Via Umbria Social Media Plan

1. 1525 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, DC 20007
T (202)333-3904 U http://viaumbria.com/
Via Umbria Final Social Media Plan
MEMORANDUM
From: Emily Borrello
CC: Via Umbria Social Media Plan
Main Objective
This plan will increase the sale of market items, café products, and scheduled events at Via Umbria and boost store
revenue by 20% in six months. This social media plan will help our company meet its mission of creating a family-
like atmosphere. Followers will feel like they are part of one common community through sustained engagement on
several different social media platforms. Via Umbria’s mission statement encourages customers “to come in, look
around and join us.” This plan facilitates sustained engagement with preexisting customers, while also appealing to
new customers through methodical outreach. This plan strengthens with your company’s mission and will increase
store revenue, both in the short and long-term.
Platforms
Facebook
Census
• 1,694 total page likes and 1,654 total page follows
• Post frequency: 10 posts/week (6 events)
• Average audience engagement with posts: 8 likes, 0 shares
• Strengths: Shares all of the blog posts from Via Umbria’s blog, shares all Instagram photos on Facebook,
photo content à have uploaded over 800 photos, utilized Facebook Live twice on March 2 (first time at 2:57
p.m.- 128 views and second time at 3:10 p.m.- 165 views)
• Weaknesses: Only posts to this platform when sharing a Facebook event, a Via Umbria blog post, or an
Instagram post, fails to share videos from Instagram, does not engage with followers in the comments (does
not utilize “like” or “reply” features), lacks content that encourages user engagement (no polls, surveys, or
questions), does not utilize the tagging feature in photos
Audience
• Store’s core target audience (Group 1): Middle-aged (45-65 years old) married and unmarried men and
women and married and unmarried men and women over 65 years old living in the D.C. metro area who are
shopping for food, their home/apartment, and/or want to plan a trip to an Italian vineyard; college-educated
individuals that make $75,000 or more per year; they have disposable income to spend on high-quality food.
They are the most likely to shop at Via Umbria multiple times a month, spend the most money during their
shopping trips, and participate in their store events.
• This core demographic uses Facebook more than other platform

2. 2
• According to a 2016 Pew Research study, 79% of all online adults (68% of all Americans) use Facebook
• 72% percent of all online adults between the ages of 50-64 use Facebook
• 62% percent of online adults 65 and older use Facebook, which is a 14-point increase from the 48% who
reported doing using Facebook in 2015
Goals
• Boost site activity by 50% and aim for an 75% increase in user engagement within the next six months
• Create specialized content that will appeal to our core demographic
Specific Strategies
• Utilize Facebook Live feature at least once a week
• There must be at least 2 promotional posts on every social media platform in the two days leading up to
the livestream
• Partner with Fabio Trabocchi (owner of Fiola, Fiola Mare, Casa Luca) for a cooking tutorial every month
• Partner with the Embassy of Italy and the US in Italy Facebook page for eventsà will appeal to
Group 1 interests and help company reach an international audience
• Utilize tagging feature on all photos and encourage customers in the photos (from events, etc.) to like, share,
and comment on the photo and photo album
• Advertise Facebook-only store sales (ex. 25% off all olive oil) for one weekend each month à will encourage
core demographic to like and share page
• Advertise higher-end store products (that Group 1 can afford) while also providing interesting insight and
answering customer questions
Return on Investment
• Facebook Audience Insightsà free
• Determine times of increased audience engagement, audience demographics, location and language
• Gaining insight on followers’ purchase activity will allow us to learn where they spend the majority of their
disposable incomeà could partner with these stores/companies
Twitter
Census
• Total of 2,687 tweets, 1,361 likes, 418 followers (following 304)
• Post frequency: 7 tweets/week (3 retweets)
• Average audience engagement with posts: 3 retweets, 3 likes (more engagement with retweets)
• Strengths: Shares all of Via Umbria’s posts from Instagram, advertises events, includes photos in most
original tweets (non-retweets), includes links back to the store website for events, utilizes GIFs and emojis
• Weaknesses: Twitter feed mainly features retweets and lacks original content, little to no audience
engagement, does not utilize surveys, polls, or screenshots
Audience
• Group 1 is not the focusà can appeal to our second target audience (Group 2)à University students and
young professionals (male and female); does not have a large amount of disposable income but they are
“foodies” and enjoy occasionally treating themselves to high-quality food; only shop at Via Umbria on
occasion but they have the potential to become loyal customers
• More 18-29 year old online adults (36%) use Twitter than 30-49 year olds (23%) and 50-64 year old online
adults (21%)
Goals

3. 3
• Create a strategy that differs from Facebook and appeals to a younger demographic
• Increase posts encouraging engagement by 30% and increase engagement by 20%
Specific Strategy
• Pose four engagement (non-promotional) questions weekly to followers
o Examples: “What does family mean to you?” “What is your dream Italian getaway?” “Have
you ever attempted to make pasta on your own? It’s easier than you think! Check out this
awesome how-to video.”
• Utilize relevant hashtags
• Engage with Tom Sietsema (food critic for Washington Post)
o Share his tweets/reviews about local restaurants
• Promote “Quick Questions with the Chef” series (see Snapchat)
Return on Investment
• Tweetreach would allow us to see potential reach, analyze impressions, and see how user
engagement changes over the course of the day
o Measures the number of people who could have seen a tweet
• I would also be able to see how top contributors are talking about any given topic
• $99/month with no contractà offers invaluable data we can’t get from Twitter Analytics
Instagram
Census
• 1,072 followers, 786 following, 490 total videos/photos (9 videos)
• Post frequency: 4 posts/week
• Average audience engagement with posts: 70 likes, 4 comments
• Strengths: Receives the most engagement of any platform, vast majority (about 90%) of the photos feature
food or drinks, about 10% of photos feature landscape photos of Umbria, increase in videos recently
• Weaknesses: No consistent posting pattern, does not always link back to Via Umbria website, tagging
employees in posts is not consistent, no consistent hashtags, does not engage with followers in comments
Audience
• Group 2à More 18-29 year old online adults (59%) use Instagram than 30-49 year olds (33%) and 50-64
year olds (18%)
Goals
• Adapt store content and market store events to appeal to a younger generation of shoppers
• Increase content by 30% and boost engagement by 45%
Specific Strategy
• Provide incentives by starting a monthly Instagram contest à Customers that shop at Via Umbria or attend
an event there can post a photo on their Instagram with the caption #viaumbriadc to be entered into a
monthly raffle to win a $30 gift certificate to Via Umbria
o If you visit Via Umbria multiple times, you can enter the contest multiple times
• Utilize the hashtag #viaumbriadc on every post and use relevant hashtags
• Work to create a series similar to Buzzfeed’s Tasty and post one video/week
• Engage with other D.C. foodie Instagram accounts (@eatthecapital, @dcfoodporn, @District_foodies,
@districteats)

4. 4
Return on Investment
• Iconosquare would allow us to see our engagement data (most popular posts, best time to post), as well as
receive insights about our followers
• We would be able to track and follow a hashtag’s performance
• We would be able to easily track our competitors and compare performances
• $261/yearà these advanced features would help take our best platform to the next level
Pinterest
Census
• 65 followers, 58 following, 9 different board, 241 pins
• Post frequency: Impossible to tell because there is no timestamp on Pinterest
• Average audience engagement with posts: 3 re-pins
• Strengths: Recent posts link back to site, 75% of their pins feature original content, variety in photo content
(food, landscape, store photos)
• Weaknesses: Many of the links do not work, very little engagement with followers (rarely re-pins photos)
Audience
• Primarily Group 1 because more 50-64 year old online adults and online seniors (65+) use Pinterest than
Instagram or Twitter
• In fact, 28% of 50-64 year olds use Pinterest and only 21% use Twitter
o These numbers are very similar to the amount of 18-29 year old online adults (36%) and 30-49 year
olds (34%) using Pinterest
o Would appeal to Group 2 but not target like Group 1
Goals
• Re-pin 40% more content and follow 30% more accounts over the course of 3 months
Specific Strategy
• Via Umbria will engage with their D.C.-area Pinterest followers by re-pinning at least 10 pieces of content
from their followers’ boards weekly
• Will follow all followers back until the following count reaches 500à help us gain more active followers
• Engage with Walks of Italy account (nearly 15K followers) à Re-pin their content and reach out so that they
will re-pin Via Umbria’s content, as well
Return on Investment
• Curalateà would provide in-depth data about pins, boards, interactions, and followers and uses image-
recognition algorithms that track how well a company’s content resonates with its content audience
• Allows companies to compare how their brand is performing in comparison to their competitors
o Rare find for Pinterest analytics
• Pricing available upon consultationà need to give some much-needed attention to this very visual platform
Snapchat
Census
• Would need to create this platform
Audience

5. 5
• Group 2à 56% of those 18-29 use auto-delete messaging apps, such as Snapchat, and only 13% of those
30-49 do
Goals
• Bolster reputation with Group 2 and invest time in this new and innovative platform
Specific Strategy
• Create weekly “Quick Questions with the Chef” series
• Each week, users will submit their questions for a Via Umbria chef online via Twitter
• The chef will choose his favorite question and answer it on Snapchat on Wednesday night
• The chef could answer this question in just one ten-second video if that’s all it requires or make it
a multi-video answer
• He would also be able to demonstrate any tools or techniques on video
Return on Investment
• Snaplyticsà provides data about one’s Snapchat story that one can see on Snapchat, such as
opens and screenshot, as well as data on completion rate (how many people watched the entire
story from the first snap to last snap)
o Very useful tool for a company that is just starting out on Snapchat
o They also provide an “open rate” which is a percentage of followers that actually engaged
with the story
§ Similar to an engagement rate
• $49/monthà a necessity to gauge how we’re doing on this new platform
Google+
• Will maintain a stagnant profile (with links to our other social media sites) to boost our search engine
optimization so that potential customers can find us easier on Google
Key Competitors
• Williams-Sonoma has really capitalized on the visual beauty of food and has an awesome Instagram.
o They post on Instagram very frequently, typically 3-4 times a day.
o They often respond to comments or concerns from their followers in the comments section of
Instagram. Their post frequency and willingness to engage with commenters is definitely
something that I want to bring to Via Umbria’s social media plan.
• While Dean & DeLuca has a lackluster Instagram, they have a strong Twitter account.
o They seem to tweet about 3 times a day, on average.
o While they do not engage with their followers as much as they probably should, they do a great
job of engaging with social media influencers, chefs with large online followings, and food
magazines and media outlets.
o While Dean & DeLuca does promote their store items and promotional sales, they also share
recipes from Bon Appétit and the New York Times.
o While I am sure Dean & DeLuca hopes that their followers buy the necessary ingredients for
these recipes from their stores, there is no direct link between Dean & DeLuca’s products and
the recipes that they share from third-parties.
o I think this is very inviting to consumers because it doesn’t seem like they’re trying to sell you
something new every minute. It seems like they care more about helping find the perfect recipe
than making sure you buy all of your food at Dean & DeLuca.
o I will definitely bring this holistic approach to Via Umbria’s social media strategy.

6. 6
Calendar
Monday, April 10
Outlet Time Content
Twitter 9:00 a.m. On the agenda for the week of #Easter: bottomless
brunch, egg decorating, & 4-course lamb dinner. Stay
tuned!
Twitter 10:00
a.m.
What’s your favorite #Easter tradition? We love egg
decorating! It’s fun and delicious!
Pinterest 11:00
a.m.
Create “Easter 2017” board and re-pin 10 Easter-
related images (Easter eggs, table spreads,
decorations, etc.) and post two graphics (one for Easter
egg decorating event and one for lamb dinner)
Facebook 1:00 p.m. Easter calls for something special. We are holding three
lamb dinner parties in a row this week! Have you
registered yet? http://viaumbria.com/italian-dinner-
parties.html
Instagram 4:00 p.m. (Posts graphic advertising lamb dinner) Have you heard
the good news? We’re having not one, not two, but
THREE four-course lamb dinners later this week…This
is not a drill. You can register online!
http://viaumbria.com/italian-dinner-parties/april-13-
italian-dinner-party.html
Snapchat 6:00 p.m. (Posts video in the kitchen with caption) Don’t forget to
submit your #QuestionsForTheChef on Twitter!! We’ll
be choosing our favorite on Wednesday afternoon!
Tuesday, April 11
Outlet Time Content
Twitter 10:00
a.m.
Expecting a lot of company this weekend? We just got a
new shipment of #IlMulino olive oil and #Tabarinni wine!
Instagram 11:00 am (post picture of newly stocked shelves) It’s that time
again! Come stock up on wine imported straight from
Italy!
Twitter 12:00
a.m.
Want to step up your burger game? We’re bringing in
@ScottDWeiss tmrw…check it out!
http://viaumbria.com/classes-demos/april-12-being-the-
butcher-burgers-and-brews.html
Facebook 3:00 p.m. For us, springtime means grilling out. That’s why we’re
bringing in our best butcher, Scott Weiss, to give us all
of his secrets on making the juiciest burger!
http://viaumbria.com/classes-demos/april-12-being-the-
butcher-burgers-and-brews.html

7. 7
Pinterest 6:00 p.m. Add four pictures of food in the store to “Umbria Eats”
board and three to “Umbria drinks”
Snapchat 7:00 p.m. (Posts video in the store with caption) Do you have any
food questions you’ve always wondered about? Submit
your #QuestionsForTheChef on Twitter!
Wednesday, April 12
Outlet Time Content
Twitter 10:00
a.m.
Hump day + Easter weekend = molto espresso
Twitter 11:00
a.m.
Is a burger a sandwich? We hope @ScottDWeiss will
have the answer tonight! http://viaumbria.com/classes-
demos/april-12-being-the-butcher-burgers-and-
brews.html
Twitter 12:30
p.m.
Is the thought of all of this Easter cooking stressing you
out? Check out the 4-course lamb dinner we’re hosting
Thurs-Sat!
Snapchat 1:00 p.m. (Posts photo of chef) Don’t forget to submit your
#QuestionsForTheChef online by 3!!
Twitter 5:00 p.m. We’re starving for dinner and can’t wait for the first 4-
course lamb dinner tomorrow!
http://viaumbria.com/italian-dinner-parties/april-13-italian-
dinner-party.html
Snapchat 6:00 p.m. Questions with the Chef series
Facebook 7:45 p.m. Short, 15-minute livestream of burger event to pique
viewer interest in non-Italian events
Instagram 9:00 p.m. (Post picture of burgers made at event) Yum and
done…what is your favorite kind of burger? Have you
ever tried an Italian themed on? Was it good?
Pinterest 9:30 p.m. Post three photos of burger event to “Umbria Eats”
Thursday, April 13
Outlet Time Content
Snapchat 11:00
a.m.
Did you miss our #QuestionsForTheChef series last
night? Don’t worry, we have another one coming next
week! Submit your questions on Twitter!
Twitter 1:00 p.m. No plans tonight? No problem! Come eat some delicious
agnello (lamb) and meet some new people!
http://viaumbria.com/italian-dinner-parties/april-13-italian-
dinner-party.html
Twitter 9:00 p.m. What’s your favorite Easter tradition? Decorating eggs is
one of ours. That’s why we can’t wait for our Easter egg
event on Sat.! http://viaumbria.com/classes-demos/april-
15-chocolate-easter-egg-decorating.html

8. 8
Facebook 9:00 a.m. Are you interested in learning more about tempering,
molding, and working with chocolate? All of the basics
(and more!) of working with chocolate will be covered
during our Chocolate Easter Egg decoration event!
http://viaumbria.com/classes-demos/april-15-chocolate-
easter-egg-decorating.html
Instagram 7:15 p.m. (posts picture of centerpiece lamb) We’re so ready…….if
you missed on out this dinner, there is still time to sign-up
for one of our 4-course lamb dinners on Friday and
Saturday!
Pinterest 8:00 p.m. Post 3 pictures of lamb spread and dinner to “Easter
2017” board
Friday, April 14
Outlet Time Content
Twitter 10:00
a.m.
Don’t forget to submit your question for next week’s
#QuestionsForTheChef here!
Facebook 11:00
a.m.
Are you intimidated by cooking #lamb? Many people are-
but you shouldn’t be! Come learn some simple
preparation techniques that will take your lamb to the
next level http://viaumbria.com/italian-dinner-parties/april-
14-italian-dinner-party.html
Twitter 1:00 p.m. The #lamb last night was delicious and we’re ready for
round 2!!
Twitter 3:00 p.m. Cheers to the weekend! Come out and enjoy a delicious
4-course meal tonight! http://viaumbria.com/italian-
dinner-parties/april-14-italian-dinner-party.html
Facebook 7:00 p.m. Start 20-minute Facebook livestream of the lamb dinner
Instagram 9:00 p.m. (Posts promo shot of Easter Egg Decoration event) After
all of this delicious lamb, I think we could all use un po’ di
più (a little more) chocolate in our lives! Good thing we
have our Chocolate Easter Egg decorating event
tomorrow at 3 p.m.!! We hope to see you all there!
http://viaumbria.com/classes-demos/april-15-chocolate-
easter-egg-decorating.html
Saturday, April 15
Outlet Time Content
Twitter 9:00 a.m. We’re still dreaming of the delish chocolate eggs from
yesterday! We’re one day away from #Easter! (posts
picture of chocolate eggs)
Facebook 10:00
a.m.
Decorating Easter eggs AND chocolate? That sounds like
a win-win…you don’t want to miss this event at 3 p.m.

9. 9
today!! There’s still time to sign-up here!
http://viaumbria.com/classes-demos/april-15-chocolate-
easter-egg-decorating.html
Twitter 1:00 p.m. Lamb not your style? Like sleeping in? Come dine like a
true Italian at our Easter brunch that starts at 1 tomorrow
http://viaumbria.com/brunches/april-16-bottomless-
brunch.html
Facebook 2:00 p.m. Buon (almost) Pascua! Whether you celebrate #Easter or
not, all are welcome to come learn more about the food
traditions that surround this special holiday in Italy tonight
at our last lamb dinner! http://viaumbria.com/italian-
dinner-parties/april-15-italian-dinner-party.html
Facebook 3:30 p.m. Start 20-minute Facebook Livestream of Easter egg event
showing guests making their chocolate eggs
Snapchat 4:00 p.m. Video of egg event
Instagram 5:00 p.m. (post picture of completed chocolate eggs) These might
start to replace hardboiled eggs in our house…what
traditions does your family have with Easter egg
decorating?
Pinterest 7:00 p.m. Post 10 pictures (eggs and people working on eggs) from
chocolate egg event to “Easter 2017” board
Sunday, April 16
Outlet Time Content
Twitter 9:00 a.m. Buon Pascua! Celebrate Easter with bottomless brunch
with your loved ones today at 1!
http://viaumbria.com/brunches/april-16-bottomless-
brunch.html
Twitter 10:00
a.m.
What is your favorite #Easter memory? All of ours have to
do with family!
Twitter 11:00
p.m.
It’s still not too late to sign-up for bottomless Easter
brunch! http://viaumbria.com/brunches/april-16-
bottomless-brunch.html
Instagram 12:00
p.m.
(Posts picture of mimosas/brunch being made in kitchen)
Scrambling to make last-minute brunch plans? We got
you. http://viaumbria.com/brunches/april-16-bottomless-
brunch.html
Facebook 1:30 p.m. (post picture of brunch room) We love celebrating this
special holiday with our Via Umbria family!! Buon Pascua!
Pinterest 3:00 p.m. Post 10 photos of brunch/brunch food to “Easter 2017”
board
Twitter 9:30 p.m. Dinner and then a movie? Why not a movie WHILE eating
dinner? #Moonlight http://viaumbria.com/movie-a-meal-
parties/april-18-movie-and-a-meal.html