Marketing Strategies to Increase Sales in Small Family-Style Restaurant Businesses
Keywords:
Social media marketing, restaurants, social media, small businessAbstract
Small business owners understand the advantages of using social media as a marketing tool; however, some owners do not leverage social media marketing strategies to increase sales. Small business owners who fail to implement social media marketing strategies minimize the potential to gain new customers; thus, negatively impacting sales. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore social media marketing strategies used by five small family-style restaurants in Maryland. Berry’s relationship marketing theory was the t framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured interviews, documents pertaining to social media marketing strategies, and social media pages and websites from the participating restaurants. Key themes that emerged were (a) social media platforms small family-style restaurant owners use that were most effective in increasing sales, (b) employees’ response to social media marketing strategies small family-style restaurant owners use to increase sales, and (c) relationship marketing. By increasing sales, the demand for employment may increase which can have a direct impact on decreasing the unemployment rate within the United States, particularly in the state of Maryland.References
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Svatosová, V. (2012). Social media such as the phenomenon of modern business. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 6(4), 1-12. Retrieved from http://www.na-businesspress.com/jmdcopen.html
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Xu, C., Ryan, S., Prybutok, V., & Wen, C. (2012). It is not for fun: An examination of social network site usage. Information & Management, 49, 210-217. doi:10.1016/j.im.2012.05.001
Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2003). Consumer-company identification: A framework for understanding consumers’ relationships with companies. Journal of Marketing, 67(2), 76-88. doi:10.1509/jmkg.67.2.76.18609
Bilgihan, A., Cheng, P., & Kandampully, J. (2014). Generation Y's dining information seeking and sharing behavior on social networking sites. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26, 349-366. doi:10.1108/ijchm-112012-0220
Carlson, A., & Lee, C. C. (2015). Followership and social media marketing. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 19, 80-101. Retrieved from http://www.alliedacademies.org/academy-of-marketing-studies-journal
Castronovo, C., & Huang, L. (2012). Social media in an alternative marketing communication model. Journal of Marketing Development, 6, 117-136. Retrieved from http://www.na-businesspress.com/jmdcopen.html
Catoiu, I., & Tichindelean, M. (2012). Relationship marketing-Theoretical consideration. Annales Universitatis Apulensis: Series Oeconomica, 14, 655-663. Retrieved from http://www.oeconomica.uab.ro/
Cronin-Gilmore, J. (2012). Exploring marketing strategies in small businesses. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 6, 96-107. Retrieved From http://www.na-businesspress.com/jmdcopen.html
Fox, H. L. (2013). Strategic human resource development in small businesses in the United States. Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal, 19(1), 77-118. Retrieved from http://www.alliedacademies.org/academy-of-entrepreneurship-journal/
Hunt, S. D., Arnett, D. B., & Madhavaram, S. (2006). The explanatory foundations of relationship marketing theory. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 21(2), 72-87. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journal/jbim
Jeanjean, L. (2012). 5 Tips to increase your Facebook fan base. Journal of Financial Planning, 1(1), 20-21. Retrieved from https://www.onefpa.org/journal/Pages/default.aspx
Jennings, S. E., Blount, J. R., & Weatherly, M. G. (2014). Social media: A virtual Pandora’s box prevalence, possible legal liabilities, and policies. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 77, 96-113. doi:10.1177/2329490613517132
Jones, N., Borgman, R., & Ulusoy, E. (2015). Impact of social media on small businesses. Journal of Small Businesses and Enterprise Development, 22, 611-632. doi:10.1108/JSBED-09-2013-0133
Khan, M. T. (2014). Relationship marketing –Some aspects (review). International Journal of Information, Business and Management, 6(2), 108-122. Retrieved from http://ijibm.elitehall.com/
Kramer-Kile, M. L. (2012). Research column: Situating methodology within Qualitative research. Canadian Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 22(4), 27-31. Retrieved from http://pappin.com/journals/cjcn.php
Kumar, V., & Mirchandani, R. (2012). Increasing the ROI of social media marketing. MIT Sloan Management Review, 54, 55-61. Retrieved from http://sloanreview.mit.edu
Lapido, P. K., Nwagwu, K. O., & Alarape, W. B. (2013). Relative communication power of selected advertising media. International Business and Management, 6(2), 77-87. Retrieved from https://www.tio.nl/en/international_business_management/
Laroche, M., Habibi, M. R., Richard, M., & Sankaranarayanan, R. (2013). The effects of social media based brand communities on brand community markers, valuecreation practices, brand trust, and brand loyalty. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 1755-1767. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2012.04.016
Li, X. (2012). Weaving social media into a business proposal project. Business Communication Quarterly, 75, 68-75. doi:10.1177/1080569911432629
Luigi, D., Oana, S., Mihai, T., & Simona, V. (2011). Disclosing the promising power of social media-an important digital marketing tool. Studies in Business & Economics, 6, 37-45. Retrieved from http://eccsf.ulbsibiu.ro
National Restaurant Association. (2014). Restaurant industry forecast. Retrieved from https://www.restaurant.org/Downloads/PDFs/News-Research/research/RestaurantIndustryForecast2014.pdf
Pookulangara, S., & Koesler, K. (2011). Cultural influence on consumers’ usage of Social networks and its impact on online purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 18, 348-354. doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2011.03.003
Public Relations Tactics (2016). 2016 Trends: Video, work messaging. Public Relations Society of America, 23(1), 1. Retrieved from http://prsa.org
Rapp, A., Beitelspacher, L., Grewal, D., & Hughes, D. (2013). Understanding social media effects across seller, retailer, and consumer interactions. Journal of The Academy of Marketing Science, 41, 547-566. doi:10.1007/s11747-013-0326-9
Riehle, H., Grindy, Bruce., & Stensson, A. (2014). 2014 Restaurant industry forecast. Retrieved from National Restaurant Association website: https://www.restaurant.org/Downloads/PDFs/News-
Research/research/RestaurantIndustryForecast2014.pdf
Schaupp, L. C., & Bélanger, F. (2014). The value of social media for small businesses. Journal of Information Systems, 28(1), 187-207. doi:10.2308/isys-50674
Sheth, J. N., & Parvatlyar, A. (1995). Relationship marketing in consumer markets: antecedents and consequences. Journal of the Academy of marketing Science, 23, 255-271. Retrieved from http://www.springer.com/business+%26+management/journal/11747
Svatosová, V. (2012). Social media such as the phenomenon of modern business. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 6(4), 1-12. Retrieved from http://www.na-businesspress.com/jmdcopen.html
Taneja, S., & Toombs, L. (2014). Putting a face on small businesses: Visibility, viability, and sustainability the impact of social media on small business marketing. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 18, 249-260. Retrieved from http://www.alliedacademies.org
Varini, K., & Sirsi, P. (2012). Social media and revenue management: Where should the two meet? Journal of Technology Management for Growing Economies, 3, 33-46. Retrieved from http://journal.chitkara.edu.in/
Walaski, P. (2013). Social media. Professional Safety, 58, 40-49. Retrieved from http://www.asse.org/professionalsafety
Whiting, A., & Williams, D. (2013). Why people use social media: A uses and gratifications approach. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 16, 362-369. doi:10.1108/QMR-06-2013-0041
Xu, C., Ryan, S., Prybutok, V., & Wen, C. (2012). It is not for fun: An examination of social network site usage. Information & Management, 49, 210-217. doi:10.1016/j.im.2012.05.001
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2019-05-31
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