The need:
The Black Tie Company is a Maine-owned and operated catering and event planning business with an established presence within the wedding and event industries. Unique aspects of their offerings set The Black Tie Company apart: ownership of a brick-and-mortar storefront, The Union Kitchen; providing start-to-finish event planning services; and creating custom baked goods, among other things.
In October 2019, under new management, The Black Tie Company identified the need for a streamlined social media strategy and a defined communications plan to differentiate, yet connect, all of their owned “sister companies.” The most challenging aspect was customer confusion. It was a common misconception that The Black Tie Company only offered catering services. Not to mention, the connection between The Union Kitchen and The Black Tie Company was obscure and difficult to understand.
The process:
After becoming familiar with all of The Black Tie Company’s owned social media channels (The Black Tie Company, The Union Kitchen, Black Tie Bakes, various venue pages, etc.), Jordan strategized a plan to communicate the many client offerings in one streamlined approach, starting with imagery and voice. It was vital that all unique service offerings were communicated clearly, and that customers knew that Black Tie Bakes quality extended to every arm of the company. Jordan developed a planning system that allowed the team to communicate services, products and upcoming events across all owned media channels, and encouraged each entity and each social media page to engage with one another.
As the COVID-19 pandemic created a shift in event planning priorities, social media content pivoted to accurately communicate that the Black Tie catering team is also behind the scenes at The Union Kitchen, creating take-out/delivery meals for local pickup and delivery. All owned pages were utilized to share menus, messages of encouragement and community support.
The result:
Anecdotal feedback was received almost immediately from industry partners and clients. Social media pages were more connected, content was more cohesive, and people took notice. New and existing Black Tie clients noted a positive difference, commenting on the consistency in voice and imagery across all social media channels.
As a result of this consistent communication, paired with the merging of dormant owned social media pages representing Black Tie sister companies and venues, Black Tie’s Facebook following grew from 2.8k to 6.2k in the first year. Instagram followers exceeded 2k, making the Black Tie page competitive with their respected industry peers.
In addition to social media success, The Union Kitchen saw an increase in orders, specifically during Thanksgiving and the holiday season. When asked how they heard about specials and menus, customers most often noted social media as the source of information.
