1. Mel’s Hot Dogs
Burgess • Bonilla • Nikolich • Seaman • Streator

2. Background
● Originally opened in 1973
by Mel and Virginia Lohn
● Located near the USF
and Busch Gardens
● Serves Chicago style
Vienna beef hot dogs

3. Current Digital Efforts

4. Website
● Unpolished presence
○ color scheme
○ hot dog-shaped links
● Does not adapt to mobile devices
● No interactive map for directions
● Lower quality photo images
● Scattered links to Facebook, Yelp, and
TripAdvisor

5. Website
Mel’s Hot Dogs Current Website

6. Social
● Active on Facebook
○ 2,200 likes and 4,300 visits
● Easy to navigate with important links
○ menu
○ hours and location
● Engages users on a regular basis
○ quizzes and games
○ updated photos
● No Twitter or Instagram presence

7. Mobile
● Well manicured Yelp account
○ over 95 reviews and received a 4 star rating
● No ownership over Foursquare listing
○ over 1,200 people have checked in over 1,700 times
● Google Places is well maintained
○ hours, location, directions
○ photos
○ positive ratings and reviews

8. Search / SEO
● “Hot Dogs Tampa”
○ ranks first and holds 7 out of 10 spots on first page of
results
○ Google also holds Mel’s first 3 spots on Places widget
● “Mel’s Hot Dogs”
○ ranks first and holds all spots on first page of results
○ Google Places widget that features only Mel’s
○ on mobile the Places widget along with hours, phone
number and website are clearly listed

9. Key Insights
● Loyal customers buy 1.7 times per month
○ repeat customers comprise 68% of restaurant revenues
● Engaged customers spend 30% more
● 29.4% of people dine fast casual 3x per week
● People are influenced by
○ referrals from family and friends ( 32% )
○ emailed coupons ( 26% )

10. Competitive Analysis

11. Coney Island Sandwich Shop
● Historical hot dog shop
○ Located in St. Petersburg
○ Similar pricing to Mel’s
○ No website
● Does not rank in “Hot Dog Tampa” searches
● Well-reviewed by guests
○ Foursquare
○ Yelp
○ Google Places

12. Burger Monger
● Gourmet burger and hot dog restaurant
○ Tampa-based with similar pricing to Mel’s
● Great organic search rankings
● Well-maintained website
○ interactive directions
○ online ordering
● Active presence
○ Yelp
○ Facebook

13. Industry Best Practices
● Visually appealing website
○ Menu with pricing / nutritional information
○ Online ordering of food and merchandise
○ Up-to-date hours and contact information
○ Links to interactive directions and social media
● Active presence on social discovery services
○ professional photos of food and atmosphere
○ cohesive messaging and tone
○ up-to-date hours, phone, and menu

14. Strategy and Objectives

15. Strategy
“To engage customers through social media,
advanced search, and a custom web experience
using a cohesive tone and message to promote
Mel’s Hot Dogs as a classic Tampa eatery.”

16. Marketing Objectives
1. Increase Customer Base
● KPI: Number of new customers
2. Increase User Engagement
● KPI: Varies by medium
○ likes, shares, retweets, views, followers, etc.
3. Promote Brand Loyalty and Repeat Business
● KPI: Sales volume in dollars

17. Market Segmentation

18. Consumer Insights
● Students
○ want an affordable, casual option near campus
● Tourists
○ want an authentic Tampa dining experience
● Parents
○ want a family and budget-friendly meal

19. Audience Profile
Segment Profile Description
Ashley Brown, 22
She is a USF student seeking an affordable and
authentic dining experience within biking distance
of her apartment.
Mike Leto, 48
He is a middle-aged man seeking a nostalgic
dining experience similar to that of his childhood.
Jane Patterson, 32
She is a mother of three seeking a casual, family-
friendly dining experience that will please
everyone without breaking the bank.

20. Targeted Message
“Mel’s Hot Dogs offers a nostalgic dining
experience, quality food, and inviting atmosphere
at affordable prices within walking distance
of both USF and Busch Gardens.”
All communications will have
a playful, casual, and nostalgic tone.

21. Campaign Response
● New customers will
○ feel welcomed
○ enjoy the “throwback” atmosphere
● Loyal customers will
○ return on a regular basis
○ purchase Mel’s merchandise
○ become brand ambassadors

22. Recommendations

23. Mobile
● Professional photographer and copywriter to
create content for social discovery sites
● Simple and seamless mobile interface
● Two weeks needed to update mobile redesign
○ Single-column layout on smaller screens
○ Use of HTML5 tags
■ <address> and <tel>
● Google Analytics to measure results
● Budget: $200

24. Mobile
More on that later...

25. News Media
● Attract new customers and engage with existing
customers
● Event held July 23rd for National Hot Dog day
○ Hire a photographer & videographer to cover event
● Hire a copywriter to create a press release
○ PR sent to: tbo.com, cltampa.com, myfoxtampabay.com
● KPIs: customer acquisition and sales in dollars
● Budget: $200

26. News Media

27. Blogs
● Partner with four different Tampa Bay food and
lifestyle bloggers
● Include
○ review of food and atmosphere
○ pictures of food and restaurant
○ links to Mel’s website and contact information
● One post every quarter
● KPI will measure new customer acquisition
● Budget: $100 quarterly, $400 annually

28. Email
● Current Customers
● Every 1-2 months
○ tuesday mornings 10 AM
● Visually consistent with website
○ playful, casual and nostalgic tone
● Promotions
● Measure opens and clicks
● Budget: $600

29. Email

30. Location Marketing
● Food truck with twitter hashtag #MelsOnTheMove
● Use hashtag before launch to spark interest
● Truck will be branded with Mel’s signature colors
○ Social Media Logos
○ #MelsOnTheMove
● Mel’s will tweet weekly schedule of events
● Track followers, favorites and retweets
● Budget: $38,500

31. Location Marketing
@MelsHotDogs tweeting about a food truck rally

32. Website
● Full website redesign
○ professional freelance designer
○ hosted by weebly.com
○ two month timeline for redesign
○ Consistent tone and message
○ Flattened color scheme
○ Available on all devices
● KPI will be measured with Google Analytics
● Budget: $1,120

33. Website

34. Website

35. Search
● Maximize SEO to ensure Mel’s visibility to
potential customers
● Implementation of SEO adds 3 weeks to website
redesign
● Updated title tags and keywords
● Measured by direct navigation, referral and
search traffic and social media outlets
● Budget: $12,000

36. Online Advertising
● One the most effective ways to reach an
audience
● Will hire a Google Partner that specializes in
Adwords
○ Three different ads for the three target markets
■ students, tourists, families
● KPIs will vary by goal
○ PPC, Impressions, Clicks, CTR, Conversion data
● Budget: $6,000

37. Social Media
● Connect with potential and current customers
○ Cost-effective platforms
○ improved search results
○ playful, nostalgic, casual
● Post at least once per week
● KPIs will vary by platform
○ likes, followers, reviews, ratings, retweets etc.
● Budget: $4,800

38. Social Media
Twitter Facebook Instagram Google+

39. E-Commerce
● Existing customers
● Rebrand of merchandise webpage
● Addition of online ordering via Hunger Rush
● Payment services run by Square Up
● Similar color scheme as website
● KPI will measure sales volume in dollars
● Budget: $960

40. Budget
Mobile: $200
News Media: $200
Blogs: $400
Email: $600
Location: $38,500
Website: $1,120
Search: $12,000
Online Ads: $6,000
Social Media: $4,800
E-Commerce: $960
Total Budget for 12 Months: $64,780

41. Conclusion
● 3 objectives
○ increase Customer Base
○ increase User Engagement
○ promote Brand Loyalty and Repeat Business
● Consistency is king
○ playful
○ casual
○ nostalgic

42. Strategy
“To engage customers through social media,
advanced search, and a custom web experience
using a cohesive tone and message to promote
Mel’s Hot Dogs as a classic Tampa eatery.”

43. Marketing Objectives
1. Increase Customer Base
● KPI: Number of new customers
2. Increase User Engagement
● KPI: Varies by medium
○ likes, shares, retweets, views, followers, etc.
3. Promote Brand Loyalty and Repeat Business
● KPI: Sales volume in dollars