The Employer:
Berkeley Bowl Marketplace, a family-owned, gourmet grocer in Berkeley Califonia.
Objective:
The objectives here were multi-layered - firstly, there was a need to convince the powers that be at Berkeley Bowl that my experience in marketing and communications could be advantageous to the company in a role beyond the cashier position I had been hired to do.
Secondly to demonstrate, with little to no investment or support that social media has changed the landscape, and that marketing is now a necessary function that can help to drive awareness and elevate brand visibility.
Third, introduce customers to the eCommerce platform in an effort to improve sales in the middle of a global pandemic.
Fourth, to curate external-facing messaging thru social media and PR channels to re-introduce Berkeley Bowl to new customer segments, particularly during the pandemic.
Fifth to activate and manage previously unexplored revenue channels to aid in recovery from the fiscal impact of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Primary Challenges:
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Marketing efforts on any level are unfamiliar at the company, there is significant skepticism regarding the value of marketing programs.
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A Global Pandemic.
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Limited resources, no additional staff - any projects and executions need to be done without budget or staff support.
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No budget - due to the lack of familiarity with marketing as a business function, the challenge was to do the most with the very least.
Successes to date:
Though there is a formidable list of deliverables that need to be addressed, there have been some key successes that have happened so far;
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Launch of the new Berkeley Bowl website - the new site has custom content, updated regularly, and has been re-tooled to drive visitors to transactional pages.
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Launch of the Berkeley Bowl Gift Shop, selling gift cards and Berkeley Bowl branded items that can be purchased and shipped to recipients.
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Organic growth of the social media following by creating original content including videos and recipes
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Monetized social promotion
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Original content including editorial and photography
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New video content creation
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Increased engagement - new posts garner more than 10X the engagements over previous posts
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Recipe development for paid promotion
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Food styling and photography for branded promotion
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Reestablishing and developing relationships with external partners including local media partnerships which lead to high visibility organic coverage including the couple who took their engagement photos at Berkeley Bowl
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Development of new promotional opportunities for brands to promote their products to customers
Next up: Expansion of the marketing team, exploration of new platforms, growth, and development of the audience.
