Social media plan - Local business

Header: WEIRTON BOOK COMPANY 1
Weirton Book Company Social Media Plan
Alexandria C. Weld
West Virginia University

WEIRTON BOOK COMPANY 2
Table of Contents
Executive Summary...............................................................................................................3
Opportunity............................................................................................................................4
Audience ................................................................................................................................5
Channels.................................................................................................................................9
Objectives ..............................................................................................................................11
Strategy ..................................................................................................................................11
Tactics....................................................................................................................................15
Measurement..........................................................................................................................19
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................24

Executive Summary
Sixty-five percent of adults in the United States use social media (Cohen, 2015). As different
social media platforms target different demographics, the Weirton Book Company could benefit
from using multiple social media platforms to reach these audiences. For example, the
company’s old-fashioned candy section may attract an older audience, while its shave ice may be
more interesting to those of a younger age. Of course, the store’s wide array of books, the
cornerstone of the Weirton Book Company, are a selling point for people of almost any age.
Because the shave ice and ice cream offerings at the store were only implemented this summer,
many area residents may not know about these great additions to the store. This social media
plan will target the correct audiences to get the word out. Also, a social media plan will give your
customers and potential customers a clear message about the company’s brand.
By creating more active presence on Facebook, as well as implementing Twitter and Instagram
into the Weirton Book Company’s social media channels, the company can reach more people,
promote brand loyalty, and let its customers know about exciting updates and new offerings. All
of these reasons make it clear that the company can greatly benefit from an active, well thought
out and executed social media plan.

Opportunity
For years, the Weirton Book Company has been a local store with an excellent selection of
books, from best-sellers to local publications. But this summer, the store became much more
than that with the addition of gourmet ice cream, shave ice, and the expansion of its selection of
international and old-fashioned candy. This one-of-a-kind business is an exciting addition for the
area, yet many residents may not realize that the Weirton Book Company is now so much more
than what its name suggests.
A social media marketing plan will create awareness of all the business has to offer. Its target
audiences are now much larger than that of a traditional book store. Old-fashioned candy may
interest an older demographic, while shave ice may be for a younger crowd. By using different
social media platforms, the Book Company can target message and reach key demographics that
are more likely to use certain platforms.

Audience
The target market for the Weirton Book Company’s social
media campaign will be 50-64, as it is in line with the area’s
demographic profile. The company is located in Weirton, West
Virginia, which is in Hancock County. According to the
United States Census Bureau’s data from 2010, the median age
in Hancock County is 45.3 (United States Census Bureau,
2010). The median age for those in Weirton is 45.7 (United States Census Bureau, 2013).
The 50 to 64 age range makes up 23.6 percent of Weirton’s population, the largest percentage of
all age groups. To compare, the 35-49 age range makes up 18.1 of Weirton’s population, while
the 15 to 24 age range makes up only 9.7 percent (United States Census Bureau, 2013). This high
percentage of an older population has become common in the area, as nearby mills and factories,
which employed a large percentage of the population, have mostly closed. Weirton was once
home to Weirton Steel, the area’s largest employer, which employed thousands. However, the
mill is now mostly closed, and with a lack of jobs in the area, many young people have moved
away (Tavernise & Gebeloff, 2011).

The Neilsen PRIZM Segmentation System listed the
most common segments for Hancock County as
Heartlanders and Old Milltowns.
Heartlanders are in the 45-64 age range, are high
school graduates, and have a household median
income $47,863. They have white-collar jobs and live
in “sturdy, unpretentious homes,” and many are empty
nesters.
Old Milltowns are 55 and older, mostly retired with a
$34,714 household median income. They live “on
downscale incomes in pre-1960 homes and
apartments,” and enjoy gardening, socializing at
veterans clubs, or eating at casual restaurants (Neilsen, 2015).
Looking at this age range’s Internet use, a study by Pew Research found that 70 percent of
people age 50 to 64 have a desktop or laptop computer, and 37 percent have a tablet (Anderson,
2015). The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 study found that 86.8 percent of people ages 45 to 64
have a computer, while 78.7 percent use the Internet (File & Ryan, 2014).
Similar to other age groups, once they go online, it becomes an everyday occurrence for most
users, with 76 percent of the Internet users ages 50-64 going online during a typical day (Zickuhr
& Madden, 2012).

This area is also a mix of rural and suburban citizens in Hancock County. Nationally, adults
living in rural areas have been the least likely to use social media, but this number has increased
to 58 percent in 2014. For suburban adults, 68 percent use social media (Perrin, 2015).
Fifty-eight percent of people in this age range have a smartphone (Anderson, 2015). Fifty-two
percent of these people frequently use their smartphones to share info about local events, 42
percent use their smartphone to follow breaking news, and 35 percent to learn about community
events (Smith, 2015).
In the 50 and older age category, 92 percent of people reported using their smartphone to text, 80
percent to use the Internet, 94 percent to make voice or video calls, and 87 percent to check
email (Smith, 2015).
While older adults use smartphones less than younger people, they associate better feelings with
their use of this technology. Older adults are more likely to report feeling “happy,” “productive”
and “grateful” while using their smartphones, and they are much less likely to feel “distracted” or
“frustrated” than younger adults (Smith, 2015).
Another study looked at the top 10 apps used by those age 55 and older, and it showed that
Facebook was the top app. This age group spent 16.3 percent of their time on their smartphone
using the Facebook app. Second was Facebook messenger, with four percent of time. Other
popular apps include Words with Friends and Solitaire, neither of which are on any other age
group’s list, although Words with Friends was once popular with younger age groups (Meyer,
2014). This is one example of how this demographic is slower to adapt to new technology trends.

Facebook is the most used social media network in the United States, with 71 percent of all
online adults using the network. For those ages 50 to 64 who use the Internet, 63 percent were
Facebook in 2014 (Duggan, Ellsion, Lampe, Lenhart & Madden, 2015).
As other social media sites have gained popularity, many people have begun to use additional
ways to connect, such as Twitter or Instagram. Fifty-two percent of online adults use Facebook
as well as another social media site. However, this adoption of multiple social media networks is
not yet popular with the 50 to 64 age range. Only twelve percent of this age range use Twitter,
while eleven percent use Instagram (Duggan et al., 2015).
These findings show that Facebook may be the best way to reach this target audience. Not only is
it the most used by this age group, but it is also the social platform that used most frequently,
with must users signing on daily (Duggen et al., 2015).

Channels
Three social media channels that could be used to target and engage with this group are
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
• Facebook
Seventy-one percent of online adults use Facebook, making it the most used platform for adults.
The platform tends to be more popular with older adults, with 56 percent of Internet users 65 and
older using Facebook (Duggan et al., 2015).
This is also the case with this age range’s use of Facebook on their smartphones, with most of
them using the Facebook app on their smartphones much more than other social media apps.
(Meyer, 2014).
Another interesting statistic about Facebook is that its users tend to engage with the site much
more than with other social media sites. Seventy percent of its users engage with the site every
day, and 45 percent do so multiple times throughout the day. Conversely, 49 percent of
Instagram users and only 17 percent of Pinterest users engage with those platforms daily
(Duggan et al., 2015).
• Instagram
Instagram would make sense for the Weirton Book Company because there are so many
opportunities to share great moments, like a guest holding a large, basketball-sized shave ice, or
a video showing an employee scooping out the first serving of a new flavor.

While the Weirton Book Company is not on Instagram currently, some of its guests do post
pictures of their purchases, which can be found by searching “Weirton Book Company” on the
platform.
• Twitter
Facebook and Instagram seem to be the most obvious choices for the Weirton Book Company,
based on its target demographic and the type of company it is. However, Twitter could also be
beneficial.
The company does already have a Twitter page, @weirtonbook, with a description that states
“The Upper Ohio Valley's largest selection of newly released books, magazines & comics,
Greeting cards, home fragrances & gift ware. Plus our Candy Aisle. YUM!!” However, the page
has never sent a Tweet, and it only has a handful of followers.

Objectives
In one month, increase Facebook likes from 875 to 2,000.
Identify top 10 Twitter accounts to follow to build relationships and spread the word about the
Weirton Book Company by Nov. 30.
Increase the use of “#weirtonbookcompany” on Instagram to at least once per week in two
months.
Strategy
The Weirton Book Company already has a Facebook page, and posts regularly about new ice
cream flavors or new books that are available for purchase. However, the page only has 915
likes. Therefore, they must look at the content they are posting, as well as promoting the page in-
store and through paid promotion through Facebook. Another issue may be the amount of people
who “like” the page that actually see the posts, as Facebook has made it more difficult for brand
pages to organically reach their fans. One study stated that fewer than 16 percent of a page’s fans
see their page’s posts (Johnson, 2014).
Facebook is instead hoping business pages will pay for advertising to promote their posts, which
could be difficult for a small business like Weirton Book Company. The cost of Facebook
advertising has been raising 35 percent year-over-year (Johnson, 2014). However, with the site’s
use of targeting audience based on demographics and its option for pay-per-click advertising, it
may be of interest for the Weirton Book Company to spend a small amount of money on
Facebook advertising to see if it pays off.

The company should create a @WeirtonBookCo Instagram, promoting it in store, and asking its
patrons to tag the company in its posts. A newer feature on Instagram will allow the company to
add those tagged posts to its own photo stream. This will promote engagement and also increase
brand loyalty, as it will show how the company is highlighting its guests’ photos (Adweek,
2013).
A con to using Instagram could be that fewer people use that platform, with only 21 percent of
all adults on the site. The site is more popular in the younger crowd, with 53 percent of Internet-
using people ages 18-29 using Instagram. However, almost half of adults who use Instagram
engage with the platform every day, and the platform is growing, with an increase in users in
every demographic group (Duggan et al., 2015).
Twitter can be a useful marketing tool for a business, and it’s a great platform to engage with
other users. Not only could the Weirton Book Company share news about the company, as well
as photos and videos, but it could also easily use the platform to have conversations with its fans.
Instead of pushing the same content from its other social media channels to Twitter, the company
could instead use this platform to start and continue conversations.
Reaching its target demographic may be a difficult undertaking for the Weirton Book Company,
because only about 12 percent of Twitter users are between ages 50-64 (Patterson, 2015).
However, successful use of the platform could lead to an increase in engagement as well as help
turn people into brand advocates.
The company could also look into use Promoted Tweets, which are paid tweets that are targeted
to those who may be interested in the Weirton Book Company. These Promoted Tweets can be

used to drive traffic and even offer coupons, which could be a great way to encourage people to
engage with the company on this platform (Twitter, n.d.).
Posts about what the store has to offer, as well as engaging Tweets to the company’s fans, could
help the platform be successful. In-store signage as well as Promoted Tweets may be necessary
to create awareness of the page.
Example of Successful Instagram Page
While there are no other book stores or ice cream shops locally that use social media, Jeni’s Ice
Cream is an example of an ice cream shop that has used Instagram effectively. Jeni’s is based out
of Columbus, Ohio, but has stores throughout the country. The company has more than 61,000
followers. It posts photos and videos highlighting its offerings as well as promoting its overall
brand. Its orange and white logo is the same color scheme as its pints. The branding with this
color scheme is effectively used throughout many of its Instagram posts.

The company promotes its other social media pages through its Instagram posts, as well as
responds to and engages fans. It also reposts many of its fans posts, promoting brand loyalty and
engagement. This effective use of Instagram is a great example of how a small business could
promote its offerings, engage with fans, and display a consistent brand throughout its posts.

Tactics
This plan uses an editorial calendar to keep track of all social media posts, making sure to post
on key days as well as space out posts and use the appropriate channels for each message. A
sample two-week calendar, which outlines posts for July 1 to July 14, the first two weeks of
National Ice Cream Month (July is National, n.d.).
This can include the kick-off for National Ice Cream Month, as well as posts throughout the
month about the designation. This two-week period also includes July 4, which could be tied in
to the company’s social media plan.
As discussed earlier, it is most likely that the target audience uses Facebook over other forms of
social media. Also, more people are likely to be using Facebook as well as another form of social
media (Duggan et al., 2015). Therefore, the initial National Ice Cream Month post was posted
via this platform, as more would likely see it. Because this two-week period takes place during
National Ice Cream Month, posts also take place on Instagram and Twitter, on July 7 and July
11, respectively. These three posts are somewhat spread out during this period, and also do not
take place on a Sunday, as the post may give a viewer the idea to get ice cream, and the shop is
only open three hours on Sundays.
The calendar also includes a post announcing a patriotic flavor, as well as a special on pints of
that flavor, on July 2 on Facebook. This is so people can purchase it before the July 4 holiday
and have it for dessert on that day. This announcement was also made on Instagram, with a photo
of the flavor, on July 1. This promo was not posted on Twitter, and instead, the platform is used
to highlight the flavor on July 4 with Happy Fourth of July post, to keep each medium somewhat
different. Facebook and Instagram also would have different Happy Fourth posts.

Because the Book Company has shave ice, old-fashioned candy and, of course, books, the plan
includes posts about each of these on these three social media channels as well.
New shave ice flavors would be announced on Facebook and Twitter on July 6, and Instagram
posts on July 9 and 14 would show pictures of freshly made shave ice. Again, these are spaced
out and use each platform at least once to highlight shave ice. The two posts on Instagram may
be popular because the flavor combinations can create some really cool looking creations, and
the posts could also be re-shared from a fan’s Instagram account, thus promoting engagement.
Candy posts took place on July 10 on Instagram and July 12 on Facebook. The plan does not
include a large amount of posts about this aspect of the store during this two-week time period,
as summer is primetime for ice cream and shave ice sales. However, these two mediums are used
because they display the photos in a better way than Twitter, and may be better received on these
two platforms.
Book arrival announcements take place on July 1 on Twitter, as well as a tweet asking people
what books they’d like the store to receive. On Facebook, a new book would be highlighted on
July 8, and another Facebook post would announce new book arrivals on July 14. These were
spread out throughout the month in an effort to reach the most people. Twitter was used to
engage followers by asking them what books they’d like to see in the store, because the platform
is typically a good one for conversations, and it could increase mentions of the Weirton Book
Company’s Twitter handle, which may increase its visibility. This was posted twice on Facebook
and was not posted on Instagram, as these may be more text-heavy posts, and they also may
attract an older demographic, which may be on Facebook.

On July 8 on Twitter, July 10 on Facebook, and July 12 on Instagram, posts encourage viewers
to vote for their favorite ice cream flavors. This type of post on each of these mediums will take
place one more time during the second part of July, with the winning flavors announced at the
end of National Ice Cream Month. This will encourage engagement from viewers on each
platform, as well as enter them in a chance to win a coupon.
Example Facebook post for July 1:
“July is National Ice Cream Month. Come celebrate with a scoop of Salty Caramel
Truffle, Cheesecake Berry Ripple, Cherry Vanilla, or another one of our 30 flavors!”
The included photo would be something like this one, but the flavors on the cones would
be those mentioned in the post. The text would say “Happy National Ice Cream Month”
at the top with “love, Weirton Book Company” at the bottom.
(Image from http://www.businesstravelerusa.com/files/News-images/Loews-Hotel-
General/Loews-Ice-Cream-Month.jpg)
Twitter post for July 13:
“It’s a great time to kick back and relax with a new book. What’s on your reading list?”
This would be accompanied by a photo from the store showing an aisle of books. This
post should be followed by replies to those who respond with books they would like to

have the option to buy, in an effort to create a conversation with followers. For example,
maybe the store already has that book in stock. Or, if it’s not a book popular enough to
buy a large quantity of, the store could place an order and have a copy in-store for that
particular customer to buy.
Instagram post for July 1:
“Celebrate the Stars & Stripes with this sweet treat – Strawberry swirl ice cream with
blueberries. Take home a pint for a special price, now until July 3. #celebrate
#redwhiteandblue”
(Image from https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f1/15/ae/f115aea04d6abe5cefd2b72fde178e5c.jpg)
The image would be somewhat like this one, except the photo would be taken outside
near a picnic table or BBQ, and the pints inside the bucket would all be the red, white and
blue flavor described in the post.

Measurement
Qualitative:
• Facebook reviews
This qualitative metric can be used to discover more about people’s thoughts on the
company. Looking at reviews on the Weirton Book Company Facebook page can provide
insights on how those who have “liked” the page are responding to social media efforts,
as well other business decisions.
Reviews can also be quantitative because they reviewers give the business a rating of 1 to
5 stars. However, in terms of qualitative data, the company could look at the text that
goes along with the review in order to get a feel for whether people feel positively or
negatively about the company’s efforts.
For example, the review below is much more than a quantitative score of “5”. Instead, it
is a detailed description of a customer’s thoughts on the company.

The visitor’s description of the store as “magic” and mention of the old-fashioned candy
aisles being a “walk down memory lane” show that she has a strong, positive connection
with the store.
• Sentiment of “Weirton Book Company” on Twitter
As the company continues to promote its social media channels, a look at how Twitter
users are responding to the company may be a worthwhile qualitative metric. A big
difference from the measurement of Facebook reviews is that these users may not have
been reaching out to the company directly. Someone who writes a Facebook review most
likely knows that this is information that will be seen by the company, and it will be
displayed on the page for all other fans of the page to see.
Searching through mentions of the company on Twitter may provide different insights,
because users often Tweet in real-time, so they may have sent a Tweet about their
experience while in the store. For example, they might have tweeted that they were
annoyed that the store doesn’t have their favorite flavor of ice cream, or expressed
excitement that their favorite author’s books were on the shelves.
Looking through all mentions on Twitter can be time-consuming, so a sentiment
measurement tool can be used, which can look at each post and decide whether it should
be assigned a positive, negative or neutral rating. This can provide an overview of the
brand’s health, as well as let marketers know if there is a shift in sentiment (Dunham,
2014).

ROI
• Sponsored Facebook posts
One objective for the company’s social media efforts is to increase Facebook likes from
875 to 2,000 in one month. This may be a more attainable objective with the use of
sponsored posts. When a marketer promotes a post, they can also target the audience who
sees it and attempt to reach a key audience as well as a specific geographic area.
Facebook also shows data on how the post performed, how many people it reached, how
many people liked or shared the post, and how many new fans the page received.
These insights, as shown below for a different Facebook business page, can show a
marketer how successful the post was and whether the money paid for the post was worth
the increased engagement on the page.

• Gift certificate sales
Although Weirton Book Company does not currently have an ecommerce section to its
website, an addition of gift certificate purchases would be a great idea for the site, and
Google Analytics would be an effective way to track how social media led to purchases.
By setting up a goal in Google Analytics, a marketer can measure how many people from
social media landed on a destination URL, which in this case would be a “thank you for
purchasing” page. This could provide important ROI data, showing how many social
media visitors are becoming customers (Hines, n.d.).
Quantitative
• Number of “#weirtonbookcompany” mentions on Instagram
Because the social media plan for this company includes a presence on Instagram,
signage in-store would help promote the platform. The increase of mentions on
Instagram, which is currently an objective of once per week within two months, would
lead to an increased presence of the brand on the platform. Some customers do currently
post pictures of their shave ice creations, and an increase in these types of photos would
sread awareness of the company’s offerings to those uers’ followers.
• Number of Facebook fans in target age range
This social media plan is set to target those ages 50-65. A look at Facebook’s Insights for
a the business page will reveal how many of those who like the page are within that
range. However, because Facebook segments its audiences differently, this would have to
be a combined look at two age ranges: 45-54 and 55-64.

Below is another page’s breakdown of those who have liked the page.
This metric is important because it shows how effective the company’s social media
efforts are in reaching the key age range.

Conclusion
As is made clear with this detailed plan, the Weirton Book Company has much to gain from a
strong presence on social media. The next steps would include meeting to discuss upcoming
announcements, events or changes to the company, which would be added to the editorial
calendar to be sent out to audiences through the appropriate social media channels. Before
launching these channels, another meeting would include a discussion about branding for the
company, including the creation of a logo that would be adaptable to each social media channel,
which would help with the overall message the brand is communicating.
As social media continues to gain popularity, and people are getting information via the Internet
on computers, tablets and smartphones, the Weirton Book Company has an opportunity to make
a clear presence on these channels. This relatively inexpensive form of marketing could be key in
getting the word out about all the company has to offer.
References

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