Over the last three months Degani has implemented a new digital strategy, and its recruited another 10 franchisees in the process.

Research by the Victorian-based cafe chain that revealed its audience consumes 80 percent of their daily information via online channels, was a driving force behind the strategy, which includes three key outcomes:  

• Raise brand awareness – particularly in locations outside of Victoria where the brand is relatively unknown
• Recruit new franchisees in these locations
• Learn more about the Degani customer

The company invested in a number of social media platforms, of which Facebook proved particularly effective – it enabled Degani to focus on geographical targeting to inform people located in markets outside of Victoria about the franchise opportunities available to them. 

Embracing the digital realm has seen Degani uncover a wealth of information about its target market, explained marketing manager Clementine Scott.

“Progressing our strategies into the digital space was an absolute must, and it began when we turned to online sources to learn more about our audience,” she said.

“From this, we identified that our core audience, which is potential franchisees, were aged between 30 and 54, were professional managers, frequented cafes and coffee shops regularly and had at least $100,000 in savings. We therefore had to develop our strategies to suit this.”

Scott added the information was used to help Degani connect with its target market as effectively as possible. 

“Once this profile was shaped, we tailored our communications to ensure we were speaking to this core group with the right messages and information.

“We launched a modern campaign to suit this profile audience, drove it heavily through social and online media and as a result – we attracted 10 new franchisees who came on board in the first three months,” she explained.

The company has also utilised Twitter, creating hashtags to be used throughout the duration of its ‘For the Love of Coffee’ campaign – a move that saw its number of Twitter followers increase to 500.  

“It makes sense that the bigger a company grows, the greater the need for social media,” said Scott.

“What was once utilised to communicate key messages, is now being used for attracting the right employees and partners and that’s exactly what we see the benefit in for Degani.”