A Company 's Social Media Strategy

Appears that anywhere you look today you will find someone using social media. With advertisements and commercials even billboards Social Media appears to be anywhere you look. Social Media is such a big thing today, according to study provided by the website Socialnomics, individuals devote 700 billion minutes every month on Facebook (statisticbrain.com). Social Media has now become so much better for advertising that it is changing how business is done.

A key aspect of Panera Bread’s business that protects the company from direct competition in the fast food industry is their product niche, artisan fast food. Fast food chains are often criticized for offering unhealthy foods. But, Panera Bread focuses on a higher nutritional value in their products. Dine in restaurants are very susceptible to drops in consumer spending, so Panera Bread’s

For this report I will be looking into the ins and outs of Lloyds banks current social media strategy looking at the way they are using social media and see if their social media is currently connecting to the masses as it should be whilst trying to expand their bank by hopefully using new and innovative way to connect to a new audience in this modern era and if there any holes that can be spotted whilst reviewing their social networking sites.

Marquette University had many successes building its brand through a strategic social media strategy. According to the case study, members of The Office of Communications and Marketing supported and participated in the conception and planning stages to help structure an effective social media strategy. In addition to the research and information gathered internally, the university also engaged with a variety of audiences, not physically on the campus, to further extend its market research and brand. Marquette University’s marketing and communications team’s strategy for social media is focused on engagement, dialogue, bridging of information, and community. This strategy aligns with the university’s mission, “the search for truth, the discovery and sharing of knowledge, the fostering of personal and professional excellence” (”About Marquette: Our Mission,” n.d.).

The small businesses that I've decided to use would be Food Lion, Kroger's, and Food City. Although, Kroger's and Food Lion seem to be much of a bigger company than Food City, I would like to compare the three companies and their social media platforms. Advice is much appreciated.

Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA) is one of the most financially successful quick service restaurant (QSR) chains operating in North America today, having attained a $4.3B market capitalization value as of this writing in July, 2012. Panera is achieving a 7.6% Profit Margin and 12.36% operating margin, both of which are difficult to maintain in an industry known for very rapid product lifecycles and the need to continually invest in the customer experience (Andersson, Mossberg, 2004). In the most recent fiscal quarter ended March 27,2012 the company reported a trailing twelve month revenue rate of $1.9B, earning a gross profit of $636M and a Net Income of $144M for the same trailing twelve month period. Panera is one of the most efficient of QSR chains as well, earning a Return on Assets (ROA of 14.67% and Return on Equity (ROE) of 21.6%. The company has also been able to be a leader in Corporate Social Responsibility, investing millions of dollars a year in Second Harvest Food Bank and related programs to help the hungry and less fortunate in the markets they compete in (Boss, 2011). The intent of this analysis is to complete a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) analysis of Panera, discussing the attractiveness of the company and an assessment of its core or distinctive competencies. This analysis concludes with a series of recommendations for Panera Bread executives.

Panera Bread has established itself as one of the most popular, fast growing “bakery-café” restaurants in the United States as well as in Canada. With 1,800 locations in 45 states, the franchise appears to be unstoppable. This in part is due to the superior customer service experience that keeps customers coming back time and time again. Just to give you an example, in 2012; the most recent year that data is available, Panera Bread brought in an astounding $2.13 billion in revenue, about $1 billion more than its revenue in 2008.

Panera Bread is one of the great American success stories of breaking trends, and shaking up the market with complete innovation. Not only were they successful, but they were able to achieve this success while doing things their own way. Product and Service differentiation were the keys to this bakery-café's success. Before Panera Bread's creation in ___, never had a business combined the relaxing environment of a café with the fresh aroma of an artisan's bakery. This proved to be a gold mine for its owner and stakeholders, and the analysis of this period from 2001 to 2003 shows exactly why. In this analysis, we will examine the success

It’s a known fact that Starbucks is one of the leading brand in the market.When we analyse the market we find that Mcdonald 's and Dunkin are the competitors in the same product segment. So comparing Starbucks with these competitors will throw light on its grey areas, process and competitive edge in the market.

The first three companies are directly competing with Panera, because they are Bakery-cafes, the difference between them are revenues and number of company-owned and franchise. The last two compete but in a small way, because they are not in the same industry, they are like substitutes of Panera Bread company.

The generic competitive strategy that Panera best fits is broad differentiation. This is primarily because Panera sought to be the first choice for patrons looking for fresh-baked goods, a sandwich, soup, a salad or a beverage in a pleasing environment. In this platform Panera has set their eyes on people who may not necessarily be looking for an expensive meal, but might also not want cheap, fast food but instead are looking for a fresh meal that can be enjoyed in a relaxing environment. In this Panera is looking for a

Among the crowded field of casual, quick-service restaurants in America, the distinctive blend of genuine artisan bread and a warm, comfortable atmosphere has given Panera Bread Company a golden opportunity to capture market share and reward shareholders through well-planned growth. With the objective of opening approximately 1,000 more bakery-cafes in the next three years, Panera Bread Company must make prudent strategy decisions about new store locations, supply-chain management and expanded offerings, all the while continuing its above-average earnings per share growth of at least 25 percent per year.

Panera Bread’s intention is “to make Panera Bread a nationally recognized brand name and to be the dominant restaurant operator in the specialty bakery-café segment.” Panera experienced competition from many numerous sources in its trade areas. Their competition was with specialty food, casual dining and quick service cafes, bakeries, and restaurant retailers, including national, regional, and locally owned. The competitive factors included location, environment, customer service, price, and quality of products. Panera learned from its competitors, none of its competitors had yet

Panera Bread Company is a national bakery-cafe with 1,504 locations across the US and Canada. This case study provides information regarding the past performance, current analysis, stock valuation, market evaluation, and industry comparison. In this analysis and case study, we hope you, the reader, will gain usable insight on Panera Bread and its value. We will give a recommendation to our readers according to our given information.

In an earlier blog, I briefly discussed with you the importance of selecting the right social media platform for your business goals. Getting started on the right foot with your social media marketing is essential to the growth and scalability of your business. Selecting the right social media platform is only the beginning of your social media strategy. The next step is to develop the right content to share. The goal of your social media content is to grow an audience of potential customers and give them a chance to engage with your business.