A	social	media	management	plan	for	
Panera	Bread	
Stephanie	Zajac	
2/17/2017
Execu@ve	Summary	
Panera	Bread	is	dedicated	to	serving	its	customers	in-person	
and	online.	Part	of	serving	our	customers	means	keeping	up	
with	social	media	and	ac@vely	engaging	with	our	followers.	
Our	plan	for	2017	outlines	a	spike	in	engagement	via	Pinterest	
and	Instagram	and	building	relevant	content	that	appeals	to	
our	target	audience.		
	
Two	major	strategies:	
1.  More	engagement	on	Pinterest	and	Instagram	in	order	to	
grow	our	followers.	
2.  Encourage	feedback	in	order	to	improve	what	is	
complained	about	and	to	maintain	what	customers	value.
Table	of	Contents	
1.  Social	Media	Assessment	
2.  Audience	Demographics	Assessment	
3.  Website	Traffic	Sources	Assessment	
4.  Compe@tor	Assessment	
5.  Social	Media	Objec@ves	
6.  Online	Brand	Persona	and	Voice	
7.  Strategies	
8.  Tools	
9.  Timing	and	Key	Dates	
10.  Social	Media	Roles	and	Responsibili@es	
11.  Social	Media	Policy	
12.  Cri@cal	Response	Plan	
13.  Measurement	and	Repor@ng	Results	
14.  Future	Ac@ons
Social	Media	Assessment	
Social	Network	 URL	 Follower	Count	 Avg	Weekly	
Ac:vity	
Avg	
Engagement	
Rate	
Facebook	 Link	 2,928,291	 4	posts/wk	 .05%	
Instagram	 Link	 284,000	 4	posts/wk	 1.8%	
LinkedIn	 Link	 55,354	 1	update/yr	 .20%	
Pinterest	 Link	 46,669	 3	posts/wk	 1.7%	
Twi^er	 Link	 439,000	 4	posts/wk	 .02%	
Assessment	summary:	At	present	@me,	the	highest	number	of	interac@ons	per	post	
occurs	on	Instagram.	Li^le	to	no	interac@ons	occur	on	Twi^er,	but	given	the	volume	
of	followers,	a	minimal	amount	of	interac@ons	is	insignificant.		The	company	
LinkedIn	has	an	average	amount	of	interac@ons	per	post;	however,	the	plaaorm	is	
rarely	used	and	does	not	reach	our	target	audience.
Audience	Demographics	Assessment	
Age	
distribu:on	
Gender	
distribu:on	
Primary	
social	
network	
Secondary	
social	
network	
Primary	
need	
Secondary	
need	
50%	18-30	 65%	Female	 40%	
Facebook	
10%	Twi^er	 Quick,	
cheap	food	
op@ons	
Casual	
atmosphere	
for	
socializing	
20%	31-40	 35%	Male	 35%	
Pinterest	
5%	LinkedIn	
15%	41-55	 25%	
Instagram	
15%	56-80	
Assessment	summary:	Half	of	the	survey	respondents	fall	in	the	18-30	age	group,	
and	65%	of	the	respondents	are	females.	Their	primary	social	networks	are	
Facebook,	Pinterest,	and	Instagram.	Cheap,	on-the-go	food	is	a	primary	need	for	this	
target	audience.	Advances	will	be	made	for	the	Pinterest	and	Instagram	plaaorms.
Website	Traffic	Sources	Assessment	
Source	 Volume	 %	of	Overall	Traffic	 Conversion	Rate	
Twi^er	 1,000	unique	visits	 5%	 2%	
Facebook	 10,000	unique	visits	 20%	 1%	
Instagram	 2,000	unique	visits	 5%	 .6%	
LinkedIn	 300	unique	visits	 2%	 .3%	
Pinterest	 550	unique	visits	 3%	 1.2%	
Assessment	summary:	At	this	@me,	Facebook	is	the	biggest	driver	of	traffic	to	our	
website.	Instagram	and	Twi^er	also	bring	followers;	however,	we	need	to	improve	
both	plaaorms	in	order	to	drive	more	traffic	to	the	sites.
Compe@tor	Assessment	
Compe:tor	Name		 Social	Media	
Profile	
Strengths	 Weaknesses	
McAlister’s	Deli	 Facebook	 Catchy	statuses,	
strong	presence,	
many	interac@ons.	
Frequent	updates	
on	menu	changes.		
Lower	quality	
photos.	
Starbucks	 Facebook	 Unique	aesthe@c.	
Lots	of	hashtags		
and	videos.			
Needs	more	photos	
and	updates	on	
menu	changes.		
Au	Bon	Pain	 Facebook	 Well-wri^en	bio,	
lots	of	photos	and	
videos.		
Lower	quality	food/
not	as	fresh	
Assessment	summary:	The	above	analysis	focuses	on	three	major	compe@tors	of	
Panera	Bread.	The	analysis	closely	examines	these	brands’	presence	on	Facebook,	
given	Panera’s	strong	presence	on	Facebook.
Social	Media	Objec@ves	
Objec:ve	#1:	Increased	
brand	awareness	through	
increased	retweets/shares	
on	TwiRer	and	Pinterest.		
Pinterest	posts	such	as	
this	one	are	successful	in	
appealing	to	our	target	
audience:	young,	working	
mothers,	families,	and	
students	living	on	a	
budget.	Panera	makes	
orders	customizable,	so	
we	will	use	Pinterest	to	
showcase	that	to	our	
target	audience.
Social	Media	Objec@ves	(con@nued)	
Objec:ve	#2:	Increase	Instagram	
followers	by	4,000	in	6	months.	
This	is	one	of	
Panera’s	appeals.	
The	restaurants	
are	casual	and	
suitable	for	sit-
down	or	to-go	
op@ons.	We	will	
use	Instagram	to	
adver@se	this.	We	
will	increase	
engagement	with	
trendy	blogs	in	
order	to	increase	
followers.
Social	Media	Objec@ves	(con@nued)	
Objec:ve	#3:	Increase	the	volume	
of	visual	content	published	on	
Instagram	and	Pinterest	by	25%	in	2	
months.		
	
Both	Instagram	
and	Pinterest	are	
the	top	social	
media	plaDorms	
for	our	target	
audience.	We	will	
increase	the	
volume	of	content	
published	on	both	
of	these.
KPIs	and	Key	Messages	
	 	 	 	KPIs:	
•  Number	of	Instagram	followers	
•  Number	of	Pinterest	followers	
•  Number	of	posts	to	Instagram	and	Pinterest	
•  Sen@ment	analysis	
•  Customer	feedback	analysis	
	
	 Key	Message:	
Live	consciously,	eat	
deliciously
Online	Brand	Persona	and	Voice	
Adjec@ves	that	describe	
our	brand:	
•  Trendy	
•  Customizable	
•  Comfor@ng	
When	interac@ng	with	
customers	we	are:			
•  Friendly	
•  Posi@ve	
•  Helpful
Strategies	
Paid:		
-Every	Monday,	create	2-3	posts	that	will	be	boosted	the	following	weekend.	The	following	Saturday,	boost	the	post	
with	the	highest	amount	of	interac@ons.	
	
Owned:		
-Promote	hashtag	usage	across	all	social	media	plaaorms,	and	engage	followers	in	the	Panera	snapchat	for	flash	deals.		
-Encourage	followers	to	post	Panera-related	pictures	to	their	social	media	plaaorms	in	exchange	for	an	entrance	into	a	
contest.	This	will	promote	the	brand	and	reward	loyal	customers.		
	
Earned:	
-Reach	out	to	health/wellness	bloggers	to	promote	Panera’s	healthy	op@ons.		
-Monitor	Instagram	and	Twi^er	for	these	keywords:	Panera,	healthy	living,	you	pick	two.	
Usage	of	
Panera	
hashtag.	
Men@oning	other	people/
accounts	to	boost	viewership
Tools	
Approved	Tools	
-  Hootsuite	
-  Radian6	
-  ViralHeat	
	
Rejected	Tools	
-	uberVU	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
Exis@ng	
Subscrip@ons/
Licenses	
-  Vimeo	
-  Photoshop
Holiday	Dates	
-  Mardi	Gras	
-  St.	Patrick’s	Day	
-  Labor	Day	
-  Easter	weekend	
Timing	and	Key	Dates	
Internal	Events:	
	
March	2nd	and	3rd:	
Dona@ons	drive	for	animal	
shelter	
	
April	13th	and	14th:	Food	
catering	to	Sorority	Row	
Repor@ng	Dates:		
Repor@ng	will	occur	bi-
monthly,	beginning	in	
January.	Repor@ng	date	
will	fall	on	the	last	day	of	
the	month.
Social	Media	Roles	and	Responsibili@es	
•  Chairman	and	CEO:	Ron	Shaich	
•  Marke@ng	Director:	Dacia	Henshaw	
•  Social	Media	Manager:	Ma^	Warren
Social	Media	Policy	
Panera	Bread	is	dedicated	to	serving	its	customers	in	every	way	possible.	This	can	be	
done	with	the	help	of	social	media,	which	is	designed	to	provide	informa@on	to	our	
customers	in	an	easy,	reachable	way.	Panera	Bread	will	encourage	and	incen@vize	
customers	to	provide	feedback,	so	that	the	company	can	constantly	be	improving	
itself.	We	strive	to	maintain	a	happy	and	ac@ve	social	media	environment	for	all	
customers.	This	can	be	done	by	complying	to	the	following	guidelines:	
	
•  Communicate	with	punctuality	and	efficiency.	
•  Use	word	of	mouth	to	gain	social	media	support.	
•  Always	be	op@mis@c	and	helpful.	
•  Engage	with	the	audience	--	ask	lots	of	ques@ons	and	promote	feedback!	
•  Don’t	be	defensive.	The	customer	is	always	our	main	priority.		
•  Avoid	use	of	slang	and	try	to	keep	everything	professional.	
•  Show	your	love	for	Panera!
Cri@cal	Response	Plan	
Scenario	1:	Influx	of	complaints	about	poor	management	at	
several	Panera	Bread	loca@ons	–	complaints	arise	via	Twi^er.		
	
1.  Alert	Ma^	Warren	(Social	Media	Manager)	with	a	screenshot	of	some	of	the	tweets.		
2.  Dacia	Henshaw	(Marke@ng	Director)	and	her	team	organizes	a	generic,	but	apologe@c	
response	to	the	tweets.		
3.  Individual	workers	on	the	marke@ng	teams	will	treat	this	as	a	customer	service	emergency.	
Dacia	sends	out	generic	response	tweet	to	individuals	on	the	team.		
4.  Individuals	tailor	the	response	tweet	to	each	individual	customer’s	needs.	Respond	quickly.		
5.  Dacia	Henshaw	and/or	Ma^	Warren	target	and	consult	individual	Panera	restaurants	that	
have	received	nega@ve	feedback	and	schedule	management	mee@ngs.	
Pre-approved	messaging	for	generic	tweet:	We’re	sorry	to	hear	your	experience	at	Panera	has	
been	unsa@sfactory.	We	are	currently	consul@ng	the	management	team	at	____	branch	for	
further	inves@ga@on.	You	will	be	compensated	for	your	less-than-sa@sfactory	experience.	
Note:	This	message	must	be	tailored	to	each	customer’s	tweet.
Cri@cal	Response	Plan	(con@nued)	
Scenario	2:	Food	poisoning	from	avocados	at	
mul@ple	Panera	Bread	loca@ons.	
	
1.  Send	crew	to	alert	Ron	(Owner)	and	Ma^	(Social	Media	Manager).	
2.  Ma^	to	develop	plan	with	his	team.	Evaluate	how	many	social	media	men@ons	and	how	
many	loca@ons	have	been	affected.		
3.  Marke@ng	team	sends	out	responses	to	the	complaints.		
4.  Ma^	and	team	come	up	with	a	complementary	giq	to	compensate	for	the	bad	avocados.	
5.  Ron	sends	out	apology	video	via	Facebook,	Twi^er,	and	Instagram,	including	a	free	coupon	
for	all	customers.		
6.  Marke@ng	team	emphasizes	apprecia@on	for	customers’	loyalty	to	Panera.	
7.  Ma^	con@nues	to	monitor	social	media	men@ons.		
8.  Begin	inves@ga@on	for	be^er	place	to	buy	avocados.	Un@l	then,	no	more	avocados	on	the	
menu.		
Pre-approved	messaging:	None	for	this	scenario.
Measurement	and	Repor@ng	Results	
Quan@ta@ve	KPIs:	
•  Number	of	Instagram	followers	
•  Number	of	Pinterest	followers	
•  Number	of	posts	to	Instagram	and	Pinterest	
Qualita@ve	KPIs:	
•  Sen@ment	analysis	
•  Feedback	from	customers	 Source	 Volume	 %	overall	
traffic	
Conversion	
Rate	
Instagram	 1000	unique	
visits	+	18%	
growth		
15%	 2.4%	
Pinterest	 3000	unique	
visits	+	20%	
growth	
20%	 1.6%	
Facebook	 500	unique	
visits	+	7%	
growth	
9%	 2.0%	
Website	Traffic	Sources	Assessment
Measurement	and	Repor@ng	Results	
(con@nued)	
Social	Network	Data	
Social	
network	
URL	 Follower	
count	
Average	
weekly	
ac:vity	
Engagement	
rate	
Instagram	 Here	 285,000	 10	posts/
wk	
8%	
Pinterest	 Here	 46,700	 8	posts/wk	 6%	
Facebook	 Here	 2,929,000	 7	posts/wk	 7%	
Our	Instagram	following	has	grown	by	1000	followers	within	the	past	4	
months.	Our	pinterest	following	has	grown	by	60	followers	within	the	past	4	
months.	Our	facebook	following	has	grown	by	550	followers	within	the	past	4	
months.	We	surpassed	our	goals,	and	we	will	con@nue	to	gain	followers	by	
increasing	the	amount	of	posts	per	week.
Measurement	and	Repor@ng	Results	
(con@nued)	
Qualita@ve	KPIs-	sen@ment	analysis:	
	
•  Posi@ve	feedback	via	Twi^er,	Instagram,	and	Pinterest	
•  Marke@ng	team	has	followed	men@ons	of	Panera	and	
has	con@nuously	retweeted	customers’	Panera	posts	
•  Biggest	driver	of	nega@ve	sen@ment:	concerns	related	
to	individual	Panera	management.	Will	conduct	more	
management	workshops	to	avoid	this.	
•  Biggest	driver	of	posi@ve	sen@ment:	high-quality	
customer	service	via	social	media	plaaorms.
Future	Ac@ons	
•  Develop	and	implement	ac@ve	Snapchat	for	
Panera.	Snapchat	will	offer	flash	deals	and	will	
keep	millennials	updated	on	new	happenings/
events.	
•  Con@nue	catering	to	clubs/organiza@ons/
sorori@es	and	fraterni@es	
•  Further	develop	LinkedIn	and	gain	followers/
possible	future	employees
Live	Consciously,	Eat	Deliciously.		
Thank you!

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