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Company Analysis – Princess Delivery’s Social Media Strategy

Executive Summary

The trends and research show that social media is an important tool to advertise to Millennials because they are influenced by online recommendations. This makes social media a strategic imperative for Princess Delivery because their target customers are university students. The problem, however, is that the business is ineffectively using social media to advertise to new customers. For example, the business has low engagement with their followers, the website has issues with formatting, and their platforms are not optimized for search engines. Therefore, MHJ Consulting is recommending that the business focuses on creating engaging content, expanding to other social platforms, and utilizing SEO strategies.

Introduction

The challenge for businesses in the digital age is to be able to integrate social media into their core marketing strategy. This is important because these platforms are more than just apps used for social networking and can be used to influence the purchasing behaviors of Millennials. Therefore, MHJ Consulting is here to help businesses with this problem by providing advisory services on their social media plan. This is an agency that was founded this year by three students – we have experience in search engine optimization and have helped a chocolate brand with their online blog posts. For this report, we will be addressing the management team at Princess Delivery to help improve the business’ social media strategy as an effort to acquire new customers.

The Importance of Social Media

The majority of Millennials in Canada use social media – 91.0 percent are on at least one social platform. Specifically, individuals between the ages of 18 to 24 represent the largest percentage of users on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. (Mai, 2018) For businesses, social media is more advantageous to promote to Millennials than traditional media because online recommendations have a large influence on their purchasing habits. The recommendations made on these platforms account for 26.1 percent of purchases across all industries (Bughin, 2015). For this reason, social media is integral to Princess Delivery’s marketing strategy because their target users, university students, fall under this demographic.

Research Methodology

The assessment of Princess Delivery’s social media strategy was separated into two parts: an online survey and an analysis of the business’ social media accounts. First, the survey was posted on a Facebook group for commerce students and asked participants yes or no choice questions about their social media habits and their experiences using food delivery services. There were no incentives and requirements to participate; however, consideration should be given for potential biases in the results due to the participants being sampled from an online group exclusively for business students. Furthermore. the latter section of the research entailed a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the business’ website, Facebook page, and Google search results.

The Results

The Survey

Exhibit A – the online survey (social media)

Exhibit B – the online survey (food delivery)

Social Media Analysis

Exhibit C – social media analysis (business website)

Exhibit D – social media analysis (Facebook page)

Exhibit E – Facebook analysis

Exhibit F – social media analysis (Google search)

Exhibit G – Google analysis

Analysis

The Survey

The responses revealed that social media is important to local students – all the participants are active on three or more platforms and 75.0 percent use social media for more than three hours a day. Also, the results showed that social media influenced the purchase decisions of 58.3 percent of all participants, which aligns with the research cited earlier.

Furthermore, food delivery was indicated as a frequently used service – 91.7 percent stated that they get food delivered at least once a month. This can be explained by Millennials having a lower desire to cook meals compared to older generations (Hanbury, 2018). The concern, however, is that only 33.3 percent use Princess Delivery, which is significantly lower than the 83.3 percent of participants that use a competitors’ app. From this, it is evident that the emergence of competitors in the local community poses a big threat to the business.

Social Media Analysis

The research revealed that the business’ current social media presence has far more negatives than positives. For Facebook, the business does not promote two-way communication – the texts are not tailored to their target audience and questions are not asked to encourage users to like, comment, or share the posts. This is substantiated in Exhibit E, which shows that the average number of likes and comments on the business’ last ten posts are 1.4 and 0.2, respectively.

The search engine analysis on Google indicated additional concerns. Specifically, when searching for delivery services using common keyword phrases, Princess Delivery was listed below all their major competitors. This is most likely due to ineffective SEO, such as having minimal backlinks from other sites (Mercer, 2011).

Summary

In short, within the small sample size, the research shows that social media and food delivery are important to local students. However, there are weaknesses to Princess Delivery’s social media strategy which prevents them from effectively reaching their target users. Therefore, the business should consider improving interaction with their followers, expanding to other platforms, and improving their off-site SEO to make their brand more visible online.

Recommendations

1. Improve engagement on Facebook

The level of engagement on Facebook can be improved by having messages that are tailored for university students. There should interesting content and questions should be asked to prompt users to like, comment, and share the posts.

Exhibit H – example Facebook post advertising a new contest

2. Create a Twitter account

The concise nature of Tweets makes Twitter the perfect platform for Princess Delivery to provide up-to-date information about the business’ delivery capacity.

Exhibit I – sample Tweet updating followers about potential delays

3. Collaborate with Instagram influencers

Having an Instagram account and collaborating with local influencers is an effective method to curate user reviews. The business should reach out to users on the platform with a lot of followers and provide them with an opportunity to review the service.

4. Improve visibility

To make the business more visible on search engines, the website should be formatted to be easier to read and to have a modern aesthetic. Also, there needs to also be an emphasis on improving off-site SEO, which can be done through backlinks. This means getting other platforms to reference Princess Delivery, such as local restaurants mentioning the delivery service on their own website.

Exhibit J – sample website of a restaurant promoting Princess Delivery

If the management team would like to have a follow-up meeting regarding the research and recommendations that have been presented, please contact ceo@mhjconsulting.com.

References

Bughin, J. (2015, July). Getting a sharper picture of social media's influence. Retrieved from McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/getting-a-sharper-picture-of-social-medias-influence

Hanbury, M. (2018, June 24). Millennials are cooking less and less, and it could cause a crisis for America's biggest food companies. Retrieved from Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/millennial-cooking-habits-threaten-general-mills-kraft-heinz-2018-6

Hof, R. (2015, March 3). How Do You Google? New Eye Tracking Study Reveals Huge Changes. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthof/2015/03/03/how-do-you-google-new-eye-tracking-study-reveals-huge-changes/#2f944ed63828

Mai, P. (2018, February 25). The State of Social Media in Canada 2017: A New Report From @SMLabTo. Retrieved from Social Media Lab: https://socialmedialab.ca/2018/02/25/state-of-social-media-in-canada/

Mercer, D. (2011, July 11). How to build traffic with back links. Retrieved from Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-build-traffic-with-back-links-2011-7

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An Analysis on the Social Media Strategy of Princess Delivery

MHJ Consulting

MHJ Consulting is an advisory agency that helps organizations integrate social media into their core business strategy. The firm was founded by three students from Queen’s University after taking a class on social media. From inception, MHJ Consulting has gained knowledge and experience in managing personal online blogs, creating app reviews, teaching search engine optimization, and has experience creating posts for an organic chocolate brand.

Introduction

Social media can be a powerful tool for businesses. For example, platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter offer organizations a relatively inexpensive marketing channel compared to traditional media. Also, social media can be used as a means for customer service, settling disputes, and reaching a targeted audience. Essentially, the ubiquitous nature of social media in society makes it a strategic imperative for businesses. Therefore, this research report will analyze the current strengths and weaknesses of the social media strategy of Princess Delivery and will provide the management team with recommendations going forward.

Princess Delivery is a business that provides home delivery to the community in downtown Kingston, Ontario. The business essentially acts as a personal delivery service that can fulfill orders for every restaurant and shopping outlet within the area. Furthermore, the current revenue model focuses on charging users with a flat delivery fee, which is paid upon the arrival of the driver. The target customers for the business are university students that want their fast-food, groceries, or other home essentials delivered directly to their doorsteps.

The Value of Social Media

This photo from Paige Cooper’s article about social media illustrates how many people were actively engaged on these platforms in 2018. The primary demographic that accounts for the majority of social media use, however, are millennials. Social media does not only serve as a tool for networking and entertainment for millennials – it also heavily influences their purchasing decisions. A study conducted by Adglow revealed that 47% of millennials say that social media impacts their purchases. This is relevant to Princess Delivery because their target audience are millennials in the downtown Kingston area. The business is currently competing with other delivery services, such as Uber and Just Eat, that are multinational corporations with an extremely sophisticated social media strategy. Therefore, the management team at Princess Delivery must strengthen their online presence to maintain their competitiveness in the local market.

Situational Analysis

Strengths

1. Princess Delivery Website

The website has sub-headings and concise descriptions which makes it easily scannable for readers.

Their homepage provides a list of restaurants that they are partnered with so that customers can decide where they want to order from.

The language on the website demonstrates that Princess Delivery has a good sense of their target audience.

There are applicable keywords, such as delivery, restaurants, and Kingston, which aligns with a strong on-site SEO strategy.

2. Facebook Page

Allows for practical messaging over Facebook.

Provides information about the business including hours of operation, phone number, email, and a backlink to their website.

Weaknesses

1. Website is under construction

The homepage is poorly formatted.

There is no navigation bar to explore other pages on the site.

2. Ineffective use of Facebook

Does not promote or encourage interactivity with their followers.

Facebook posts have minimal likes and comments despite having a high follower count.

Infrequent posting – last post was made in early February.

3. Google search results

The first result for Princess Delivery on Google is their low reviews.

The average rating is 2.4/5 based on 24 reviewers.

Princess Delivery is not shown in the “Golden Triangle” for local delivery search results.

Apps such as Uber and Just Eat appear above Princess Delivery.

4. Does not market well enough to their target audience

Princess Delivery should advertise themselves through electronic ads.

The business does not have a presence on major social media platforms.

Recommendations

1. Create a Twitter account

The Twitter account can be used to provide real-time updates on their work capacity.

For example, if the business is backlogged with pending orders, a short Tweet can provide followers with estimated wait times.

The real-time and concise nature of Tweets with their character limits would be the perfect channel for Princess Delivery to provide up-to-date information about their work capacity.

2. Create an Instagram account

This platform can be used to upload photos of the food from the most popular restaurants.

Having these photos with concise and engaging descriptions can be an excellent way to entice people to use the service.

Instagram is also a great way to get other people to share, like, and comment on the business’ profile/posts.

3. Improve On-site SEO

On-site SEO is a technique to get certain sites and pages to be ranked higher on users’ search results.

This can be achieved through reformatting the website, being more descriptive in the posts, and allowing on-site reviews of their service.

4. Improve Off-site SEO

Off-site SEO is a strategy to get other websites and sources to link back to your business’ page and social media accounts.

Princess Delivery should collaborate with popular local businesses to get them to mention and promote the service through their own platform.

Encourage followers to share posts made by Princess Delivery.

This can be done through a promotional event that offers a temporary discount for users that shared a certain Instagram post or for people that have the most creative Tweets using #PrincessDelivery.

Bibliography

Arnold, A. (December 22, 2017). 4 Ways Social Media Influences Millennials’ Purchasing Decisions. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewarnold/2017/12/22/4-ways-social-media-influences-millennials-purchasing-decisions/#2e0bd1bf539f

Cooper, P. (June 5, 2018). Social Media Advertising Stats that Matter to Marketers in 2018. Retrieved from: https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-advertising-stats/

Facebook. (n.d.). Princess Delivery. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/PrincessDelivery/

Harrison, K. (n.d.). How to use social media to build a better organization. Retrieved from: https://cuttingedgepr.com/free-articles/social-media/use-social-media-build-better-organization/

Kanabar, P. (n.d.). How Millennials Make Purchase Decisions {Infographic}. Retrieved from: https://www.adglow.com/blog/how-millennials-make-purchase-decisions-infographic

Peterson, L. (March 24, 2019). Role of Social Media in Organizations. Retrieved from: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/role-social-media-organizations-30678.html

Princess Delivery. (February 22, 2019). Princess Deliver Service. Retrieved from: http://princessdelivery.com/personal-deliveries/

Shaoolian, G. (December 6, 2018). How to Use Social Media to Get Millennials to Buy From You. Retrieved from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/323275

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Chocolate made with natural ingredients that you can actually pronounce.

Have you ever had chocolate made with ingredients that you couldn’t pronounce, such as polyglycerol polyricinoleate or soy lecithin? How about chocolate that contains vanillin, an artificial sweetener that tastes like vanilla, but oddly rhymes with villain?

If you said yes and are looking for a chocolate bar with delicious organic ingredients, we have the perfect solution for you!

Ciclo

This February, XOXO is introducing Ciclo – a new selection of chocolate bars that will not only satisfy your cravings but are also made with the best natural ingredients. Each chocolate bar is carefully prepared by one of our in-house chocolatiers to ensure that every bite is rich, luscious, and mouth-watering. Ciclo chocolate bars are also available in three flavours: milk chocolate, chocolate macadamia nut, and white chocolate.

This is a picture taken by Marco Verch of the milk chocolate Ciclo bar.

The best part is that we guarantee to exclusively use sustainably sourced cocoa beans and organic sweeteners. That’s right – no more lists of ingredients that look like it just came out of a chemistry textbook.

With Ciclo, you know that every ingredient is:

Non-GMO

Organic

Sustainably sourced

Certified by Fairtrade

Gluten-free

The following is a picture taken by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the cocoa beans that are used in our chocolate bars.

Our Mission & Values

The name, Ciclo, comes from the Spanish word for cycle, and was chosen to align with our mission of promoting sustainable agriculture. This means creating a responsible supply chain for our chocolate bars, as well as educating people on the benefits of organic ingredients and the problems impacting global agriculture.

Click here to learn more about the diminishing availability of fertile land.

The Three Pillars

We know that this is an ambitious goal.

Therefore, to show that our hearts are in the right place we have created three pillars that will help guide us through our journey.

1. Fostering a relationship with our suppliers in Peru

All of our ingredients are sourced directly from local organic farmers in Peru. This is to ensure that we are able to deliver an exotic flavour profile, while also receiving high quality natural ingredients. These Peruvian farmers even use an agroforestry system for their cocoa to ensure that they are grown sustainably. Our promise going forward is to continue to support this network of farmers in our mission to provide natural and sustainable chocolate bars to the world.

Here is a short video sharing the stories of cocoa farmers in Peru.

2. Donating along the journey

To maximize our impact, we will also be donating 10% of all our sales to SUCO, a Canadian agency that promotes sustainable agriculture in areas such as Haiti, Senegal, and Peru.

To learn more about this organization and if you’re interested in making a donation yourself, you can visit the following link: http://suco.org/en/.

3. Providing full transparency

From the farms, to our hands, and into your mouths, we want to make sure that you know where all of our ingredients are coming from. Therefore, we will provide full transparency in our process by labeling each chocolate bar with the farm that the ingredients were sourced from.

Join Us!

The first step towards a greener planet is enjoying a delicious Ciclo chocolate bar. We hope that we’ve convinced you to join our mission to make global agriculture more sustainable. You can find our chocolate bars in all major grocery chains throughout Canada and are also available for purchase online at www.ciclo.ca.

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Competitive gaming teams are using social media to win in the marketplace.

Imagine this – the Raptors are scheduled to play against the Warriors in the NBA finals at the Scotiabank Arena.

Would you be excited? I know I would be.

However, would you call me crazy if I told you that a video game tournament would be able to sellout the Scotiabank Arena well before the Raptors made it to the finals. Well I guess you better start calling me crazy.

A few years ago, Riot Games hosted the League of Legends championship at the formerly known Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Here’s the promotion video for the event.

For those of you that don’t know, League of Legends is one of the most popular games in the competitive gaming industry, also referred to as E-Sports. The fact is that there are other games, such as Fortnite, Overwatch, as well as Dota, that are part of a collective ecosystem built around turning gaming into a competitive event. There are always new tournaments for thousands, sometimes even millions of dollars, and is an industry that is constantly growing and becoming more lucrative.

See this article by The Verge on the $100 million prize pool for Fortnite.

For me, I am a competitive gamer at heart, and it puts a big smile on my face to see how big E-Sports has become in such a short period. To share a little bit about myself, I am currently a business student that is aspiring to have a career in the E-Sports industry. I have experience working for a gaming platform and am also leading the marketing efforts for an E-Sports club at my school. In short, I thought that starting this blog would be a great opportunity to inform professionals about the business landscape in this rapidly growing industry.

Click here to see a clip of me playing in an online tournament for Gears of War.

Delivering Value Through Social Media

First and foremost, the business landscape in E-Sports relies heavily on social media. It is a strategic imperative for these E-Sports teams to have a strong presence on prominent social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The most popular teams in gaming are Team SoloMid, Team Liquid, and Cloud9, and they all have massive followings.

I gathered this data myself by going through all the accounts for each team.

You may be asking, well why is social media so important and special for E-Sports? Isn’t social media important for all businesses?

Yes, you’re right that social media is important for all businesses; however, E-Sports is in a bit of a unique position, specifically in terms of their revenue model. The primary way these teams generate revenue is through b2b channels via corporate sponsorships and endorsements. The way it works is simple – viewership in E-Sports is primary comprised of millennials, which provide companies a direct channel to promote themselves to a young audience. Therefore, social media is crucial in E-Sports because it can be a quantitative measure of how many followers/fans you have, which in turn strengthens your value proposition to corporate partners.

See this article from Forbes that talks about revenue sources in E-Sports for more information.

These teams have also become incredibly savvy in their use of social media – they encourage a lot of engagement with their fans.

For example, look at Leffen, a professional gamer for Team SoloMid, and his daily interaction with his fan’s on Twitter.

All in all, I think E-Sports will continue to grow and there’s definitely a lot to takeaway especially in terms of their social media strategies.