Coaxum’s Seafood RestaurantAtlanta, GA

Social Media Strategy

Compiled by: Cold Storm Media

Executive Summary

Coaxum Seafood is seeking to increase sales by utilizing social media in their advertising. The company currently uses Facebook as it’s main social media presence and updates activity almost daily. When searching Instagram, the page does not have a heavy presence, but can be found using easily using Maps.

This plan analyzes the area of which the restaurant lies and also identifies methods through social media in order to appeal to the demographic. One of the largest demographics of the area are Hispanics.. Of course this isn’t a Mexican restaurant, but this report outlines how to gain these other cultures through social media and also different dishes that fuses the cultures.

The report will touch on the following subjects:

● Population of the environment● Demographics● Market Categories● SWOT Analysis● Social Media

With so many Hispanics in the area, it may be difficult to market to them directly as strictly seafood restaurant. In order to gain their attention, you have to cater to them indirectly through what the restaurant offers. Later in the report, we will discuss potential dishes that could appeal to the culture.

The area also has a surplus of young families who constantly use social media everyday. Although we aren’t marketing to kids, using the kids of the the people who eat at the restaurant could possibly gain large exposure to the restaurant. The area has a huge population of children, meaning a huge population of parents.

Keep in mind that for every one child there is two potential parents who could become new customers. One of the social media campaigns outlined in this strategy talks about how you can use the kid’s pictures in order to promote the restaurant.

Our goal is to attract more of the current demographic who enters the restaurant, about age 30 and up. This report will outline what appeals to that market, and methods in which to use social media to gain more prestige towards Coaxum Seafood.

Environmental Analysis

Population

Coaxum’s Seafood Spot is located on Peachtree Industrial Blvd near Interstate 285. Although there isn’t much within the area, it is surrounded by many consumers with a well enough income to become regular customers. The zip code of 30360 consists of both Dekalb and Gwinnett counties. The following analysis focuses not only on the city of Doraville, GA, but also on the other surrounding areas. Doraville only makes up a population of over 10,000 citizens, but the area of 30360 has over 15,000 citizens. The more people to analyze, the more people that can be targeted for the restaurant.

Almost 46% of citizens within the zip code of 30360 make an income ranging from $25K - $75K. Of the entire population for that particular area, 9% of them bring in an income of over $75K. From this we can see that the majority of individuals in this sector make enough to have an abundance of disposal income.

With many apartments surrounding the area, 44% of the population of 30360 choose to rent instead of purchasing a home. This could be a sign of high turnover in regards to the area. People aren’t necessarily sticking around for years, and choose to live there to build and then depart at a later age.

In regards to age, the largest age bracket is 21 -34 years old at 21% of the overall population. Interestingly enough, the second largest age bracket is the youngest bracket ranging from 0 - 9 years old. Senior citizens ages 65 and up make up the smallest age bracket at 9% of the population. With that being said, this is a sign of younger families with children being a huge part of the given area.

Although hispanics make up the majority of the population of Doraville, GA, the area in it’s entirety is mostly made up of both hispanics AND whites. Keep in mind we are analyzing the 30360 area and not just the city of Doraville. For the area, there are 5,872 whites and 5,726 hispanics. Blacks make up a small number of the area at over 1500 citizens. The pie chart on the next page gives a better synopsis in regards to the percentage of race.

Data above compiled from census.gov and city-data.com

Characteristics

After identifying who makes up the population, it is essential to find out more about the segment to gain knowledge on tendencies, leisure activities, and other characteristics. The following descriptions were compiled using a segment look-up tool that identifies specific things about the area of 30360. The different types of people who make up the segment have been grouped into individual categories with brief descriptions on each lifestyle.

Beltway Boomers● Upper Middle class Older age adults w/children● Most common vehicle is the Hyundai● Shops at stores such as Kohl’s and Macy’s● Age range 45 - 64● Social Media presence: Mostly Facebook

Kids & Cul-de-sacs● Upper Middle Class Younger age w/children● Online shoppers● High rate of Hispanic and Asian-American Families● Age range 25-44● Social Media presence: Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

New Beginnings● Low Income Younger Families● Traveled to the area to build a life ● Composed of singles with new career paths and divorcees who want new lives● Enjoys gospel and Essence Magazine● Age range 25-44● Social Media presence: Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn

New Money● Upper Middle Class Younger w/children● Own Employer’s stock● Multiple credit cards● College educated with management positions● Age range 25-44● Social Media presence: Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Twitter

When analyzing the characteristics above, one will notice one recurring theme…...KIDS. Every category referenced above has children involved in their lifestyle, which matches the age distribution of the population. When formulating advertisements and marketing plans, this can be taken into heavy consideration. We aren’t marketing to kids, but this can be used through social media in a creative way.

With the Hispanic population being such a large segment, it is essential to make them an essential part of certain advertisements and things done at the restaurant. This is a seafood and low-country restaurant, so we will keep up with the theme while maintaining an eye on the Hispanic population. Many of the Hispanics of this area have a higher income, so many of them come to the area hoping to have new experiences. One way to do this is to incorporate menu items that can combine their heritage with the low-country them of the restaurant. Some potential items could include:

● A Creole Taco with Red Beans, Rice, and Spicy Shrimp● Low-Country Nachos w/ spicy crawfish, corn, Okra, Manchego cheese, and Mexican

Queso● Lobster Quesadilla w/ pickled red onion, jalapeno, white cheddar, and black beans

The items above are only potential items, but the talented chefs at Coaxum should be able to incorporate the low-country theme into common Hispanic dishes to attract the segment. In order to further promote these items, they can be paired with Mexican beers such as Tecate, Modelo, or Dos Equis.

SWOT Matrix

The following is a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) matrix to identify places to penetrate the market, and things to be weary of when executing the marketing plan.

Strengths Weaknesses

● The first restaurant is well-established● Notable public figures have visited● Right off of Interstate 285● Restaurant is within a high-income

area● Food already has good reputation● Strong presence in black community● A great venue for local events

● Low level social media presence● On the outskirts of the main city● Low presence of white and hispanic

customers● No menu appeals to Hispanic culture● Basic kids menu● On website, events lack description for

potential newcomers

Opportunities Threats

● Large population of children ages 0-9● Large Hispanic population● Large White population● Social Media● Population of the area has a high level

of disposal income● Spring and summer months will bring

a surplus of travelers among I-285● Younger demographic enjoys various

activities

● Mexican restaurant opening within close proximity

● Low social media presence may cause other segments not to be aware of restaurant

● Restaurant can be easily missed upon drive-by if not aware of existence

● Atlanta is home to many known restaurants which brings high competition

The restaurant’s goal is to bring in even more people age 30 and up. With Coaxum Seafood’s first restaurant being so successful, you are at a better advantage to gain more customers to the restaurant in Doraville. With such a young demographic, social media will be the tool that will push sales to new levels, and spread the word of the restaurant. Social media will not only provide a community to the patrons of Coaxum Seafood, but also bring about a larger radius of potential customers.

Social Media

A great way that companies today utilize social media is through various campaigns geared towards their target market. For example, a Charlotte-based company called Kumelon Beverages promotes themselves by using people who indulge in the product. When they first began, they would offer a coupon to their food truck for those who shared their page on Instagram along with their hashtag.

For Coaxum Seafood, social media is what will stretch the outreach from local, to regional, to national. The following are potential social media campaigns that can be done while keeping in mind the market at hand.

Campaign #1: Coaxum Kids

Parents love bragging on their children’s accomplishments to other parents. They often times go to social media to take pictures of their children and spread the word on them making the football team or winning the spelling bee. Coaxum can be spreaded along with this success with the help of a small incentive.

Coaxum can use this concept to their advantage and apply it to social media. Parent’s hold their children’s accomplishments in high regard. They often times post pictures of their child’s achievements on social media to show how proud they are. Coaxum Seafood can run a campaign on Instagram and Facebook where the parents post the children’s achievement

along with the hashtag, #coaxumseafood. They must also share the restaurant’s page along with posting the hashtag. Whether it’s a young child making all A’s or an older child that just got accepted into a large University, Coaxum Seafood can use this to advance in social media.

The incentive can be something simple such as half off of an appetizer or 10% off the meal. The customer can just simply show the shared picture and shared page on their smartphone to the server and use it as a coupon. This will not only grow the restaurant’s social media page, but it will also show social responsibility amongst the community. But why stop there?

You can take this same campaign, offer an incentive just for participating, and make it into a contest. The parent with the most successful story will win a great prize such as $20 off their next meal, or something big such as a new television. Whether it’s a child making the honor roll, winning a science contest, or even having an awesome performance in a basketball game, when parents post these achievements, Coaxum Seafood will also be exposed in order to gain more customers and a stronger presence.

Campaign #2: Fifth meal half off

This campaign is a little more simplistic than the first. Whenever people visit restaurants, they often times take photos of their meals, especially the younger demographic. With so many younger to middle aged adults in the area, you can offer an incentive based off of their desire to share their life with the world. We want Coaxum Seafood to be a part of that life.

For every fifth meal posted on the customer’s social media page, it will be half off. Just like the first campaign, the customer can use their smartphone as the coupon. The customer must present the five meals and separate dates to the server upon their fifth visit by simply showing the server the uploaded pictures on their phone. They must share the fifth meal AND the restaurant’s page on their social media while in the restaurant in order to get the half off.

This will not only give an incentive for people to keep coming back, it will help gain more exposure to the restaurant. Many people will come back, just knowing that by the fifth meal it will be half off. If you aren’t comfortable with giving half off on the fifth meal, then you can do half off of the seventh meal, or even the tenth meal. But keep in mind that making a shorter road to the incentive may cause customer to come quickly as possible to get their prize.

Campaign #3: The Cajun Creole Trivia Giveaway

When analyzing the webpage of the restaurant, it discusses the origin of Creole cuisine and what was part of the cultural influences. Many people who have read it are enlightened on the culture and may choose to research further. Coaxum Seafood can use this curiosity to their advantage through a social media contest.

At the beginning of the week on the social media page, present a daily trivia question to be answered by those who follow the page. The questions can be based off of the Creole culture or even something about the restaurant. In order to enter the contest, they must follow the page, answer all of the trivia questions correctly, and share the restaurant’s page on their social media.

After the week is over, the restaurant will pick one random person who has met the requirements and give them a prize! The prize can be something as simple as a gift card to the restaurant, or even something major like a cash prize. The more people that participate, the more the page is

shared. The more the page is shared, the more people that will follow and try to win the contest, bringing in more and more consumers at a time.

Conclusion

Coaxum Seafood has the potential to be the go-to spot for everyone in the Atlanta area who desires that low-country cuisine they can only get in Louisiana. With the demographics of the area and the success of the first restaurant, there is great potential for growth not only in the community, but also notiriarty nationally.

Keep in mind that the area is full of young and successful families, an abundance of children, and a big Hispanic population. Once these markets are conquered, the possibilities of higher success are inevitable.