This post is part of NRN's newsroom blog, Reporter's Notebook.
This summer’s new advertising-social media campaign at 156-unit Taco Cabana remains one of the most comprehensive that I’ve run into in the restaurant industry.
My report earlier this week couldn’t fully include all the information that I gathered during my research, which included a bit of time with Bon Qui Qui herself, the spokesman-actress-comedian Anjelah Johnson.
Todd Coerver, chief marketing officer for the San Antonio-based division of Carrols Restaurant Group, offered the harder side of social media in outlining some of the challenges of Taco Cabana's social media, which include:
- It requires a commitment to daily conversation. “You must have dedicated staff to post daily, keep the conversation vibrant and resolve issues with urgency,” he said in an email. “And you have to believe in the value of having that dedicated staff without the benefit of a defined ROI [return on investment].”
- You must keep the content fresh. “You have to be current and relevant in your online conversation,” Coerver said.
- You must keep restaurant teams on the same page. “Active communication with your teams is critical so they are aware of the online conversation and can play their role when the customer comes in for a visit - redeem special electronic offers, answer questions about a new product, etc.,” he said.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].
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