Research Report of Stages Nightclub’s Social Media Platforms
Introduction
Stages Nightclub in Kingston, Ontario, established in 1986, is a lively nightspot with a large dance floor that regularly hosts DJ shows, concerts, and theme nights. Their target audience is young adults in the Kingston area who like to consume alcoholic beverages, dance, and socialize with other young adults; specifically, students from Queen’s University, St. Lawrence College, and the Royal Military College of Canada.
This report examines and analyzes Stages Nightclub’s social media channels and strategies. A comprehensive audit of their Facebook and Instagram social media pages will be made to determine their strengths and weaknesses. The final assessment will generate some recommendations that could help improve Stages Nightclub’s social media presence and attract their target audience.
Methodology
The following strategies were used to thoroughly evaluate Stages Nightclub’s social media presence on Facebook and Instagram:
· Reviewed the consistency of branding and information across and throughout the two platforms
· Analyzed the frequency of posts
· Assessed whether the content and design are relevant to their target audience
Strengths
After reviewing and analyzing Stages Nightclub’s social media platforms, several strengths in their strategy have been discovered:
1. Active posting on both platforms: The frequency of posting on Facebook and Instagram is very consistent and regular, at least one post a day. This consistency and rate of sharing and posting creates a sense of relationship and reliability with the target audience, and studies show that you should post on Instagram 1-2 times per day (Shane, 2018).
2. Impactful original content: The posting of photos from the events hosted at the nightclub give their followers a direct point of entry for engaging and resonating with the business’ image and vision. In turn, a strong trust is built between the business and its customers due to relatable and original content being shared and seen.
a.
This screenshot below of a caption on an Instagram photo is a strong example of how Stages Nightclub uses and applies their content in order to resonate with their target audience, specifically, local students.
@stagesnightclub
3. Effective use of hashtags: The constant use of hashtags that mention and indicate Stages Nightclub’s brand identity and the events they host helps to promote and fortify the business’ services and influences. The combination of hashtags and trends is used to increase engagement and interaction with potential customers and followers.
a.
The screenshot below shows that Stages uses effective and relevant hashtags when they are promoting their theme nights.
@stagesnightclub
4. Effective advertising and design:Promotional videos and images are effectively used to advertise upcoming performances and theme nights.
a. The image below depicts an Instagram post promoting Stages’ March 6th, 2019 Oliver Heldens Heldeep 5 Tourstop. This particular post provides details of the event that the target audience would like to know and also provides a call to action by asking the audience to message them to find out where their staff will be selling tickets.
@stagesnightclub
Suggestions for Improvement
Several weaknesses that have been discovered and areas for improvement for Stages Nightclub’s social media presence:
1. Engaging in more conversation: Even though captions for photo posts are concise and have personality; “social media marketing is not an excuse to spam your followers with nothing but sales material. It’s vital to try to engage with followers as much as possible,” (Whatman, 2019). The current posts are not enough to evoke interesting conversations, and comments are not being noticed and replied to, leading to low engagement levels.
a. A suggestion that will help to improve engagement is to hold a contest on Facebook and/or Instagram that presents a simple call to action for the audience. For example, “best caption wins free entry for you and two friends Friday night,” or share the audience’s photos and post them to Stages Nightclub’s Instagram Story.
2. A better bio/’about’ page:On both Facebook and Instagram, there is little information of what Stages Nightclub is and their service offerings. The ‘about’ section is where a company introduces themselves to their audience, tells them what they do, and builds a rapport that will hopefully turn them into a customer (Johnson, 2013). Those who have not been to Stages Nightclub and are curious about their offerings will most likely look to the ‘about’ section of their social media channels to determine if they want to become a customer. Therefore, it is vital that Stages Nightclub create a more in-depth and attractive ‘about’ section to encourage and entice their target audience to become customers.
3. Create more call to action messages:Stages Nightclub could benefit from more call to actions to excite and engage followers on both Facebook and Instagram, to “tell the user what you want them to do,” (Whatman, 2019).
a. A suggestion is to refer followers to a “link in the bio” in an Instagram post for purchasing tickets, related news articles, or other publications relating to the establishment.
b. Another suggestion is to link followers from their Facebook page to the Instagram page, and vice versa, in order to create a web of comprehensive information and content that can foster an immediate response and brand loyalty.
Conclusion
In summary, Stages Nightclub has a strong social media presence that reaches their target audience through two different channels, Facebook and Instagram. Our analysis has seen an evident improvement in Stages Nightclub’s posts, specifically on their Instagram over the first quarter of 2019; the three posts with the most audience engagement, figured by the number of likes the posts received, have all been posted in 2019. With that said, their social media strategy has room for further improvement and refinement, and this can be achieved by taking and implementing the aforementioned steps to engage in more conversations, inform their audience more about who Stages Nightclub is and what they do, and creating more calls to action.
References
Johnson, J. (2013, October 29). Importance of a website About us page | Why have a company profile. Retrieved April, 2019, from https://www.rocketspark.com/blog/why-about-us-page-so-important/
Shane, D. (2018, June 18). How Often You Should Post on Social Media, According to 10 Studies. Retrieved April, 2019, from https://www.inc.com/dakota-shane/how-often-you-should-post-on-social-media-according-to-10-studies.html
Stages Nightclub (@stagesnightclub) • Instagram photos and videos. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/stagesnightclub/
All screenshots have been taken directly from Stages Nightclub's Instagram page.
Whatman, P. (2019, February 19). 8 Must-Do Instagram Marketing Tips for Business. Retrieved April, 2019, from https://mention.com/blog/instagram-marketing-tips-for-business/
