01 May The Hayden’s 2023 Annual Case Study
About The Hayden
The Hayden, located in San Antonio is an old-school new school diner with a deep love and respect for the classic Jewish delicatessen mixed with the charming southern vibe of a South Texas diner.
The restaurant has accrued regulars and tourists from all over Texas as well as a reputation for innovative new menu items. The menu combines South Texas foods with a Jewish flair. It was important to the owner, Adam Lampinstein, to incorporate his heritage into The Hayden.
After much success in the three years they have been open, they opened up a second location in June 2023. The eatery’s unique menu features dishes such as the Pastrami Sandwich, Crispy Brussel Sprouts, Matzo Ball Soup, Chicken & Potato Latke Waffle, and Pork Chop Schnitzel which culminated in their receiving an award for Best American in San Antonio Magazine’s Best of The City 2023 Competition. The Hayden serves brunch, weekday breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails. A few items on the menu are named after the sitcom Seinfeld, such as Elaine’s Big Salad, and the Ted Danson and Larry David Sandwich.
For more information about The Hayden, please view the website and social media links provided below.
The Hayden
4025 Broadway San Antonio, TX 78209
10003 NW Military Hwy #2115, San Antonio, TX 78231
(210) 437-4306
Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok
Project
In June 2021, The Hayden, a San Antonio-based restaurant, enlisted the services of Embark Marketing to amplify their digital presence and boost sales. The Hayden recognized the crucial role of digital branding in attracting a larger customer base. Following initial consultations, we identified that adopting an integrated communications approach would yield the most significant benefits. This comprehensive strategy encompassed the development and implementation of marketing strategies, content creation, social media management, Meta advertising, reputation management, public relations, and email marketing. Although our partnership with The Hayden spans three years, this case study focuses specifically on evaluating the annual success of their marketing initiatives from January 2023 to December 2023.
Strategy
In order to refresh the brand’s social media, we felt it was important to identify the brand’s look, voice, tone & feel. Then put heavy emphasis on developing new, engaging content through professional and organic photography & videography that was consistent with the brand’s unique identity. Finally, we implemented a digital ad strategy on Facebook & Instagram to help generate brand awareness, and promote special events.
Social Media Management
Strategy
In the pursuit of reshaping the restaurant’s social media presence, Embark Marketing focused its efforts on two key platforms: Facebook and Instagram. The strategic choice of these platforms aimed to engage the local audience effectively, catering to both regular patrons and incoming tourists. A pivotal aspect of this initiative involved defining the brand’s visual identity and distinctive voice. This involved prioritizing the creation of a mix of professional and authentic photography and videography that seamlessly aligned with the established brand identity. Additionally, a comprehensive digital advertising strategy was implemented across all social media platforms. This strategic approach not only sought to enhance brand awareness but also actively promote various events hosted by the restaurant.
Content Creation
Adapting to the evolving social media landscape and guided by internal research findings, Embark Marketing opted to utilize a blend of photo and video content that best resonates with showcasing the ambiance, cuisine, staff, and customers. The substantial growth of the accounts was also notably shaped by events hosted by The Hayden, such as remix menus, rotating seasonal menus, weekly specials, trivia, vendor markets, and various other engaging activities.
Social Media
Located in Alamo Heights and the Alon Town Centre, the San Antonio restaurant attracts a diverse clientele, spanning both younger and older patrons. Embark Marketing’s main goal was to boost engagement and broaden the follower base across all social platforms.
Between January 2023 and December 2023, the number of Instagram followers surged by 4,565 users, marking a 17.9% increase compared to the previous year. The level of engagement witnessed a substantial rise, reaching 39,308, reflecting a 59% increase from the preceding year. Impressions also experienced significant growth, reaching 2,200,172 and marking a substantial 12.1% increase from the previous year.
What does this mean? With the increase in followers on Instagram, evidence shows that the business continued to gain support from tourists & local patrons as we continued to provide engaging content with the increase in posting frequency.
Over the past year, The Hayden’s Facebook page grew by 5,563 likes.
What does this mean? The growth of followers on Instagram has played a pivotal role in The Hayden’s expansion, indicating loyalty from both existing and new patrons. Users actively engage with the regularly posted content, contributing to an overall enhancement in the business’s performance.
X (Formerly known as, Twitter)
Although our emphasis was not on X, we naturally shared content on the platform while posting on other platforms for SEO purposes. Over the past year, The Hayden’s Twitter followers saw a growth of 762 followers.
TIKTOK
Driven by TikTok’s increasing popularity, we were motivated to establish an account for the brand. Embark Marketing consistently posted 1-2 times per week, featuring video content created specifically for the platform. The Hayden’s witnessed a growth in followers by 31 users, accumulating 1,960 likes.
Reputation Management
In the food and beverage industry, it is crucial to maintain a brand’s digital presence on review platforms such as Yelp, Google for Business, and Facebook. Over 94% of restaurant patrons engage in online research by consulting reviews before making purchase decisions, significantly impacting a brand’s SEO ranking.
The Hayden’s two locations consistently receive daily reviews. Embark Marketing actively addresses both positive and negative feedback promptly, striving to maintain a positive customer sentiment online. As of January 2024, the establishment enjoys a favorable reputation, holding a 4.5-star rating on Google for both the Broadway and Alon locations, 4 stars on Yelp for both the Broadway and Alon locations, and a 5 rating on Facebook.
Public Relations
In alignment with The Hayden’s objectives, we identified a local public relations strategy as a valuable opportunity to enhance restaurant traffic, showcase events and promotions, and raise awareness about their new location launched in June 2023.
A key goal for The Hayden was to draw patrons to their new establishment while spotlighting the brand and its unique events. Renowned for their remix menus, which blend two distinct cultures, we collaborated to devise and implement a range of event campaigns. These included the Grand Opening, Irish-Jewish Remix Menu, $5 Burger Tuesdays, Thanksgiving Catering Family Packs, Festivus Trivia Night, and more. For each of these occasions, we crafted press releases distributed to local media outlets in the San Antonio region. This effort resulted in coverage across 15 articles and news segments featured in various publications.
Email Marketing
The client consistently grows their email database, which now includes 12,318 contacts. We devised and executed an email marketing strategy, sending out a monthly newsletter highlighting upcoming promotions, specials, and events. This approach enabled The Hayden to maintain active engagement with interested customers, inviting them to participate in restaurant activities and savor delicious food.
Additionally, we proactively encouraged more customers to join the email list through targeted social media campaigns and on-site efforts. Implementing this strategy led to a significant expansion of The Hayden’s email database. As a result, there was a noteworthy increase in both the subscriber count and in-store sales, generating $25,881 exclusively from the email campaigns.
Conclusion
In just one year Embark Marketing was able to increase The Hayden’s visablitly online, in media, & directly into customer inboxes resulting in an increase in sales and traffic to the delicattesean as well as the funds for another location. Want to see what our proven marketing strategies can do for your food and beverage business? Contact us today at 210-365-7635 for a free business assessment.