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Opa Time’s Social

Media Strategy
2018

APRIL 30

Opa Time Restaurant


Authored by: George Konidas
Opa Time Social Media
Strategy 2018

A report identifying a social media strategy that can be adopted by Opa Time
Restaurant.

Prepared for Opa Time owners Peter and Eleni Konidas

May 1, 2018

Prepared by George Konidas


Opa Time Cashier

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Table of Contents
Memo ............................................................................................................................................ iv
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................1
Literature Review: Social Media in Business ....................................................................................2
Social Media Increase in Business ...............................................................................................2
Challenges ..................................................................................................................................2
Benefits ......................................................................................................................................3
Current State (Dialogue) .................................................................................................................3
Desired State (Dialogue) .................................................................................................................4
Customer Survey Analysis ...............................................................................................................5
Figure 1 ..................................................................................................................................5
Figure 2 ..................................................................................................................................5
Figure 3 ..................................................................................................................................6
Figure 4 ..................................................................................................................................6
Target Audience & Channel .............................................................................................................7
Target Audience .........................................................................................................................7
Channel ......................................................................................................................................7
Facebook Page & Content ...............................................................................................................8
Facebook Page Requirements .....................................................................................................8
Type of Content ..........................................................................................................................8
Time Relegation ..............................................................................................................................9
Preferred Time Investment .........................................................................................................9
Time Breakdown ........................................................................................................................9
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 10
Appendices ................................................................................................................................... 11
References .................................................................................................................................... 12
List of Figures
Figure 1 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
Figure 2 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
Figure 3 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
Figure 4 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6

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Opa Time Restaurant

Memo

Date: April 30, 2018


To: Peter & Eleni Konidas
From: George Konidas, Cashier
Subject: Pre-approved Proposal

Contained within this envelope is my report: Opa Time’s Social Media Strategy 2018.
This report outlines Opa Time’s implementation of an effective social media strategy.

Research Briefing

After extensive research I found areas that Opa Time should focus on when
implementing a social media strategy. Specific age groups and social media
applications will be crucial in providing customers with information that will enhance
their Opa Time experience. Upon my research I propose that Opa Time add a social
media account that can inform customers and help generate a deeper connection with
our customer base.

Requirements

Implementation of the following social media strategy outlined in my report will


require approval from both Peter & Eleni Konidas. Details about the importance of
implementing a social media presence along with the implementation process itself
will be addressed within the report.

I welcome any questions that arise while reading this report. My contact information
can be found down below.

Contact Information

Email: George.konidas@coyotes.usd.edu
Cell: 712-899-2655
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Executive Summary
Opa Time Mission Statement

Provide customers with a family-like experience through the deliciousness of our food.

Background

Opa Time Restaurant’s local presence provides its customers with a unique selection of
Greek and American cuisine. Expanding our customer experience will require Opa
Time to embrace social media as a medium to relay information to current and potential
customers. Owner Eleni Konidas has expressed interest in creating a social media
account stating, “A social media account would help our business provide information
that customers can access very easily” (P. Konidas & E. Konidas, personal
communication, April 20, 2018). Implementing a social media account is something that
will enhance the customer experience outside of Opa Time’s physical location.

Recommendation

After conducting primary and secondary research, Opa Time’s best course of action is
to implement a Facebook page. Customer surveys showed that Opa Time’s social media
platform should primarily focus on Facebook. Figures show, the data that was collected
can be found in the Customer Survey Analysis section. Secondary research helped
explain the importance of using a social media account to help build customer relations.
Other secondary resources indicated steps that would help maintain a successful social
media strategy. These steps focused on building personal connections with customers
through the content that was posted by other businesses.

Implementation

 Organize Information that will be included within Facebook page


 Construct the Facebook page following Luc Durand’s tutorial
 Refer customers to Facebook page e.g. word of mouth and table pamphlets
 Post at minimum two times a week
 Keep information up to date

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Literature Review: Social Media in Business
Social Media Increase in Business

Social media is a relatively new platform that reaches individuals electronically. R. B.


DiPietro et al. (2012) defines social networking as a service that allows users to create
connections with others that share interests, within a set platform. The increased role
social media plays in both American adults and businesses is used to build relationships
with consumers. Marketing researchers Sihi and Lawson (2018) argue that social media
usage has become an important marketing tool in American businesses as they have
found social media usage to increase from 7 percent in 2005 to 65 percent in 2015
amongst American adults (as cited in Perinn, 2015). Additionally, Sihi and Lawson
(2018) suggest organizations have ramped up their social media presence among
consumers. This can be indicated in their research through a survey that states, “…of
3,700 marketers, 66 percent of the respondents planned on increasing their use of
social networks…” (as cited in Stelzner 2015). Small and midsized businesses have
pushed to implement social media as Del Rowe (2017) notes that in a 2017 survey that,
77.6% of these businesses have used social media as a means of advertisement, which
is up from a 2016 survey of 73.2% (p.15).

Challenges

Most industries have begun to embrace social media but, R.B. DiPietro et al. (2012) has
identified that the restaurant industry has lagged behind in adopting social media as a
platform to communicate with consumers. Lepkowska-White (2017) suggests
restaurant owners are slow to implement social media because they do not feel
properly educated on how to manage it, along with the time it may take away from
performing other business operations. This can be expanded on by Schaupp and
Bélanger (2014) finding that, “A recent survey of small business shows that only 37
percent of respondents felt they were competent enough to deal with social media,
with others stating they needed more training (32 percent), had just enough skills (20
percent), or felt totally lost (11 percent)” (p.190 para. 1). Owners Peter and Eleni
Konidas most likely fall into the category of “felt totally lost”. When asked about some
of the challenges that have held them from launching a social media account Peter
Konidas responded, “I wasn’t born here (United States) and I just don’t understand
social media. That’s why I refer to you (George Konidas) when I come across it”
(Parenthetical Citation). According to Lepkowska-White (2017) one way to combat this
problem is to delegate a business’s social media to a capable individual(s) with certain
rights and restrictions the individual(s) must follow.
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Benefits

Businesses have found ways to use social media as Schaupp and Bélanger (2014)
acknowledge that small businesses that invest time in social media have largely
benefited by being exposed to a larger audience at a low cost. Additionally, Schaupp
and Bélanger (2014) claim, “small businesses can benefit from “earned media” or the
favorable publicity gained through promotion other than advertising… earned media
cannot be bought, only gained” (p.188 para. 2). Restaurants that have embraced social
media as medium of communication, have benefited through sales. In R.B. DiPietro et
al. (2012) survey of 55 restaurant managers, 17 or 31% of managers believed that
social media increased the number of customers, and 18 or 33% of managers also
believed that it increased revenues. One instance of increased revenues that DiPietro
et al. (2012) found was a Houston café that utilized twitter to express ideas and news,
noted a 20% increase in sales (as cited in Staff, 2009). Consumers also gain a stronger
relationship with businesses as DiPietro et al. (2012) finds that 56% of consumers are
positively affected when businesses communicate with them online. Mitchell et al.
(2015) believes that communicating a brand through customer interaction can lead to
(WOM) word of mouth advertising that creates brand awareness (p.1827). Lepkowska-
White (2017) notes that communicating with consumers may also lead to (eWOM)
electronic word of mouth. She mentions in her study that one local restaurant had
explained that a menu item can spread to an audience with the use of Facebook in 2
weeks (Lepkowska 2017).

Current State (Dialogue)


Opa Time has been serving Siouxland since June 1, 2010. In the seven years of business
Opa Time has yet to successfully navigate into the realm of social media. Opa Time
consists of one physical location that depends heavily on reoccurring customers as its
customer base. Customers receive basic information like business hours, menu items,
and prices at Opa Time’s physical location. Customers that search Opa Time through
Google receive inaccurate business hours, and prices. Additionally, customers that try
to reach Opa Time through Facebook are left with a page that hasn’t been updated
since 2011. This lack of maintaining accurate information online leads to confusion
amongst customers as noted by Eleni Konidas, “We receive anywhere between 5-15
calls per day, with customers asking about our business hours, menu items, and prices”
(P. Konidas & E. Konidas, personal communication, April 25, 2018). These calls may
occur during rush hours making it difficult for business operations to run smoothly
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given that only 2-3 employees are working at a time. Opa Time owners Peter and Eleni
Konidas have struggled to understand how to partake in social media with owner Peter
Konidas stating, “I don’t have a clue on how to use it. Growing up without it makes it
hard and not being able to understand the language makes it even more difficult” (P.
Konidas & E. Konidas, personal communication, April 25, 2018). When asked if they
would consider someone to run Opa Time’s social media account, both owners
explained that they would like it to be kept within the family, owner Peter Konidas
explained, “I wouldn’t feel comfortable having someone outside of the Konidas family
running Opa Time’s social media account. I really think that you’re the one to run our
social media account because I believe you can do it and I trust you the most” Eleni
Konidas explained a similar viewpoint answering, “I think it would be expensive and
risky to hire someone outside of the family. I feel more comfortable having you run our
social media” (P. Konidas & E. Konidas, personal communication, April 25, 2018). Both
owners feel incapable in sustaining a quality social media account. They have both
expressed that I would be the best option to maintain a social media account for Opa
Time. Customers deserve to be accurately informed on the basic aspects of Opa Time’s
operations. Opa Time’s current social media presence is inadequate in giving
customers accurate information along with online customer engagement.

Desired State (Dialogue)


Customer experience is a backbone that Opa Time prides itself on. Owners Peter and
Eleni Konidas have expressed their interest in implementing a functional social media
account. When both owners were asked what information they would like customers
to see online, owner Eleni Konidas explained that customers should have access to
basic information stating, “The menu and prices are the most important, but also
giving customers a better understanding of what Greek food is, because many
customers haven’t ever experienced Greek food” Owner Peter Konidas added to this
by explaining, “We’ve added new items to the menu like our broasted chicken and ice
cream. Many people don’t know this, and I believe social media can help communicate
our new items” (P. Konidas & E. Konidas, personal communication, April 25, 2018).
Owner Eleni Konidas values the power that social media possesses and hopes to gain
insight on her customers preferences, hopefully leading Opa Time towards a better
customer experience as she mentions, “Knowing what ideas customers come up with
on improving the restaurant is something that I’ve always wanted to know” (P. Konidas
& E. Konidas, personal communication, April 25, 2018). Owner Peter Konidas expresses
how valuable his customers are by explaining, “Customer support makes me feel
proud. I fixed Opa Time along with my wife, and to have another way like social media
to make them feel more welcomed is something I would love to do” (P. Konidas & E.
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Konidas, personal communication, April 25, 2018). Both owners are eager to
implement a social media account that can communicate vital information and the
values that Opa Time predicates itself on. Opa Time can implement a successful social
media account, by gaining a basic understanding of current customer tendencies,
targeting a specific audience, and developing and maintaining a social media account
that people can easily access.

Customer Survey Analysis


To better understand how
DO YOU USE SOCIAL MEDIA?
customer’s use social media to
interact with Opa Time I conducted Yes No

a nine-question survey of 50
customers from Monday April 9 to
No
Friday April 13. Customers that 22%
participated in the survey were
offered a free drink. The 50
customers that were surveyed had
a mean age of 35.8 years with a Yes
78%
median of 33 years. Of these 50
customers they were then asked if
they use social media. Figure 1
indicates that 78% of the participants use social media. This data explains Figure 1
that a majority of Opa Time’s customers use social media in some
capacity. This information helps
determine that Opa Time would
benefit by implementing a social
media platform to interact with
customers based on their
tendencies. As indicated in figure 2,
participant’s responses were then
broken down categorically by age
and whether they responded “yes”
or “no” to using social media. This
helps Opa Time identify what age
groups use social media the most.
Of the 50 customers that
participated, 18 or 36% were found to be between the ages of 20-29.
Figure 2
Additionally, customers within this age group, 16 of the 18 participants or
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approximately 89% had used social media in some type of capacity. Customers that
were between the ages of 30-39 made up the second largest group having 11 of the 50
participants or 22% of all customers surveyed. Of the 11 customers in this age group, 8
or approximately 73% indicated that they indeed use social media. Customers in all age
groups had indicated that a majority use social media. To determine the capacity to
which customers use social
media, those who replied “yes” How Often Customers Use
on whether they used social 20
Social Media (1-5)
media or not were then asked 18 19
on a scale of 1-5 how often
16
they use social media, 1 NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS
14
indicating “rarely” and 5
12
indicating “very often”. The
results represented in figure 3 10 11

show that of the 43 8

respondents, 19 or 44% 6 7
indicated they use social media 4
“very often”. Only 3 or 7% of 2 3 3
the respondents that do use 0
social media indicated they 1 2 3 4 5
RATING SCALE
“rarely” use it. 37/43 or 86% of
customers surveyed use social media at a capacity greater than or equal Figure 3
to “3”. Social media has many applications; to determine which
applications customers use, I asked them to select each application listed in Figure 4.
Customers replied that they
used Facebook at 78%,
followed by Snapchat at
42%, and Instagram at 38%
as indicated in figure 4. This
survey helped identify Opa
Time customer’s social
media tendencies. This
survey can suggest that
many of Opa time’s
customers are highly active
on social media primarily using Facebook. What this survey may lack is it Figure 4
was given during the week which does not consider the customers that
come in during the weekends. However, this survey is a good indicator on what age
groups and social media applications to focus on. Current and potential customers that
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are between the ages 20-39 should be Opa Time’s primary focus on when
implementing a social media account. Based off the survey data, Opa Time should
implement a Facebook page as it reaches many of our current customers.

Target Audience & Channel


Target Audience

Targeting a specific audience is vital for Opa Time to have a successful social media
account. Lepkowska-White (2017) indicates that many restaurants struggle to identify
a specific audience when using social media, leading them to target everyone. The
Customer Survey Analysis section helped identify that our customer audience had a
median age of 33 years, comparable with a 2016 estimate conducted by U.S. Census
Bureau of 34.2 years (Age and Sex 2012-2016, n.d.). Lepkowska-White (2017) suggests
that restaurants should target consumers who are between the ages of 20-49 or more
notably millennials, due to their high rate of social media use. She also finds that
millennials are more inclined to share information within a social media platform
primarily through Facebook (Lepkowska-White 2017). According to a 2016 U.S. Census
Bureau estimate, Sioux City, IA is home to 82,666 people, and of those 82,666 people
27,871 or 33.7% are between the ages of 20-44 (Age and Sex 2012-2016, n.d.). This is a
substantial portion of Sioux City’s population that Opa Time can target. In the previous
section, customers that were between the ages of 20-49 made up 76% of all customer
participants. This leads me to believe that Opa Time should focus on targeting
customers between the ages of 20-49 as it makes up a considerable amount of Opa
Time’s current customer base and potential customers.

Channel

Schaffer (2013) implies that having a social media presence on the right application(s)
are important towards creating a successful social media strategy. Previously, in the
Customer Survey Analysis section Opa Time customers were found to primarily use
Facebook. Facebook has no monetary cost to use, the only investment required for
Facebook is time. This leads me to believe that it would be in Opa Time’s best interest
to use Facebook to communicate with current and potential customers.

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Facebook Page & Content
Facebook Page Requirements

Opa Time’s Implementation of a Facebook page shall require several steps. The first
step is for both Opa Time owners Peter and Eleni Konidas to instill the duty of Opa
Time’s Facebook account to me. The second step is to create a brand-new Facebook
page while deleting the one that is currently in service. To create a new Facebook
page, Luc Durand (2017) step-by-step video instructs the creator to navigate to the
“create page” tab and select the “local business” label. Next, he instructs the creator of
the page to insert the following business information: business name, category
description, address, phone number. Additionally, he explains the importance of
keeping a newly created Facebook page private until it has been designed properly.
Durand explains that profile pictures must be a minimum of 180 pixels by 180 pixels,
cover photos also require a minimum size of 828 pixels by 315 pixels. Durand advises
that the creator add a description to the cover photo. Additionally, in Durand’s video
he notes that adding a brief description to the Facebook page itself is highly
recommended, this description cannot be longer than 155 characters. Later in his
video he describes the significance of having a user-friendly web address, to do this
Durand instructs the creator to click on the “Create Page @username tab” located
beneath the profile picture. He then recommends that creators should use their
business name for the username, but before doing so the Facebook page must have a
minimum of 25 likes (Durand, 2017). After following Durand’s Facebook page tutorial
Opa Time will have a interactable Facebook page that can communicate to current and
potential customers that use Facebook.

Type of Content

Upon completion of Opa Time’s Facebook page, Opa Time will need to identify the
type of content that is necessary for a successful page. Schaffer (2013) notes that
content distributed to followers should be purposeful to the user. Additionally,
Schaffer indicates that creating a personal dialogue with users enhances business to
customer interaction (Schaffer, 2013). According to Lepkowska-White (2017),
“Consumers desire an engagement on social media” (p. 328, para. 2). Lepkowska-
White indicates a mix of a personal and professional approach engages the most
customers. In a study conducted by, Sihi and Lawson (2018) found that when chief
marketing officers blended their personal and professional content, it led to more
consumer engagement. Lepkowska-White (2017) indicates another way to create
consumer engagement is by posting pictures on Facebook, finding that they earn more
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“likes”. DiPietro et al. (2012) found in a study that focused on the engagement of
Facebook posts indicated, posts that included an image received 136% more
engagement than posts that only included text. According to Lepkowska-White (2017),
she says, “…consumers most frequently comment on food, and then service
atmosphere, price, menu, and décor, in that order” (p.330, para. 1). DiPietro et al.
(2012) also identifies that restaurants receive higher customer engagement during the
afternoon hours.

Time Relegation
Preferred Time Investment

Opa Time must invest an amount of time that can allow for a reasonable amount of
time to prepare creative posts. In 20 face-to-face interviews of small restaurant owners
discussing the use of (SNS) social networking sites was conducted by Lepkowska-White
(2017) she noted in her Sample Description section, “Out of the 19 that manage social
media on their own, 10 restaurants spend 1-5 hours on SNS per week, four restaurants
devote 6-19 hours per week, and the remaining three spend 20-30 hours per week on
SNS” (p.330-331). Lewpokowska (2017) also notes it is important to understand a
businesses capacity to run a social media account. Opa Time owners have delegated
the role of running a social media account to me. I believe that an adequate amount
based off my capabilities and what is needed by Opa Time is 7-12 hours a week. This
allows me to have to enough time to create stimulating content and receive feedback
from both owners before posting. With this time span Opa Time should post at a rate
of 2 times per week.

Time Breakdown

All steps should be completed within a single day except, answering customer’s
questions should be continually worked on. Opa Time’s Facebook page should be
monitored daily.

 Step 1: Brainstorm ideas that grab customers attention (1 hour)


 Step 2: Create Facebook post and receive feedback from owners (1.5 hours)
 Step 3: Post on Facebook page and monitor interaction (1.5 hours)
 Step 4: Answer customer’s questions and repeat steps 1-4 (1.5 hours)

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Conclusion
This report has identified that the increasing number of businesses have benefited
from implementation of social media. Many business owners that do not implement
social media is due to not being technologically competent. Opa Time believes it’s best
course of action towards implementing a social media presence is to delegate the role
to me. I am willing to accept the role that Opa Time owners Peter and Eleni Konidas
have delegated to me. Opa Time’s implementation of a Facebook page will have to be
targeted to individuals between the ages of 20-49. This will allow Opa Time to focus its
resources on a target audience that makes up most of Opa Time’s customer base.
Facebook is Opa Time’s best choice to create an online platform for interaction and
engagement to occur between Opa Time and its customers. The time dedicated
towards Opa Time’s Facebook page is very low cost with a high return on investment.
The business world has embraced social media as a line of customer communication
and interaction. Facebook is a tool that can help Opa Time attract new customers from
a medium that has been increasingly growing in recent years. Opa Time is ready to
make true on its mission statement by developing a family-like experience with the
power of Facebook. Facebook is only the beginning of Opa Time’s social media
endeavors, as Opa Time grows so will its social media reach. With the support of the
entire Opa Time family, we can successfully implement a Facebook page that can
communicate and interact with current, and potential customers for years to come.

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Appendices
Opa Time’s Social Media Survey

1. How old are you? (age in years)


2. Do you use social media?
3. If yes how often: 1 being “rarely” 5 being “very often”
4. Which of the following social media apps do you use? (checkmark all that
apply)
5. Have you ever searched for Opa Time on the internet?
6. Would you use social media apps to discover information regarding Opa
Time?
7. Would you use social media apps to discover special offers at Opa Time?
8. Have you ever suggested Opa Time to anyone?
9. If yes, through what means? (checkmark all that apply

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References
Age and sex 2012-2016 American community survey 5-Year estimates [Fact sheet]. (n.d.). Retrieved
April 9, 2018, from
https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF
Del Rowe, S. (2017). SMBs Embrace Social Media Marketing, Study Finds. CRM Magazine, 21(2),
15. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier
Durand, L. (2017, September 13). How to create a Facebook business page - step
by step instructions [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=lAKEddOEd00
Konidas, P., & Konidas, E. (2018, April 25). [Personal interview by the author].

Mitchell, R., Hutchinson, K., Quinn, B., & Gilmore, A. (2015). A framework for SME retail branding.
Journal Of Marketing Management, 31(17-18), 1818-1850.
doi:10.1080/0267257X.2015.1063531
Robin B. DiPietro , Tena B. Crews , Cathy Gustafson & Sandy Strick (2012) The Use of Social
Networking Sites in the Restaurant Industry: Best Practices, Journal of Foodservice Business
Research, 15:3, 265-284, DOI: 10.1080/15378020.2012.706193

Schaffer, N. (2013). Maximize Your Social. USA Today Magazine, 142(2822), 52-53

Schaupp, L. C., & Bélanger, F. (2014). The Value of Social Media for Small Businesses. Journal Of
Information Systems, 28(1), 187-207. doi:10.2308/isys-50674
Sihi, D., & Lawson, K. (2018). Marketing Leaders and Social Media: Blending Personal and
Professional Identities. Journal Of Marketing Theory & Practice, 26(1/2), 38-54.
doi:10.1080/10696679.2017.1389240
Social media [Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.flaticon.com/authors/roundicons?order_by=1

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