FINAL Project 1, sm strategy

Taco Bell Social Media

StrategyAdrian Cibran

03/19/2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Executive Summary………………………………….Page 3

2. Social Media Audit…………………………………….Page 4

a. Social Media Assessment……………………..Page 4

b. Traffic Sources Assessment…………………..Page 5

c. Customer Demographics Assessment………………..Page 5

d. Competitor Assessment………………………………….Page 6

3. Social Media Objectives…………………………………….Page 8

4. Online Brand Persona and Voice…………………….Page 10

5. Strategies…………………………………………..Page 11

6. Timing and Key Dates…………………………Page 12

7. Tools & Social Media Roles and Responsibilities…….Page 13

8. Social Media Policy………………Page 14

9. Critical Response Plan…………………Page 15

10.Measurement and Reporting Results…………….Page 16

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY_________________Effective immediately, the company’s primary social media objective for 2017 will be to establish a robust and vibrant presence on Snapchat.

Building off of our wildly successful Cinco de Mayo 2016 “Taco Head” sponsored lens campaign – in which our lens was viewed an incredible 224 million times (making it Snapchat’s top campaign to date) – our efforts will be concentrated on boosting our immediate/current revenue numbers, as well as laying the foundation for increased market share in the future by fostering a highly engaged and loyal Snapchat fan base among heavy users ages 18-29, in addition to creating a base of loyal followers among un-engaged/infrequent users ages 25-44 (Snapchat’s fastest growing demographic). Name of the game: poaching wide swaths of users who’ve yet to be claimed organically by our competitors on this young platform. Long-term goal: become the brand with the most followers on Snapchat by 2020.

Strategies:1. Capitalize and organically build the funest brand

community on Snap from scratch while the opportunity still exists + publishing and curating hilariously quirky and clever content in the Reddit-esque fashion of humor (sarcastic, smart, sharp, dorky, over the top, ‘hipster meets troll/frat bro’) similar to what we already promote on Facebook and Twitter.

2. Solicit community-wide, “Real” engagement via a highly responsive/helpful and elite Snapchat customer service team operating 24/7 to help customers facing issues or just engage in genuine/substantive dialogue in order to forge lasting relationships + strategic usage of the hottest new branded lenses, filters, sponsored live story event features, and regularly hosting Snap contests giving away awesome prizes, deals, promo codes etc.

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SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT_________________The following is an audit of Taco Bell’s social media presence to date. It includes an assessment of all social networks, web traffic, audience demographics and a competitor analysis.

Social Media Assessment:Data as of March 19, 2017 Social Network

URL Follower Count

Average Weekly Activity

Average Engagement Rate #interactions/Reach

Facebook https://goo.gl/9si7nF

10,448,521 2-3 posts .00159%

Instagram https://goo.gl/RYLvBP

~1 Million 1 post 1.68%

Twitter https://goo.gl/5lsnLZ

1.8 Million 7 posts 1.5%

YouTube https://goo.gl/IDt2RJ

59,135 2 posts 2.33%

Social Media Assessment: At present time, the highest number of interactions per post occurs on YouTube, with an approximate engagement rate of 2.33%. Twitter and Instagram come out to around the same, with Facebook notably lagging (proportionally).

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Website Traffic Sources Assessment:Timeframe: Monthly average, January 2017 to February 2017 Source Volume % of

Overall Traffic

ConversionRate

Facebook 2,400,027 unique visits

20% 15%

Instagram 145,080 unique visits

14.5% 9.7%

Twitter ~49,000 unique visits

2.7% 1.4%

YouTube 334,483 unique visits

565% 165%Traffic Summary: At present time, YouTube is by far the highest traffic platform for the company, brining in 565% more non-subscribed viewers to the channel than subscribers.Demographics Assessment: Assessment taken in January/February 2017 via Hootsuite Analytics.

Age Distrib.

Gender Distrib.

Primary Social Network

Secondary Social Network

Primary Need

Secondary Need

70% 18-3420% 34-4510% 56-80

60% Female40% Male

77% Facebook6.5% Twitter3.35% Instagram1.60% YouTube

50% Twitter25% Instagram15% Facebook10% YouTube

Preferred social media channel due to content preference

Different but still appealing content

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Audience Demographics Summary: The grand majority, if not almost all, of our social media followers fall within the 18-34-year old millennial demographic, with almost all of them opting to use Facebook as their primary social network. Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, though populous, are almost negligible by comparison.

Competitor Assessment:Competitor Name

Social Media Profile

Strengths Weaknesses

Chipotle Grill Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube: @Chipotle

Extremely high production/cinematography/animation value to videos.

Extremely low engagement; i.e. 204 likes/27 vs. 2.1K likes and 400 comments. One-way, no company feedback

Moe’s Southwest Grill

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, G+ and Pinterest: @Moe’sSouthwestGrill

Superb HR photos of savory-looking menu items. Consistent content and voice. Relevant use of hashtags re. promotions and holidays.

Completely lacking relevant content; account is stock photos with cheesy captions. Zero Interaction with commenters.

McDonald’s Facebook: @McDonaldsUS Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr Spotify and Twitter: @McDonalds

Very strong description w/ CTA (none re. Taco Bell). Much higher concentration of video/gif content. Account cross-promotion. Exceptional two-way communication.

No glaring weaknesses to speak of. By comparison to Taco Bell, social media content is very bland and not funny nor enticing.

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Competitor Assessment Summary:The above analysis focused on three of Taco Bell’s major competitors with strong social media presences on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Sans critiques on particular account features, it’s important to note that two of the three have active accounts on G+, Pinterest, Spotify and Tumblr. *More research should be conducted to determine whether or not it’s in the company’s best interest to pursue these platforms, as many of Taco Bell’s engaged followers may also be active on these networks.

Analysis of our competitors brought to light the indisputable pull and advantage of extremely high-resolution video and product photography in enhancing the narrative storytelling of their brands, as well as formidably driving their engagement numbers – something we employ effectively, but not at the same production value.

Our analysis also highlighted comparatively lacking aspects of Taco Bell’s Twitter profile, which at present lacks a strong description or any call-to-action. Some of our competitors displayed a higher concentration of video/gif content, but matched us in the amount of account cross-promotion and two-way communication with commenters we practice. According to our examination, Taco Bell’s engagement rates are still monolithically higher than the competitors addressed here, as well as offering content that was/is significantly better received by the 18-34 year-old demographic. *Moe’s and Chipotle’s customer interaction rates are non-existent and one-way only; McDonald’s engages in good two-way communication, but not as vigorously nor as often as Taco Bell.

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Social Media Objectives___________________In 2017, the main focus of our social media strategy will be to tangibly boost revenue by driving large amounts of traffic to our restaurants, as a directly attributable result of our community terraforming efforts on Snapchat. To accomplish this, our priorities will be to aggressively grow our Snapchat follower base by migrating our current fan base engaged on our other social media, fostering large scale organic poaching of the infrequently engaged but rapidly growing 25-44 demographic that’s already on Snapchat, evangelizing the already stellar type of content we publish on all our other social media on a massive scale (by tailoring it specifically for Snapchat using it’s own features and functions), as well as instituting an elite and large customer service team hired specifically to ensure that 100% of our customer grievances/inquiries/dialogue go answered and addressed by an actual human being in a timely manner. The ultimate goals are to become “The” name in Snapchat customer service/relationship building, and to be the brand with the highest number of followers on the platform by 2020.

2017 Specific Objectives:1. Launch @tacobell Snapchat account by May 2017.2. Migrate 25% of all non-Snapchat Taco Bell Social Media

followers by December 2017.3. Solidify number of new unique visitors to the account to

50,000 people every month consistently by July 2017.4. Reach at least 3.7 million followers on Snapchat by January

1, 2018.5. Receive a 95% satisfaction rate from our users at the end

of a three-question survey offered at the end of the year.

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KPIs:1. Number of total unique views2. Number of story completions & screen

shots3. Number of weekly content (photo and

video posts) published4. EOY sentiment analysis5. Number of Snapchat followers6. Hashtags

Key Messages:1. A ridiculously entertaining, food/pop culture

meets relevant sketch comedy experience. 2. Free food promo codes and dank memes-type

place3. The funnest place to spend time on Snapchat,

with great deals and great content

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Online Brand Persona and Voice:

When interacting with customers we are –1. Dedicated2. Selfless3. Helpful

Adjectives that describe our brand -1. Dorky2. Sharp3. Trollish4. Hilarious5. Smart

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Strategies and Tools___________________Paid: Every day, sponsor the three most successful posts to pick up any stragglers or non-followers newly to be converted. Only posts with at least 45- 50% positive completion rates. Establish strategic partnerships with other brands using discover.

Owned: Adopt and aggressively push the hashtags #tacosnap and #tacochata across all Taco Bell social media platforms with a link to the new Snapchat page. Ask followers to repost, regram and start snapping the account. Migrate all our other followers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube via cross-platform promotion by publishing scan-able ghost avatar QR code posts also with direct links to the Snapchat sign-up page for (new users). Monitor Snapchat metrics using Snaplytics and Delmondo. Begin content evangelization. Start blasting out promo/discount QR codes to people for two free soft tacos immediately upon following the new account - *only applies to the first lucky 10,000 nationwide. Issue new lenses once per week, along with one video and one photo/text post daily – minimum.

Earned: Monitor all accounts using Hootsuite for keywords and terms Taco, Taco Bell, Taco Snap, #tacosnap and #tacochata. Contact internal list of press contacts.

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Timing and Key Dates___________________

Specific Dates:

May 31 - Launch @tacobell Snapchat accountJuly 31 - *TBD, Solidify the number of new unique visitors to the account consistently every month to

50,000 peopleJanuary 1 - *TBD, Reach at least 3.7 million followers on SnapchatDecember 10 - *TBD, Finish migrating 25% of all non- Snapchat Taco Bell Social Media followers December 28 – Close end-of-year a, three-question

sentiment analysis and begin measuring results

Holiday Dates:

January 1 - New Year’s Day January 15 - Martin Luther King, Jr. DayMay 5 - Cinco De MayoMay 28 - Memorial DayJuly 4 - Independence DaySeptember 3 - Labor Day (Long Weekend)October 8 – Columbus DayOctober 31 – HalloweenNovember 23 – ThanksgivingDecember 25 – ChristmasDecember 31 – New Year’s Eve

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Tools:

Approved Tools

Rejected Tools

Existing Subscriptions/Licenses

Snaplytics N/A BufferDelmondo Hootsuite

Tweet Deck

Social Media Roles and Responsibilities___________________Marketing Director: Social Ads Support:Adrian Cibran Hunter Whitehurst Jackie GuthartSocial Media Managers: Victoria Najmy Destiny Woods William JaneyAnna Molinaro Andy Hopson Social Media Coordinator: Customer Support/Social Media:Sally Greider Keiran SheridanJahi Khalfani Jacob AtemKeyla Ferraro Kemly Rodriguez

Elle Beecher

Bernard Marger

Kent Fuchs

Elena Castello

Geena San Miguel

Ralph Rivera Jacob Morrison

Eduardo Rijos

Olivia Bowman

Lauren Arfaras

Approved Tools

Rejected Tools

Existing Subscriptions/Licenses

Snaplytics N/A BufferDelmondo Hootsuite

Tweet DeckGoogle AnalyticsFacebook Analytics

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Social Media Policy___________________Social media is deeply rooted in every aspect of our daily lives. As an employee and brand representative of Taco Bell you are expected to comport your self respectfully online with poise and respect at all times. Please follow these rules while using company or private social media at all times.

Treat others with respect� Exercise your better judgment� Do not break the law� Talk about solutions, don’t dwell on problems� Be doting and attentive with customers� Be the polite and take the high road� Don’t mention the competition in a negative light� Publicize company events in a tasteful way� Don’t engage or instigate fights� Unsure if your current accounts are company-friendly? �

Consult before you tweet – we got your back

Taco Bell is highly invested in the appropriate use of social media by our employees. Violation of the Taco Bell social policy may result in corrective action, up to, and including, termination. You may also be subject to legal action, including criminal prosecution. The company also reserves the right to take any further action it believes is appropriate. Should you have any questions or concerns please speak to your Manager or anyone on the HR team.

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Critical Response Plan___________________Scenario 1 –Inappropriate Snap sent from @tacobell Snapchat

Action Plan

When Snap is detected:� Take screenshot � Delete Snap� Alert Destiny Woods (Social Media Manager). If Destiny is unavailable, alert Adrian Cibran (Marketing Director.) � Allow Destiny to develop appropriate follow up Snap, and Adrian to approve. � If media has picked up the Snap, Adrian to manage all direct contact. � Destiny and Adrian will then convene with employee responsible for publishing the Snap to see if disciplinary action is required.

Pre-approved messaging: NO PRE-APPROVED MESSAGING IN THIS SCENARIO

Messaging will be dependant on the nature of the Snap - to be developed by Adrian and Destiny. __________________________________________________Scenario 2 –@tacobell Snapchat hacked into

Action Plan

When scenario is realized:� Take screenshots � Alert Destiny Woods (Social Media Manager). If Destiny is unavailable, alert Adrian Cibran (Marketing Director.) � Allow Destiny to develop appropriate follow up Tweet publicly addressing situation and Adrian to approve. � If media has picked up the Snap, Adrian to manage all direct contact. Issue statement immediately, and schedule live tweeting press conference.

NO PRE-APPROVED MESSAGING IN THIS SCENARIO

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Measurement and Reporting___________________Quantitative KPIs –Reporting period: 3 monthsData as of September19, 2017

Snapchat Traffic Sources Assessment:Time Frame: Monthly average, June – August 2017

Social Network Assessment: Snapchat @TacobellData as of September19, 2017

Source Volume % of Traffic Conversion

Snapchat 300,000 unique visits + 25% growth

45% 39%

Story Completions & Screen Shots

Total Unique Views

Follower Count

Average Weekly Activity

Hashtag(s) engagement rate

100,000 : 69,000

3 million

1 million, 21 posts per week, + 11% increase

25%

Qualitative KPIs:Partial sentiment analysis (full analysis in December): 75% positiveData as of September 19, 2017*Survey of 3,000 followers on Snapchat

Hashtag Performance:#tacosnap and #tacochata were both mentioned 4,500 and 2,000 times respectively on Twitter as of date.