Online Identity Management

Problem:

Shahrazad is a small Middle Eastern restaurant and market. Long established with the local Middle Eastern community, it has always been well-known for the quality, freshness, and authenticity of its products and food. However, it could not be supported by only its loyal Middle Eastern clientele. Shaharazad desperately needed to expand to the broader Salt Lake City area to stay afloat. The concerned owner approached Twistlab with some complicated problems: less than convenient location, small advertising budget, and lack of exposure in the broader community.

Solution:

After spending quite a bit of time in the restaurant, asking questions of the owner, analyzing the market, and working through the current situation, Twistlab came up with an aggressive three-pronged approach to attract new clientele to the store.

Social Media/Online Identity Management – Foodies are known for visiting places they hear about from other foodies. A great way to get referrals for new restaurants is by using social media. Sites like Yelp, Urbanspoon, Facebook, and Zabihah allow users to leave reviews about restaurants around the country. We designed QR codes and social media advertising inside and outside the restaurants to encourage patrons to leave reviews about their experience in the store. Table tents, for example, were placed on every table with QR codes that took the diner directly to the restaurant’s review page so they could tell users about the food, atmosphere, and service of Shahrazad.

Monthly Prizes – Putting reviews online often takes time and energy. We knew it would be important to incentivize users to leave reviews, but not to influence the result of those reviews. We decided to enter customers automatically into a monthly drawing for free food after leaving a review (good or bad) on one of the four sites listed above. We advertised the giveaways online and in store. The response was incredible and reviews began pouring in from clientele.

Loyalty Cards – Once new clientele began arriving, we knew it would be important to keep them coming back. We designed and printed customer loyalty cards that gave the users free food after a certain number of stamps. These are common at many local restaurants and they encourage customers to return regularly to the restaurants they enjoy.

Using a combination of the three tools above, Shahrazad earned a 98% satisfaction score on average in the four social media sites targeted. The influx of positive reviews attracted the attention of the sites (Yelp even reached out to offer free promotions and a free featured spot on its website due to the high ratings Shahrazad received). The store was also approached by the media and was featured in several local newspapers. Salt Lake Tribune staff members wrote a glowing article about Shahrazad about their positive experience. Overall, Shahrazad has experienced a 300% increase in traffic since the campaign began, and numbers continue to climb.

What They Said:

"I was incredibly worried about the future of my business. Growth was stagnant, and it was clear that something in my business model needed to change quickly or I would not be able to keep up with expenses. I was referred to Twistlab for assistance, and I am so incredibly grateful that I approached them. From the very beginning, they listened to me intently and never made me feel pressured to invest in things I didn’t think I needed. They shared their vision with me and presented me with what I thought was a solid plan of attack. The results exceeded my high expectations, and I still partner with them regularly to work on the growth and development of my business.”