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It’s just as important to build strategy around a one off announcement than it is a 12-month campaign to ensure the news is clear to the public. This allows you to have a plan to maintain the momentum, so it’s not a one and done pop. In this blog post we are going to go over our experience announcing a national accolade to local communities.
Oftentimes, it’s easy to overlook the importance of local media. Especially in today’s digital age focusing on going viral or seeking shiny accolades like Bon Appetit’s ‘50 Best New Restaurants’ or Food & Wine’s ‘Best New Chef’. Don’t get us wrong, those are life changing announcements for a business! But we always like to stress at Resplendent that your local audience is who is coming in your door weekly. They’re supporting your new menu changes, connecting with your staff, choosing to celebrate their life milestones in your very dining room – they’re your core audience. We continuously build strong relationships with local journalists on behalf of our clients and our agency to boost brand recognition, foster community relations and amplify our client’s voice.
When it comes to a big announcement or launch, it’s important to have the right tools in place to sustain the awareness and local momentum of your concept. Whether it’s the opening of a new location or receiving an award or nomination, we recommend laying the groundwork weeks (sometimes months) before the news occurs.
In this particular campaign we’re highlighting, we got to announce a shiny national accolade locally! We worked with 21 Spoons outside of Richmond, Virginia, to announce their incredible recognition they received from Southern Living Magazine as ‘Best Locally Owned Restaurant in the South’. For Ann Butler, owner of the 12 table restaurant in Midlothian, Southern Living is her bible. So not only was this a remarkable honor in the media world, but a personal career milestone for the team. We engaged in a three-month local campaign to prepare for the announcement and worked to maintain buzz post announcement.
Our goal was to secure coverage about the announcement and diversify the restaurant’s audience. To achieve this, we targeted a mixture of digital, broadcast and print media, as well as influential bloggers in the city and presence in local events. We secured press in top publications in the region – from WRIC-TV (ABC Richmond) and Richmond Times-Dispatch to Roanoke Times. To ensure we were targeting different audiences to increase awareness, we partnered with The Richmond Experience to reach new audiences on social media as well as Yelp Richmond.
The results? This campaign saw nearly 20 million impressions from press hits throughout Richmond and Central Virginia. In addition to coverage goals and finding new audiences, we had an objective to secure the team’s participation in one of Richmond’s favorite experiential summer events – the Summer Supper Somm dinner series presented by Village Garden RVA. Check, check. We worked with David Hunsaker to ensure the restaurant was indeed a fit for the series, locking in their event spot on July 14. Overall, the brand awareness from this particular campaign maxed out 21 Spoons for dinner reservations throughout March, April and into May, and doubled their seatings from 40 covers to 80 on any given night.
While we service regional and national PR at our agency, we stand behind local media campaigns as a powerful tool for businesses and organizations to stay connected and relevant within their community. By engaging in a local campaign, you’re cultivating a strong and loyal customer base on behalf of your brand, and what we so delicately like to refer to as “getting the right butts in seats.”
Interested in learning more about how you can engage your local audience? Let’s chat! Shoot us an email at [email protected].
-Mel
Check out our work and its impact.
