential growth.

❖ Youtube and Pinterest don’t have much traction with the current demographics, making them less useful to Steak ’n Shake’s overall social media strategy.

Competitors AssessmentName Social Media

Profiles Strengths Weaknesses

Johnny Rockets

FacebookTwitter

InstagramPinterest

Lots of professional shots of food.

Witty tie ins to Valentine’s Day (and related holidays).

Far fewer likes than Steak ’n Shake across all social media

channels; a smaller and/or less engaged fanbase.

In-N-Out BurgerFacebookTwitter

Instagram

Pretty and professionally done holiday graphics.

Human rights/social campaigns posted on

Instagram (human trafficking, for example).

Christian-specific holiday posts that may exclude other

members of In-n-Out’s fanbase.Generic and obviously reused

holiday posts (for example, Christmas and Thanksgiving

had the exact same post).Some users are posting political spam on a lot of posts, and In-

N-Out has not addressed or stopped these posts.

Data as of February 19, 2017.

Competitor Assessment❖ Overall, Steak ’n Shake is doing well, as it has the largest fan

base (determined by the number of followers on each social media page).

❖ Steak ’n Shake could learn from Johnny Rocket’s witty tie-ins to holidays such as Valentine’s day. (Johnny Rocket’s posted that it was in a relationship with food, and the image contained a beating heart).

❖ Steak ’n Shake could learn from In-N-Out Burger’s use of clean and professional-looking holiday graphics (however, Steak ’n Shake should either focus on general holiday messages or include holiday messages for multiple religious holidays, to avoid alienating fans).

Social Media Plan

Overall Social Media Objectives❖ Overall, our objective is to increase engagement with consumers

across all social media channels to position our brand better in the consumers’ minds.

❖ In accordance with our business goals, we want our customer service to motivate consumers to dine in our restaurants.

❖ If these consumers are new, we want to encourage their return to our establishment with a positive social media experience after their meal.

❖ If the consumer is already loyal to the Steak ’n Shake brand, we would like to continue providing good customer service to keep the consumer coming back.

Specific Social Media ObjectivesIncrease likes and shares/retweets on Facebook and Twitter by 40% in a year.

Regularly post to Facebook and Twitter for the next year twice a day with messages about affordable good food and a family-friendly environment to increase consumer awareness of our brand and to showcase our brand’s values.

Increase Twitter followers by 50,000 followers in one year.

Increase Instagram followers by 50,000 followers in one year.

Increase the number of regular posts on Instagram to two posts per day (one in the morning, one in the afternoon).

KPIs❖ Facebook

❖ Number of likes and shares on a post.

❖ Twitter

❖ Number of Twitter followers.

❖ Number of likes and retweets on a post.

❖ Instagram

❖ Number of Instagram followers.

❖ Number of likes on a post.

❖ Main Website

❖ Number of newsletter signups (indicates a growth in loyal customers)

Key Messages

❖ Highlight that Steak ’n Shake offers:

❖ good food

❖ affordable prices

❖ quality customer service.

Online Brand Persona and VoiceThis brand is:

Casual

Classic

Family-friendly

Approachable

Our online voice is:

Enthusiastic

Friendly A family-friendly Facebook post.

Social Media Strategies and Tools

Paid Strategies

Run Facebook and Twitter ads whenever there is a current promotion to generate awareness.

Run one Facebook and Twitter ad per month to promote the Shake of the Month.

Ensure that these ads include images and/or videos of families specifically to highlight the family-friendly atmosphere.

Earned StrategiesMonitor Facebook and Twitter for the following keywords:

Burger

Shake

Milkshake

Steak ’n Shake

Retweet and share some of the positive messages fans post regarding Steak ’n Shake. Humanize the brand with this type of personal contact.

Owned StrategiesRun a Facebook, Twitter and Instagram campaign from June 1 to June 30 where Steak ’n Shake customers post pictures of themselves enjoying their favorite Steak ’n Shake milkshakes with the hashtag #ShakeItYourWay.

Share and retweet as many positive pictures as possible. Especially retweet and share family pictures and children pictures to showcase Steak ’n Shake’s family-friendly nature.

Approved ToolsPhotoshop

To help create promotional materials

Premiere Pro

To help create promotional materials

Subscription to Shutter Stock (important for licensing)

To help create promotional materials

Buffer account

To help schedule regular social media posts

Timing and Key DatesTimeline of our overall strategy: one year.

Date Holiday Message

Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day Promote Steak ’n Shake as a low-cost, friendly date option

May 28 National Hamburger Day Encourage consumers to enjoy a burger

June 1 National Children’s Day Run a promotion where children eat free

June 20 National Vanilla Milkshake Day Run a promotion for vanilla milkshakes

Sept. 12 National Chocolate mMilkshake Day

Run a promotion for chocolate milkshakes

Nov. 23 Thanksgiving Promote Steak ’n Shake as a low-cost, easy alternative to cooking

Social Media Etiquette Guidelines

Social Media Roles and ResponsibilitiesMarketing Director: Alan Everston

Social Media Director: Amita Markison

Head of Customer Service: Millie Oddo

Social Media Team:

Facebook Manager: Don Lake

Twitter Manager: Charles Pendleton

Instagram Manager: Terry Brooks

Note: all names made up for the sake of this project. Real Steak ’n Shake team members not posted online.

Social Media PolicyOur social media channels are meant to be a beneficial resource to help improve our customer service. As a result, all employee social media interactions must be:

Polite–even when a customer’s interactions are not!

Positive, no matter the situation. Always put your best foot forward.

Helpful when a customer requires assistance; never leave a customer unhappy!

Family-friendly. Parents are reading our posts; keep them in mind. If you wouldn’t say something in front of a child, don’t post it.

Social Media Critical Response Plan

Critical Response Plan: Scenario One

A consumer has discovered contaminated food, and posted the pictures of it to social media.

(For example, contaminants can include hair, bugs or mold in the food).

Scenario One: Course of ActionNotify Amita Markison and Alan Everston.

Alan will call the store in question and discuss with the manager the necessary compensation requirements, and then update Amita on the compensation provided.

Amita will meet with Don Lake, Charles Pendleton, and Terry Brooks to discuss the appropriate social media response and to ensure that all social media channels provide a unified front.

Don, Charles, or Terry will directly respond to the original customer’s message, offering the approved compensation and reassuring the consumer of Steak ’n Shake’s standards.

If media begins reporting on the incident, allow Alan to handle all contact. Amita will handle all social media channels for the duration of the media’s involvement.

Alan to discuss with the manager of the store in question to see if disciplinary action against the employee who caused the contamination is required.

If disciplinary action is required and completed, Alan will report the action to the media as needed (if media has been reporting) or Amita will report the action to the complaining consumer on social media (if deemed necessary).

Scenario One: Pre-Approved MessagingPre-approved Messaging:

Twitter: “@[username]: we’re sorry to hear your experience was unsatisfactory! This is unacceptable to us. Please see [store manager name] for compensation.”

Facebook: “We’re deeply sorry that this unsatisfactory food was served. This is out of character for a Steak ’n Shake restaurant, and it does not live up to our standards. Please see [store manager name] for compensation–your meal’s on us! We’ll absolutely look into this incident to ensure this never happens again.”

Instagram: “We’re deeply sorry that this unsatisfactory food was served. This is unacceptable for us. [@consumer] please seek compensation from [store manager], and, rest assured, we will be looking into this incident to avoid this ever happening again.

Critical Response Plan: Scenario Two

A disgruntled customer makes multiple/repeated posts on social media about Steak ’n Shake’s poor customer service.

For example, this customer may cite a terrible waiter or waitress and long wait times for their food.

Scenario Two: Course of ActionCourse of action:

Notify Amita Markison.

Amita will meet with Don Lake, Charles Pendleton, and Terry Brooks to discuss the appropriate social media response and to ensure that all social media channels provide a unified front.

Don, Charles, or Terry will draft a message in response to the consumer’s original complaint. (Don drafts Facebook messages, Charles drafts Twitter messages, and Terry drafts Instagram messages).

If the disgruntled consumer has posted to multiple social media channels, have Amita review and approve of all social media messages to ensure social media channels present a unified front.

Don, Charles, or Terry will respond to the original customer’s message, asking for feedback to improve future consumer experiences.

If media begins reporting on the disgruntled consumer’s complaints, allow Alan to handle all contact. Amita will handle all social media channels for the duration of the media’s involvement.

Scenario Two: Pre-Approved MessagingPre-approved Messaging:

Twitter: “@[username]: we’re sorry to hear your experience was unsatisfactory! This is unacceptable to us. How can we improve? We're here to help!”

Facebook: “We’re sorry you were unhappy with your experience. How can we improve for next time? We welcome your feedback, and will work hard to ensure a better customer experience in the future!”

Instagram: “We’re sorry to hear your experience was unsatisfactory. How can we improve? We want to make your next experience better!”

Social Media Measurement

Website Traffic Sources Assessment (KPI Data)Timeframe: as of February 19, 2018

Source Volume Percentage of Overall Traffic Conversion Rate

Twitter 32,000 website visits+6.25% growth 29% 33%

Facebook 78,000 website visits+ 10.3% growth 66% 43%

Instagram 14,000 website visits+ 1.4% growth 5% 10%

For conversion rate, a conversion is defined as someone clicking on a menu or signing up for the Steak ’n Shake newsletter.

Social Network Data (KPI Data)Social

Network URL Follower Count

Average Weekly Activity

Average Engagement Rate(# interactions/reach)

Twitter https://twitter.com/SteaknShake?lang=en

466k+12.8% growth

14 posts per week 62%

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pg/steaknshake/about/

3,895,542+.76% growth

14 posts per week 4%

Instagramhttps://

www.instagram.com/steaknshake/

164k+28.6% growth

14 posts per week average of 1,700 likes per post

KPI Results Assessment

❖ The website traffic data indicates that there has been an increase in main website traffic driven by social media channels, with an increase in news letters sign ups.

❖ This suggests that there’s been a growth in loyal repeat customers.

❖ There has been an increase in followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram which indicates a growth in fanbase and potentially loyal repeat customers.

Data as of February 19, 2017.

As of February 19, 2018.

Sentiment AnalysisPositive Sentiment:

Consumers have posted positive Facebook comments regarding their favorite milkshakes and burgers.

Parents have posted about how much their children love to eat at Steak ’n Shake.

A mother described her family’s Steak ’n Shake dinner as bonding time.

Negative Sentiment:

Some customers reported long wait times for their food.

Some customers reported a lack of response from the customer service department and took to social media to complain.

Performance of Other Tools

Hashtag Performance of #ShakeItYourWay

Facebook mentions: 46,798

Twitter mentions: 35,869

Instagram mentions: 13,641

Timeline: Between Feb. 19, 2017 and Feb. 19, 2018.

Future Actions

Create more interactive social media campaigns with a focus on getting families involved.

Continue running paid social media ads to promote special happenings in Steak ’n Shake.