Carolina Dining Services' Use of Social Media

Carolina Dining Services' Use of Social Media
Adam Bowers, Janae Hinson, Gloria Schoeberle, Megan Turner and Megan Walsh

Why We Did This...
Social media plays a large role in Fortune 500 companies and non-profits

What We Wanted To Know...

What We Wanted To Know...

What We Did...

Interview
"We wanted students to feel connected to our brand after they signed up for their meal plans."

"From our funny updates, events, and special promotions, we wanted students to know us."
- Former CDS intern

Content Analysis

Survey

What We Found...
1. Students are largely unaware of CDS' social media presence

2. CDS is not always posting the content that students want to see

3. Posts are not motivating students to go to CDS' locations

Unawareness

What CDS Posts vs. What Students Want

What CDS PostsContent TypeWhat Unaware Students Want1stMenu Items & Specials1st2ndDining Related Info3rd5thLogistical Information2nd4thFeedback Surveys5th3rdUniversity News4th

What CDS Posts vs. What Students Want

What CDS PostsContent TypeWhat Aware Students Want1stMenu Items & Specials2nd2ndDining Related Info3rd5thLogistical Information1st4thFeedback Surveys4th3rdUniversity News5th

Social Media Efforts: Motivational?
100% of Twitter users said a post had never motivated them to go to a CDS' location

95% of Facebook users said a post had never motivated them to go to a CDS' location

No awareness

* Lessens motivation

* Limits interaction

* Decreased shares, retweets and friend recommendations
Issues to Overcome
100% of respondents on Facebook63% of respondents Twitter

Social Media Strategy
1096 Facebook Likes vs. 283 Twitter Followers *Failure to take advantage of individual platform features*

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Focus
Do students find CDS social media cluttered?

* Students don't want university news

* Meals and dining related events remain important

Where should CDS go from here...
Q: How can we improve CDS' social media strategy?

A: Tying together the following:- Research Questions- Interview with former CDS intern- Results

Recommendations
Greater promotion of CDS' social media platforms

Recommendations

Matching posts with what students want

Recommendations
Implement further incentive programs to build social media base