It Never Hurts to Be a Little Sweeter: Holl’s Chocolates Paper Edit

Holl’s Chocolates

Focus

The focus is to bring awareness to the one-of-a-kind shop that is Holl’s Chocolates. Holl’s needs to be seen as a luxury product, but also as a quality service because of the customer relationships owners and workers form with every person that walks through the door.

Issues

Holl’s Chocolates was the dream of a Swiss immigrant. Everything, from the recipes to the standards set by Fritz Holl and his wife, is the same as it opened in 1986. While many people know of Holl’s existence, they do not know of its heritage.

Audience

The target audience is women ages 24-34. They are women who work an 8-5 day. So, they would be able to visit after their office hours. With no established families of their own and an average income of $40,000 a year, they have flexible spending.

Content Points

• Unique
• Luxury
• Service
• Heritage

Brand

Holl’s Chocolates is family-owned business that specializes in crafting quality chocolates. Its story of how it was established is often overlooked.

Voice Over. Holl’s Chocolates, located in Vienna, West Virginia, is the best locally owned shop in the Mid-Ohio Valley!

Owner. We take pride in offering luxury in the form of life’s sweetest gift – chocolate.

Patron 1. You can never go wrong at Holl’s. Every piece of chocolate just melts in your mouth and is delicious down to the last bite.

Owner. When you walk in the door, you’re not just another guests, you become one of the family.

Patron 2. I love coming in the shop. I am always greeted with a smile and a free piece of chocolate!

Patron 1. You know, it’s not just about the chocolate Holl’s offers. It is unique in the fact that I am able to purchase coffee or wine that pairs perfectly with my favorite cream truffles.

Owner. Every morning we handcraft all of our treats. We make it our business to make sure everything that hits your taste buds is perfect and smooth.

Patron 2. Nothing in this world compares to Holl’s. It is based on Swiss history and heritage.

Patron 1. It is the only place that reminds me, ” it never hurts to be a little sweeter”.

Voice Over. Visit Holl’s Chocolates locations in Vienna and Charleston, West Virginia or online at holls.com.

Eat More Chocolate: Holl’s Chocolates Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Tactics

Holl’s Chocolates: Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Tactics

Goal: Engage women ages 24-34 and attract attention to social media platforms.

Objective 1: Create a Holl’s Chocolates Instagram account and gain 800 followers by November 1, 2016.

Strategy 1: Construct a proper Instagram aesthetic.

• Tactic 1.1: Use the hashtag #HollsChocolates on all posts, and encourage users to do the same.
• Tactic 1.2: Maintain a theme by continuing to post clean and, or professional content.
• Tactic 1.3: Source old photos to tell the story of Holl’s Chocolates.
• Tactic 1.4: Interact with users by following accounts, liking photos and commenting on posts.

Strategy 2: Create exposure for the Instagram account by using available and owned media channels.

• Tactic 2.3: Add the Instagram link to Holl’s Chocolates website and any promotional material.
• Tactic 2.2: Utilize Instagram’s paid advertisement feature and become a “promoted post”.
• Tactic 2.1: Cross post from the Holl’s Chocolates Facebook page with a link and the hashtag #HollsChocolates.
• Tactic 2.4: Post at least three consumer generated posts a week, and use the same Instagram filter when reposting to maintain a theme.

Objective 2: Host an in-store and out-of-store events every three months.

Strategy 1: Contact local institutions of learning and schedule mixers to spark student engagement.

• Tactic 1.1: Build a mutually beneficial relationship with colleges by sponsoring student organizations.
• Tactic 1.2: Offer a 10% discount to individuals when they present a student ID.
• Tactic 1.3: Invite other area businesses so they may present their product or service.
• Tactic 1.4: Make announcements, limited time offers and offer free samples throughout the event.

Strategy 2: Host an open house at the Holl’s Chocolates location in Vienna, West Virginia.

• Tactic 2.1: Transform it into an elite event by only inviting a select number of individuals.
• Tactic 2.2: Select guests by running a social media contest.
• Tactic 2.3: Offer free samples and discounts during the event.
• Tactic 2.4: Give guests a behind-the-scenes tour of the business.

Objective 3: Re-activate the Holl’s Chocolates Twitter account and gain 400 followers by November 1, 2016.

Strategy 1: Modify the Holl’s Chocolates Twitter aesthetic.

• Tactic 1.1: Feature products in the account header.
• Tactic 1.2: Use the hashtag #HollsChocolates on all posts, and encourage users to do the same.
• Tactic 1.3: Interact with users by following accounts and favoriting and replying to tweets.
• Tactic 1.4: Optimize Holl’s Chocolates Twitter bio by adding a tagline to capture users’ attention.

Strategy 2: Create a Hootsuite account to manage all social media platforms

• Tactic 2.1: Schedule at least three weekly posts for the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
• Tactic 2.2: Track each social media campaign to improve Holl’s Chocolates return of investment.
• Tactic 2.3: Track customer comments to not only to reply to users, but to also improve the business based on criticism.
• Tactic 2.4: Release clean and professional media featuring daily, weekly and monthly specials.

Objective 4: Increase Holl’s Chocolates location visibility, and increase online sales by January 1, 2017.

Strategy 1: Increase awareness of the Vienna, WV location in consumer minds.

• Tactic 1.1: Maximize retail signage.
• Tactic 1.2: Provide employees with branded products (shirts, koozies, totes, briefcases etc.)
• Tactic 1.3: Offer customers portable signage in the form of reusable shopping bags with the Holl’s Chocolates logo and location.
• Tactic 1.4: Decorate company vehicles.

Strategy 2: Form relationships with area and statewide businesses.

• Tactic 2.1: Cross-promote Holl’s in a noncompetitive business’ storefront window
• Tactic 2.2: Schedule a demonstration in another store, business or non-profit organization.
• Tactic 2.3: Compose articles for local media.
• Tactic 2.4: Have a representative attend relevant events.
• Tactic 2.5: Expand Holl’s Chocolates to area and statewide marketplaces.
• Tactic 2.6: In every location, maintain uniformity in appearance and customer service.

Strategy 3: Reposition the Holl’s Chocolates website in the minds of consumers.

• Tactic 3.1: Offer an exclusive product on the homepage.
• Tactic 3.2: Promote online ordering using owned and available social media platforms.
• Tactic 3.3: Send opt-in offers every two weeks to email subscribers.
• Tactic 3.4: Create a hover ad for the website in which a discount is provided in exchange for an email subscription.
• Tactic 3.5: Include customer testimonials in sales letters.

Target Audience: Holl’s Chocolates

Demographics

Sex: According to a recent study by NCA & The Futures Company, 89 percent of women eat chocolate. Among daily chocolate eaters, 57 percent are women. With that being said, Holl’s Chocolates needs to target female consumers.

Age: Millennials (24-34 years old) compose about 25 percent of the United States population, and the drive consumer demand because of their increasing purchasing power.

Education: As a part of the millennial mindset, women are not strictly stay-at-home mothers; they are in the workforce. Almost half of the women ages 24-34 have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Salary/Employment: In April, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research released a report stating full-time, millennial women earn an average of $30,000. For Holl’s , the target market works an 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. week.

Location/Transport: Because this female audience does work, it only makes sense they live in a suburban area for commuting reasons. This also means they would need a form of transportation – a car.

Family life: Millennials differ from other generations in this area. Many try to maximize life by completing their education and receiving a steady income before establishing a family of their own. So, Holl’s target audience of females are in a relationship, but do not have children.

Characteristics

Millennials are incredibly tech-savvy. Almost all millennials own a smartphone, and according to FutureCast, 56 percent of the population claim to be the very first or among the first to try new technology. With this, millennials can be defined as joiners. In social technographics, a joiner maintains their social media profile and visits the site to be updated.

However, millennials do not just stare at bright screens watching DIY videos all day. The same report stated 46 percent of men and women this age are content creators. So, they post original photos, videos and text that they themselves have generated. Along with this, millennials could also be considered critics. Word of mouth is the most important social media tool. One too many poor comments can make a company start to crumble. More millennials contribute to reviews of products and services than any other generation. 70 percent say they feel responsible to share feedback about an experience with a brand.

Last, almost half of millennials are more willing to make a purchase if it supports a cause. They like to read about, understand and promote brands that support a cause they believe in. This is an important piece of information for Holl’s Chocolates. The business is rich in history, and to peak this audience’s interest, it would be ideal to release content relating to the foundation of Holl’s and any community outreach it does.

Social Platforms

Facebook: About 80 percent of adults ages 24-34 use Facebook. Over half of millennials claim to have 200+ friends on this platform. Even though Facebook was created 12 years ago, it is the most active social media site. 70 percent say they use it daily.

Twitter: 25% of millennials are active on Twitter. While many still use this platform, the amount of daily users is slowly declining.

Instagram: 28% of the target audience are on Instagram.

Pinterest: 26% of users are millennials.

Instead of Holl’s Chocolates exerting itself on covering all media platforms, it needs to focus on the ones most relevant to its target audience; in this case, Facebook and Instagram. The demographics and characteristics of the millennial generation will be beneficial in creating a social media plan catered to the habits the generation exhibits.