Coast Creative worked with new restaurant Nolita Hall in developing a pre-opening Instagram strategy, and built a strong social presence through creative content and consistent engagement.
We love to start a project before there is an official “project,” as it allows us to develop a strong social media personality and clear direction from the get go. Working with Nolita Hall before their first pizza was even fired means we were able to meticulously plan our attack and select each photo that would land on the feeds of future customers.
In Spring 2018, we set out to show San Diego what was going on behind the scaffolding on the corner of India and Juniper. Using Instagram, specifically, we educated, excited, and engaged with future customers.
As one may assume, curating quality imagery when there is no imagery isn’t always easy. We navigated these normal pre-opening content issues by thinking outside of the typical restaurant post.
We honed in on texture and details, documented their job fair and shared sneak peeks of construction. As the opening neared, menu tastings were captured, employees showcased, and drinks photographed (in front of building materials even).
Over the course of 6 weeks, and by the time Nolita Hall opened to the public, Coast Creative had built a following of almost 2000. Our Instagram strategy then shifted: posting frequency increased and we began to focus on finalized dishes and drinks, the (amazing!) interior and customer experiences.
Nolita Hall continues to experience strong monthly growth and social engagement. In just one summer, Nolita Hall broke 5,000 followers. More importantly (because REAL followers is the key to success), they average 188 likes and 7.5 comments per post.
The Takeaway: Be creative and build early. Own your social media presence from day one and curate a feed that will reflect your brand long after the doors open.
