SPARKLE MARKET GROCERY CHAIN GOES DIGITAL
Sparkle Markets
Sparkle Markets is a locally owned and operated grocery store with 18 stores throughout Northeast Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The Sparkle Markets’ owners group came to McConnell Marketing to update their marketing plan and strategy. After 67 years in business, they were ready to move toward digital marketing to reach current and potential customers across different platforms. This was different from the previous strategy that centered around print and television advertising. With a properly executed digital strategy, Sparkle has been able to continue reaching their core audience, save media dollars and set themselves apart from other grocery stores.
SPARKLE MARKET GROCERY CHAIN GOES DIGITAL
Sparkle Markets
Sparkle Markets is a locally owned and operated grocery store with 18 stores throughout Northeast Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The Sparkle Markets’ owners group came to McConnell Marketing to update their marketing plan and strategy. After 67 years in business, they were ready to move toward digital marketing to reach current and potential customers across different platforms. This was different from the previous strategy that centered around print and television advertising. With a properly executed digital strategy, Sparkle has been able to continue reaching their core audience, save media dollars and set themselves apart from other grocery stores.
Client Goals
Established and achieved together
1
Maintain awareness of the Sparkle brand in a competitive grocery environment.
2
Continue consistent communication plan with target audience with a reduced media budget.
3
Provide current and potential customers with valuable content and information to increase foot traffic in stores.
Social Media Management
McConnell Marketing developed a social media strategy based on consistency and quality content in order to maintain engagement with Sparkle’s followers. Regular content features recipes, sale items, how-to’s, custom infographics and more. Utilizing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube, audiences and target segmented audiences see posts and ads created specifically for each platform. Our commitment to responding to followers—quickly, accurately and politely—with many interactions coming outside of business hours, has proven imperative to success. By providing current customers with valuable content and information, and enticing non-customers to choose Sparkle through paid posts and social advertising on Facebook and Instagram, Sparkle’s Facebook audience has grown by almost 4,000 followers, with an average of 15,000 post engagements per month.
Social Media Management
McConnell Marketing developed a social media strategy based on consistency and quality content in order to maintain engagement with Sparkle’s followers. Regular content features recipes, sale items, how-to’s, custom infographics and more. Utilizing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube, audiences and target segmented audiences see posts and ads created specifically for each platform. Our commitment to responding to followers—quickly, accurately and politely—with many interactions coming outside of business hours, has proven imperative to success. By providing current customers with valuable content and information, and enticing non-customers to choose Sparkle through paid posts and social advertising on Facebook and Instagram, Sparkle’s Facebook audience has grown by almost 4,000 followers, with an average of 15,000 post engagements per month.
Digital Cooking Show
Sparkle shoppers received recipes on a regular basis for over 20 years as part of three-minute cooking segment that aired on local television. Viewers built a relationship with the on-air personality, picked up recipe sheets in-stores, purchased the ingredients in Sparkle stores and tried the recipes at home. The program was very successful, but not sustainable from an affordability standpoint. By moving to a digital cooking segment, Sparkle Eats, which airs on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, McConnell Marketing was able to cut media costs significantly by eliminating a corresponding television buy, reduce production time and keep the quality segment customers love. Sparkle Eats is filmed in a home kitchen and customers have found it a bit more relatable. An added benefit of this format is the reduced production time. We are able to select and plan the show’s recipes in a shorter timeframe and therefore include sale items. The result is thousands of video views on both YouTube and Facebook, with more of a focus on timely sale items which drives customers to Sparkle stores.
Digital Cooking Show
Sparkle shoppers received recipes on a regular basis for over 20 years as part of three-minute cooking segment that aired on local television. Viewers built a relationship with the on-air personality, picked up recipe sheets in-stores, purchased the ingredients in Sparkle stores and tried the recipes at home. The program was very successful, but not sustainable from an affordability standpoint. By moving to a digital cooking segment, Sparkle Eats, which airs on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, McConnell Marketing was able to cut media costs significantly by eliminating a corresponding television buy, reduce production time and keep the quality segment customers love. Sparkle Eats is filmed in a home kitchen and customers have found it a bit more relatable. An added benefit of this format is the reduced production time. We are able to select and plan the show’s recipes in a shorter timeframe and therefore include sale items. The result is thousands of video views on both YouTube and Facebook, with more of a focus on timely sale items which drives customers to Sparkle stores.
Text Marketing
To reach a younger target audience, McConnell Marketing started a texting program for Sparkle Markets. Subscribers opt in by indicating what subject of texts they would like to receive (sale items, information and/or recipes) and are then sent up to four text messages per month with the information requested. Text program sign-up codes were shared through social media, emails, printed weekly circulars, website and in-store posters. In the first year, the subscriber list grew to 2,444.
Text Marketing
To reach a younger target audience, McConnell Marketing started a texting program for Sparkle Markets. Subscribers opt in by indicating what subject of texts they would like to receive (sale items, information and/or recipes) and are then sent up to four text messages per month with the information requested. Text program sign-up codes were shared through social media, emails, printed weekly circulars, website and in-store posters. In the first year, the subscriber list grew to 2,444.
Email Marketing
Over the years, we have worked to build Sparkle’s email subscriber list and utilize it in a way that provides relevant information on a consistent basis to those who have said they are interested in hearing from Sparkle. All emails were redesigned to include cleaner graphics, enticing product and recipe photography, and clear headlines for skimmability. In addition to the weekly email, special, targeted emails are sent out featuring product specials, store-specific information, news and special sales – all utilizing list segments to reach specific members of the target audience. On average, Sparkle Market sees average 30% open rates, 6% click-through rates and 35 new subscribers per week organically.
Email Marketing
Over the years, we have worked to build Sparkle’s email subscriber list and utilize it in a way that provides relevant information on a consistent basis to those who have said they are interested in hearing from Sparkle. All emails were redesigned to include cleaner graphics, enticing product and recipe photography, and clear headlines for skimmability. In addition to the weekly email, special, targeted emails are sent out featuring product specials, store-specific information, news and special sales – all utilizing list segments to reach specific members of the target audience. On average, Sparkle Market sees average 30% open rates, 6% click-through rates and 35 new subscribers per week organically.
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