15 Oct Tokyo Cowboy 2023-24 Annual Case Study
About Tokyo Cowboy
Nestled in the vibrant atmosphere of San Antonio’s Riverwalk, Tokyo Cowboy seamlessly blends traditional Texan charm with an enticing menu featuring Japanese street food and whiskey-infused cocktails. Conceived by Chef Ben Cachila and architect/owner Chris Hill, who also boasts ownership of two other beloved Alamo City eateries, The Esquire Tavern, and Hugman’s Oasis—this culinary gem promises a unique fusion experience.
Tokyo Cowboy
135 East Commerce Street
San Antonio, TX
(210) 305-7075
www.tokyocowboytx.com/
Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok
Project
During the initial months of 2023, Tokyo Cowboy sought the expertise of Embark Marketing to elevate brand visibility and amplify sales via social media platforms. Nestled in an energetic hotspot within downtown San Antonio, the establishment primarily catered to tourists. While this clientele bolstered business, the proprietor voiced a wish to appeal to the local community as well.
To tackle this obstacle, Embark Marketing devised an all-encompassing social media plan, incorporating distinctive content production through photography and videography. We assumed control of social media administration across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, while also supervising social media advertising initiatives on Facebook and Instagram. Acknowledging the significance of reviews for search engine optimization (SEO) and customer engagement, we also undertook the task of managing reviews on Google and Yelp.
As our partnership advanced, we uncovered new prospects. While not initially part of the agreement, we recognized specific aspects of public relations as pivotal for the client’s achievements. Consequently, we broadened our scope to encompass press release dissemination within their ongoing social media arrangement. This diverse strategy has played a crucial role in upholding and enriching Tokyo Cowboy’s digital visibility and reputation. For this case study specifically, we will be looking at the annual success of Tokyo Cowboy’s marketing strategy from April 2023 – March 2024.
Strategy
To invigorate the brand’s social media footprint, we understood the importance of defining its visual identity, voice, tone, and overall atmosphere. Consequently, we prioritized generating dynamic and captivating content, utilizing high-quality photography and videography that aligns seamlessly with the brand’s established persona. Furthermore, we implemented a digital advertising plan on Facebook and Instagram to enhance brand visibility and showcase special occasions.
Social Media Management
Strategy
To revamp the restaurant’s social media presence, Embark Marketing focused its efforts on two key platforms: Facebook and Instagram. The choice of these platforms was deliberate, with the goal of effectively engaging the local audience in the Alamo City while also increasing awareness among both regular patrons and visiting tourists. A crucial aspect of this effort involved shaping the brand’s visual identity and distinctive voice. This included prioritizing the creation of fresh and captivating content, achieved through the use of high-quality photography and videography. Additionally, a digital advertising strategy was implemented across all social media channels. The strategy was crafted to not only boost brand visibility but also to actively market events organized by the restaurant.
Content Creation
As social media dynamics continue to evolve and our internal investigations reveal, Embark Marketing opted to harness a blend of photographic and video material that best aligns with accentuating the atmosphere and cuisine. Moreover, the expansion of our accounts was notably impacted by the introduction of fresh menus, including weekend brunch, happy hour offerings, and a recently added lunch offering.
Social Media
Positioned directly on the San Antonio Riverwalk, the Asian fusion eatery attracts a varied clientele, encompassing both younger and older demographics. Embark Marketing’s primary goal was to boost interaction and broaden the follower count across all social platforms during the restaurant’s inaugural year of operation.
Within just a year of their grand opening, the Instagram following soared by 17,094 users. Moreover, there was a remarkable surge in engagement, reaching 37,902, while Impressions also saw significant growth, reaching 1,641,889.
What does this mean? With the increase in followers on Instagram, evidence shows that the business continued to gain support from tourists & local patrons as we continued to provide engaging content with the increase in posting frequency.
In the last year, Tokyo Cowboy’s Facebook page has gained 1,372 likes.
What does this mean? The growth of followers on Instagram has played a pivotal role in Tokyo Cowboy’s expansion, indicating loyalty from both existing and new patrons. Users actively engage with the regularly posted content, contributing to an overall enhancement in the business’s performance.
X (Formerly known as, Twitter)
While we did not put a focus on X, we did organically post to the platform when posting to other platforms for SEO purposes. In the last year, Tokyo Cowboy’s Twitter followers increased by 16 followers.
TIKTOK
The surge in TikTok’s popularity prompted us to establish a brand account. Embark Marketing maintained regular posting, typically 1-2 times per week, with content tailored to video formats. As a result, Tokyo Cowboy’s follower count has grown by 124 users, accumulating 714 likes. On average, each video garners over 400 views.
Reputation Management
Within the food and beverage industry, maintaining a brand’s digital presence on review platforms such as Yelp, Google for Business, and Facebook is essential. More than 94% of restaurant patrons conduct online research by consulting restaurant reviews before finalizing their purchase decisions. This factor significantly influences a brand’s SEO ranking.
As a popular dining destination catering to both tourists and locals, Tokyo Cowboy consistently garners reviews on various platforms almost every day. Embark Marketing proactively engages with both positive and negative reviews promptly, aiming to uphold a positive customer sentiment online. In the year 2023, the establishment concluded with a commendable 4.1-star rating on Facebook, a 4.1-star rating on Yelp, and a 4.3 rating on Google.
Public Relations
Traditional Press
Considering Tokyo Cowboy’s objectives, we identified a local public relations strategy as a means to drive traffic to the newly established San Antonio restaurant. The strategy aimed to spotlight the restaurant’s events and promotions, while also raising awareness of its debut in April 2023.
One of Tokyo Cowboy’s main goals was to draw customers to their new Asian fusion restaurant via a series of special events and promotions scheduled throughout the year. Working together, we devised and implemented a range of event campaigns, such as the Grand Opening, the introduction of their brunch menu, and the launch of their lunch menu. For each of these events, we distributed press releases to various local news media outlets across the San Antonio region, resulting in coverage in more than 20 articles and news segments featured in 7 publications.
SA Foodie Social Media Paid Influencer Partnership:
In addition to traditional media channels, Embark Marketing connected with San Antonio’s premier foodie influencer, SA Foodie, managed by Amanda Spencer. With a staggering 487k followers and a track record of delivering top-notch content, Spencer was an obvious choice. Recognizing the synergy between Tokyo Cowboy’s aesthetic and culinary concept, we saw partnering with her as a significant opportunity to boost brand visibility and amplify social media presence and engagement. Spencer collaborated with Tokyo Cowboy twice in the past year, yielding positive results.
After a few weeks of its opening, she showcased the restaurant, and towards the end of 2023, she highlighted Tokyo Cowboy’s latest brunch menu. Both posts garnered immense success, as evidenced below:
Website Maintenance
To support marketing efforts & maintain overall brand awareness, each additional menu was built out and added to the site along with the hours available. This ensured customers could easily find new information about the restaurant as well as allowing the information to populate for SEO keywords. This was crucial for the introduction of the lunch and brunch menus as the restaurant would now populate those terms on SERPs, therefore resulting in more awareness of the eatery for these dining segments.
Throughout the year as more content was gathered, additional assets were added to the site to further encapsulate the brand’s visual identity & provide enticing images of new dishes for diners.
Conclusion
The first year of Tokyo Cowboy has brought great success to the eatery. With our marketing efforts, the fusion restaurant has made its mark on the San Antonio culinary scene & has become a popular stop on the Riverwalk for locals & visitors alike. Want to learn more about how Embark Marketing can help your restaurant or bar be the best in the biz? Contact us today for a free consultation and assessment of your food & beverage business.