How to harness social media channels to build brand awareness and drive sales for a restaurant chain?
The fast casual restaurant chain Barot's is an underdog in the burger scene: a company that started in Järvenpää, proudly operates outside the Helsinki metropolitan area, doesn't yet have restaurants in the capital region, and whose advertisements aren't seen on television, in movie theaters, or on the sides of buses. Competition is fierce with international fast-food giants and successful nationwide fast casual restaurants. An additional challenge is posed by the downturn in the restaurant industry and the burger boom, as evidenced by news of bankruptcies in the sector. How can social media be used to increase brand awareness and sales among a young target audience with a limited budget?
Strategy:
We realized that Barot's needed to leverage its familiar strengths from brick-and-mortar restaurants on social media as well, offering something international fast-food giants cannot: warm community spirit. We chose TikTok, YouTube, and Meta as the community-building channels. For storytelling, we emphasized the short-video format, which is the most popular content type for both the target audience and algorithms.
Creative idea:
The 'No Compromise Community' concept welcomes every social media follower into the inner circle. Insiders get to enjoy benefits, learn about burgers, and be the first to hear about new products and events. Beyond benefits and learning, the content of the No Compromise Community is, above all, entertainment.
For Barot's, community isn't just a word; it's about genuine inclusion. Together with Barot's, we designed multi-channel content types for social media that guide continuous content production. Both Barot's own employees and customers feature in the short videos. Thanks to cost-effective social media efforts, Barot's business has grown, and results have significantly exceeded expectations.
+ 11.1%
volume growth 2024
+ 14.5%
total sales 2024 vs. 2023
6,500,000
impressions on TikTok and YouTube
4.1%
Engagement rate on YouTube
3.4 sec
Average watch time on TikTok
9,000
followers per year on social media channels
5,900
most likes on a single organic YouTube post
123,000
most views on a single organic YouTube post
“Together, we have successfully found communication methods that truly resonate with our target audience. Our restaurants have performed significantly better than the industry average and grown our business, which is a testament to the effectiveness of our collaboration. Furthermore, the collaboration has greatly enhanced our employer brand, leading to a more active influx of job applications. We have confidently entrusted our brand to skilled professionals. We eagerly look forward to how our story will continue to unfold.”
