Via Umbria Final Social Media Plan

MEMORANDUM

From: Emily Borrello

CC: Via Umbria Social Media Plan

Main Objective

This plan will increase the sale of market items, caf products, and scheduled events at Via Umbria and boost store
revenue by 20% in six months. This social media plan will help our company meet its mission of creating a family-
like atmosphere. Followers will feel like they are part of one common community through sustained engagement on
several different social media platforms. Via Umbrias mission statement encourages customers to come in, look
around and join us. This plan facilitates sustained engagement with preexisting customers, while also appealing to
new customers through methodical outreach. This plan strengthens with your companys mission and will increase
store revenue, both in the short and long-term.

Platforms

Facebook

Census

1,694 total page likes and 1,654 total page follows

Post frequency: 10 posts/week (6 events)
Average audience engagement with posts: 8 likes, 0 shares
Strengths: Shares all of the blog posts from Via Umbrias blog, shares all Instagram photos on Facebook,
photo content have uploaded over 800 photos, utilized Facebook Live twice on March 2 (first time at 2:57
p.m.- 128 views and second time at 3:10 p.m.- 165 views)
Weaknesses: Only posts to this platform when sharing a Facebook event, a Via Umbria blog post, or an
Instagram post, fails to share videos from Instagram, does not engage with followers in the comments (does
not utilize like or reply features), lacks content that encourages user engagement (no polls, surveys, or
questions), does not utilize the tagging feature in photos

Audience

Stores core target audience (Group 1): Middle-aged (45-65 years old) married and unmarried men and
women and married and unmarried men and women over 65 years old living in the D.C. metro area who are
shopping for food, their home/apartment, and/or want to plan a trip to an Italian vineyard; college-educated
individuals that make $75,000 or more per year; they have disposable income to spend on high-quality food.
They are the most likely to shop at Via Umbria multiple times a month, spend the most money during their
shopping trips, and participate in their store events.
This core demographic uses Facebook more than other platform

1525 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, DC 20007

T (202)333-3904 U http://viaumbria.com/
 According to a 2016 Pew Research study, 79% of all online adults (68% of all Americans) use Facebook
72% percent of all online adults between the ages of 50-64 use Facebook
62% percent of online adults 65 and older use Facebook, which is a 14-point increase from the 48% who
reported doing using Facebook in 2015

Goals

Boost site activity by 50% and aim for an 75% increase in user engagement within the next six months
Create specialized content that will appeal to our core demographic

Specific Strategies

Utilize Facebook Live feature at least once a week

There must be at least 2 promotional posts on every social media platform in the two days leading up to
the livestream
Partner with Fabio Trabocchi (owner of Fiola, Fiola Mare, Casa Luca) for a cooking tutorial every month
Partner with the Embassy of Italy and the US in Italy Facebook page for events will appeal to
Group 1 interests and help company reach an international audience
Utilize tagging feature on all photos and encourage customers in the photos (from events, etc.) to like, share,
and comment on the photo and photo album
Advertise Facebook-only store sales (ex. 25% off all olive oil) for one weekend each month will encourage
core demographic to like and share page
Advertise higher-end store products (that Group 1 can afford) while also providing interesting insight and
answering customer questions

Return on Investment

Facebook Audience Insights free

Determine times of increased audience engagement, audience demographics, location and language
Gaining insight on followers purchase activity will allow us to learn where they spend the majority of their
disposable income could partner with these stores/companies

Twitter

Census

Total of 2,687 tweets, 1,361 likes, 418 followers (following 304)

Post frequency: 7 tweets/week (3 retweets)
Average audience engagement with posts: 3 retweets, 3 likes (more engagement with retweets)
Strengths: Shares all of Via Umbrias posts from Instagram, advertises events, includes photos in most
original tweets (non-retweets), includes links back to the store website for events, utilizes GIFs and emojis
Weaknesses: Twitter feed mainly features retweets and lacks original content, little to no audience
engagement, does not utilize surveys, polls, or screenshots

Audience

Group 1 is not the focus can appeal to our second target audience (Group 2) University students and
young professionals (male and female); does not have a large amount of disposable income but they are
foodies and enjoy occasionally treating themselves to high-quality food; only shop at Via Umbria on
occasion but they have the potential to become loyal customers
More 18-29 year old online adults (36%) use Twitter than 30-49 year olds (23%) and 50-64 year old online
adults (21%)

Goals

2
 Create a strategy that differs from Facebook and appeals to a younger demographic
Increase posts encouraging engagement by 30% and increase engagement by 20%

Specific Strategy

Pose four engagement (non-promotional) questions weekly to followers

o Examples: What does family mean to you? What is your dream Italian getaway? Have
you ever attempted to make pasta on your own? Its easier than you think! Check out this
awesome how-to video.
Utilize relevant hashtags
Engage with Tom Sietsema (food critic for Washington Post)
o Share his tweets/reviews about local restaurants
Promote Quick Questions with the Chef series (see Snapchat)

Return on Investment

Tweetreach would allow us to see potential reach, analyze impressions, and see how user
engagement changes over the course of the day
o Measures the number of people who could have seen a tweet
I would also be able to see how top contributors are talking about any given topic
$99/month with no contract offers invaluable data we cant get from Twitter Analytics

Instagram

Census

1,072 followers, 786 following, 490 total videos/photos (9 videos)

Post frequency: 4 posts/week
Average audience engagement with posts: 70 likes, 4 comments
Strengths: Receives the most engagement of any platform, vast majority (about 90%) of the photos feature
food or drinks, about 10% of photos feature landscape photos of Umbria, increase in videos recently
Weaknesses: No consistent posting pattern, does not always link back to Via Umbria website, tagging
employees in posts is not consistent, no consistent hashtags, does not engage with followers in comments

Audience

Group 2 More 18-29 year old online adults (59%) use Instagram than 30-49 year olds (33%) and 50-64
year olds (18%)

Goals

Adapt store content and market store events to appeal to a younger generation of shoppers
Increase content by 30% and boost engagement by 45%

Specific Strategy

Provide incentives by starting a monthly Instagram contest Customers that shop at Via Umbria or attend
an event there can post a photo on their Instagram with the caption #viaumbriadc to be entered into a
monthly raffle to win a $30 gift certificate to Via Umbria
o If you visit Via Umbria multiple times, you can enter the contest multiple times
Utilize the hashtag #viaumbriadc on every post and use relevant hashtags
Work to create a series similar to Buzzfeeds Tasty and post one video/week
Engage with other D.C. foodie Instagram accounts (@eatthecapital, @dcfoodporn, @District_foodies,
@districteats)

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Return on Investment

Iconosquare would allow us to see our engagement data (most popular posts, best time to post), as well as
receive insights about our followers
We would be able to track and follow a hashtags performance
We would be able to easily track our competitors and compare performances
$261/year these advanced features would help take our best platform to the next level

Pinterest

Census

65 followers, 58 following, 9 different board, 241 pins

Post frequency: Impossible to tell because there is no timestamp on Pinterest
Average audience engagement with posts: 3 re-pins
Strengths: Recent posts link back to site, 75% of their pins feature original content, variety in photo content
(food, landscape, store photos)
Weaknesses: Many of the links do not work, very little engagement with followers (rarely re-pins photos)

Audience

Primarily Group 1 because more 50-64 year old online adults and online seniors (65+) use Pinterest than
Instagram or Twitter
In fact, 28% of 50-64 year olds use Pinterest and only 21% use Twitter
o These numbers are very similar to the amount of 18-29 year old online adults (36%) and 30-49 year
olds (34%) using Pinterest
o Would appeal to Group 2 but not target like Group 1

Goals

Re-pin 40% more content and follow 30% more accounts over the course of 3 months

Specific Strategy

Via Umbria will engage with their D.C.-area Pinterest followers by re-pinning at least 10 pieces of content
from their followers boards weekly
Will follow all followers back until the following count reaches 500 help us gain more active followers
Engage with Walks of Italy account (nearly 15K followers) Re-pin their content and reach out so that they
will re-pin Via Umbrias content, as well

Return on Investment

Curalate would provide in-depth data about pins, boards, interactions, and followers and uses image-
recognition algorithms that track how well a companys content resonates with its content audience
Allows companies to compare how their brand is performing in comparison to their competitors
o Rare find for Pinterest analytics
Pricing available upon consultation need to give some much-needed attention to this very visual platform

Snapchat

Census

Would need to create this platform

Audience

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 Group 2 56% of those 18-29 use auto-delete messaging apps, such as Snapchat, and only 13% of those
30-49 do

Goals

Bolster reputation with Group 2 and invest time in this new and innovative platform

Specific Strategy

Create weekly Quick Questions with the Chef series

Each week, users will submit their questions for a Via Umbria chef online via Twitter
The chef will choose his favorite question and answer it on Snapchat on Wednesday night
The chef could answer this question in just one ten-second video if thats all it requires or make it
a multi-video answer
He would also be able to demonstrate any tools or techniques on video

Return on Investment

Snaplytics provides data about ones Snapchat story that one can see on Snapchat, such as
opens and screenshot, as well as data on completion rate (how many people watched the entire
story from the first snap to last snap)
o Very useful tool for a company that is just starting out on Snapchat
o They also provide an open rate which is a percentage of followers that actually engaged
with the story
Similar to an engagement rate
$49/month a necessity to gauge how were doing on this new platform

Google+

Will maintain a stagnant profile (with links to our other social media sites) to boost our search engine
optimization so that potential customers can find us easier on Google

Key Competitors

Williams-Sonoma has really capitalized on the visual beauty of food and has an awesome Instagram.
o They post on Instagram very frequently, typically 3-4 times a day.
o They often respond to comments or concerns from their followers in the comments section of
Instagram. Their post frequency and willingness to engage with commenters is definitely
something that I want to bring to Via Umbrias social media plan.
While Dean & DeLuca has a lackluster Instagram, they have a strong Twitter account.
o They seem to tweet about 3 times a day, on average.
o While they do not engage with their followers as much as they probably should, they do a great
job of engaging with social media influencers, chefs with large online followings, and food
magazines and media outlets.
o While Dean & DeLuca does promote their store items and promotional sales, they also share
recipes from Bon Apptit and the New York Times.
o While I am sure Dean & DeLuca hopes that their followers buy the necessary ingredients for
these recipes from their stores, there is no direct link between Dean & DeLucas products and
the recipes that they share from third-parties.
o I think this is very inviting to consumers because it doesnt seem like theyre trying to sell you
something new every minute. It seems like they care more about helping find the perfect recipe
than making sure you buy all of your food at Dean & DeLuca.
o I will definitely bring this holistic approach to Via Umbrias social media strategy.

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Calendar

Monday, April 10
Outlet Time Content
Twitter 9:00 a.m. On the agenda for the week of #Easter: bottomless
brunch, egg decorating, & 4-course lamb dinner. Stay
tuned!

Twitter 10:00 Whats your favorite #Easter tradition? We love egg

a.m. decorating! Its fun and delicious!

Pinterest 11:00 Create Easter 2017 board and re-pin 10 Easter-

a.m. related images (Easter eggs, table spreads,
decorations, etc.) and post two graphics (one for Easter
egg decorating event and one for lamb dinner)
Facebook 1:00 p.m. Easter calls for something special. We are holding three
lamb dinner parties in a row this week! Have you
registered yet? http://viaumbria.com/italian-dinner-
parties.html
Instagram 4:00 p.m. (Posts graphic advertising lamb dinner) Have you heard
the good news? Were having not one, not two, but
THREE four-course lamb dinners later this weekThis
is not a drill. You can register online!
http://viaumbria.com/italian-dinner-parties/april-13-
italian-dinner-party.html
Snapchat 6:00 p.m. (Posts video in the kitchen with caption) Dont forget to
submit your #QuestionsForTheChef on Twitter!! Well
be choosing our favorite on Wednesday afternoon!

Tuesday, April 11

Outlet Time Content

Twitter 10:00 Expecting a lot of company this weekend? We just got a
a.m. new shipment of #IlMulino olive oil and #Tabarinni wine!
Instagram 11:00 am (post picture of newly stocked shelves) Its that time
again! Come stock up on wine imported straight from
Italy!
Twitter 12:00 Want to step up your burger game? Were bringing in
a.m. @ScottDWeiss tmrwcheck it out!
http://viaumbria.com/classes-demos/april-12-being-the-
butcher-burgers-and-brews.html

Facebook 3:00 p.m. For us, springtime means grilling out. Thats why were
bringing in our best butcher, Scott Weiss, to give us all
of his secrets on making the juiciest burger!
http://viaumbria.com/classes-demos/april-12-being-the-
butcher-burgers-and-brews.html

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 Pinterest 6:00 p.m. Add four pictures of food in the store to Umbria Eats
board and three to Umbria drinks
Snapchat 7:00 p.m. (Posts video in the store with caption) Do you have any
food questions youve always wondered about? Submit
your #QuestionsForTheChef on Twitter!

Wednesday, April 12

Outlet Time Content

Twitter 10:00 Hump day + Easter weekend = molto espresso
a.m.
Twitter 11:00 Is a burger a sandwich? We hope @ScottDWeiss will
a.m. have the answer tonight! http://viaumbria.com/classes-
demos/april-12-being-the-butcher-burgers-and-
brews.html

Twitter 12:30 Is the thought of all of this Easter cooking stressing you
p.m. out? Check out the 4-course lamb dinner were hosting
Thurs-Sat!
Snapchat 1:00 p.m. (Posts photo of chef) Dont forget to submit your
#QuestionsForTheChef online by 3!!
Twitter 5:00 p.m. Were starving for dinner and cant wait for the first 4-
course lamb dinner tomorrow!
http://viaumbria.com/italian-dinner-parties/april-13-italian-
dinner-party.html
Snapchat 6:00 p.m. Questions with the Chef series
Facebook 7:45 p.m. Short, 15-minute livestream of burger event to pique
viewer interest in non-Italian events
Instagram 9:00 p.m. (Post picture of burgers made at event) Yum and
donewhat is your favorite kind of burger? Have you
ever tried an Italian themed on? Was it good?
Pinterest 9:30 p.m. Post three photos of burger event to Umbria Eats

Thursday, April 13

Outlet Time Content

Snapchat 11:00 Did you miss our #QuestionsForTheChef series last
a.m. night? Dont worry, we have another one coming next
week! Submit your questions on Twitter!
Twitter 1:00 p.m. No plans tonight? No problem! Come eat some delicious
agnello (lamb) and meet some new people!
http://viaumbria.com/italian-dinner-parties/april-13-italian-
dinner-party.html

Twitter 9:00 p.m. Whats your favorite Easter tradition? Decorating eggs is
one of ours. Thats why we cant wait for our Easter egg
event on Sat.! http://viaumbria.com/classes-demos/april-
15-chocolate-easter-egg-decorating.html

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 Facebook 9:00 a.m. Are you interested in learning more about tempering,
molding, and working with chocolate? All of the basics
(and more!) of working with chocolate will be covered
during our Chocolate Easter Egg decoration event!
http://viaumbria.com/classes-demos/april-15-chocolate-
easter-egg-decorating.html
Instagram 7:15 p.m. (posts picture of centerpiece lamb) Were so ready.if
you missed on out this dinner, there is still time to sign-up
for one of our 4-course lamb dinners on Friday and
Saturday!
Pinterest 8:00 p.m. Post 3 pictures of lamb spread and dinner to Easter
2017 board

Friday, April 14

Outlet Time Content

Twitter 10:00 Dont forget to submit your question for next weeks
a.m. #QuestionsForTheChef here!
Facebook 11:00 Are you intimidated by cooking #lamb? Many people are-
a.m. but you shouldnt be! Come learn some simple
preparation techniques that will take your lamb to the
next level http://viaumbria.com/italian-dinner-parties/april-
14-italian-dinner-party.html

Twitter 1:00 p.m. The #lamb last night was delicious and were ready for
round 2!!

Twitter 3:00 p.m. Cheers to the weekend! Come out and enjoy a delicious
4-course meal tonight! http://viaumbria.com/italian-
dinner-parties/april-14-italian-dinner-party.html

Facebook 7:00 p.m. Start 20-minute Facebook livestream of the lamb dinner
Instagram 9:00 p.m. (Posts promo shot of Easter Egg Decoration event) After
all of this delicious lamb, I think we could all use un po di
pi (a little more) chocolate in our lives! Good thing we
have our Chocolate Easter Egg decorating event
tomorrow at 3 p.m.!! We hope to see you all there!
http://viaumbria.com/classes-demos/april-15-chocolate-
easter-egg-decorating.html

Saturday, April 15

Outlet Time Content

Twitter 9:00 a.m. Were still dreaming of the delish chocolate eggs from
yesterday! Were one day away from #Easter! (posts
picture of chocolate eggs)
Facebook 10:00 Decorating Easter eggs AND chocolate? That sounds like
a.m. a win-winyou dont want to miss this event at 3 p.m.

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 today!! Theres still time to sign-up here!
http://viaumbria.com/classes-demos/april-15-chocolate-
easter-egg-decorating.html

Twitter 1:00 p.m. Lamb not your style? Like sleeping in? Come dine like a
true Italian at our Easter brunch that starts at 1 tomorrow
http://viaumbria.com/brunches/april-16-bottomless-
brunch.html

Facebook 2:00 p.m. Buon (almost) Pascua! Whether you celebrate #Easter or
not, all are welcome to come learn more about the food
traditions that surround this special holiday in Italy tonight
at our last lamb dinner! http://viaumbria.com/italian-
dinner-parties/april-15-italian-dinner-party.html

Facebook 3:30 p.m. Start 20-minute Facebook Livestream of Easter egg event
showing guests making their chocolate eggs
Snapchat 4:00 p.m. Video of egg event

Instagram 5:00 p.m. (post picture of completed chocolate eggs) These might
start to replace hardboiled eggs in our housewhat
traditions does your family have with Easter egg
decorating?
Pinterest 7:00 p.m. Post 10 pictures (eggs and people working on eggs) from
chocolate egg event to Easter 2017 board

Sunday, April 16

Outlet Time Content

Twitter 9:00 a.m. Buon Pascua! Celebrate Easter with bottomless brunch
with your loved ones today at 1!
http://viaumbria.com/brunches/april-16-bottomless-
brunch.html

Twitter 10:00 What is your favorite #Easter memory? All of ours have to
a.m. do with family!
Twitter 11:00 Its still not too late to sign-up for bottomless Easter
p.m. brunch! http://viaumbria.com/brunches/april-16-
bottomless-brunch.html
Instagram 12:00 (Posts picture of mimosas/brunch being made in kitchen)
p.m. Scrambling to make last-minute brunch plans? We got
you. http://viaumbria.com/brunches/april-16-bottomless-
brunch.html
Facebook 1:30 p.m. (post picture of brunch room) We love celebrating this
special holiday with our Via Umbria family!! Buon Pascua!
Pinterest 3:00 p.m. Post 10 photos of brunch/brunch food to Easter 2017
board
Twitter 9:30 p.m. Dinner and then a movie? Why not a movie WHILE eating
dinner? #Moonlight http://viaumbria.com/movie-a-meal-
parties/april-18-movie-and-a-meal.html