Conclusions
According to the results from both the qualitative and quantitate research similarities and differences between the Drury students and the Drury Fresh Ideas manager were identified.
Results Similarity
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According to the study results, there is a very poor engagement on the Drury Dining facebook page, which was due to lack of knowledge of the Facebook page. The page is not very personable, or not appealing to Drury students, evidence from our focus group and surveys expressed that the content is different from the food served in Drury Commons
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Instagram is the best platform and Menu of the day is the most favorable content.
Results Differences
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The students and Drury dining were using a different communication channel.
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Fresh Idea prefers to promote the events through in-person interaction. While our focus group and survey indicated that Instagram and Facebook was the most favored mediums.
Recommendations
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Produces an Instagram account and post with daily menu
In terms of recommendations, it is important to understand that Instagram has had a growing popularity and is indicated to be the most favored Drury commons social media preference according to the survey and focus group discussion. This finding also backs up the research found on Pew research center called “Social media use in 2018”. According to the article, American young adults from 18 to 24 are especially heavy users of Instagram (Smith & Anderson, 2018).
A consistent communication channel is needed for Drury Dining, promoting an event in an ineffective way would be purposeless. As the article called “How To Choose The Right Medium For Your Message”, the author John Hall mentioned that medium is the key to spread out the message, the organization should work hard to find out the best medium to engage with the audiences, and not letting messages miss its audience(Hall, 2014). Thus, a recommendation for the Drury Dining to increase the engagement of the Drury students on
the Drury University Dining Facebook page is to produce an Instagram account and post with a daily menu.
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Using multiple social media tactics to engage with students
A report we found on College census that talks about the 25 best college dining halls, the first ranked college is Bowdoin College (College census, 2018). Bowdoin College has an Instagram account called @bowdoindining, they posted weekly, and used multiple tactics like live stories, polls, and highlights to engage with the audiences. Supported by the article called “Why Use Instagram to Promote Your Small Business?”, Instagram is a strategical platform suitable for business. According to the article, providing a different function to audiences, makes it easier for users to discover the content and allows users to interact with it (Kent, 2018). Engaging with the students on an interactive online social media, will have an impact on the student and Commons relationship. The use of an Instagram could incorporate other promotional options for improving Drury Fresh Ideas as a brand. Therefore, the second recommendation for Drury Dining is to use multiple Instagram tactics to engage with Drury students.
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Increase social media awareness to students
From the research conducted, the lack of engagement of the social media platform has to due with the lack of knowledge, the increase of social media awareness to students is the first step to start the engagement on social media. In the article posted on Marketing Insider
Group, it mentioned that social media is an essential piece of the business marketing strategy regardless of the size of the organization, it is the key to build authority, communicate authority and encourage engagement (Schmid, 2018). From the primary research results the best solution for the Drury Commons is to promote their social media, created a better student and Fresh Ideas relationship online, via alternative social media platform, more personable content, and more awareness through a strong social media presence.
References
College Consensus. (2018, July 18). 25 Best College Dining Halls | Top Consensus
Ranked Schools for Foodies. Retrieved from
https://www.collegeconsensus.com/rankings/best-college-dining-halls/
Kent, K. (2018, August 29). Why Use Instagram to Promote Your Small Business?
Retrieved from https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/why-use-instagram/
Smith, A., & Anderson, M. (2018, September 19). Social Media Use 2018:
Demographics and Statistics. Retrieved from
http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/
Hall, J. (2014, April 22). How To Choose The Right Medium For Your Message.
Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2014/04/20/how-to-
choose-the-right-medium-for-your-message/#4896e9ee2932
Schmid, V. (2018, August 09). Why Social Media Is Important for Business
Marketing. Retrieved from https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-
marketing/why-social-media-is-important-for-business-marketing/
Bowdoin Dining. (2018, December 12). Bowdoin Dining (@bowdoindining) •
Instagram photos and videos. Retrieved from
https://www.instagram.com/bowdoindining/?hl=en