Context
Smokin’ Bones is an exceptional barbecue catering offering services for weddings, parties, office get togethers, and other special events around the Greater Toronto Area. Their high-quality and versatile barbecue catering services impressed customers with their range of services that includes cooking, serving, bartending, and even finding the perfect entertainment.
In 2019, Smokin’ Bones was generating hundreds of monthly inquiries requesting their services on-site at events across the city. But in 2020, everything changed around the world, especially for businesses operating in the food service industry. The global COVID-19 pandemic introduced gathering limits and restrictions that kept changing. As concern about the state of public health grew, the way people approached events and dining changed, making it difficult for catering services like Smokin’ Bones to come cook and serve at events in offices, homes, and other venues throughout the city. In fact, the Government of Canada reported that by April 2020 revenue from the food services industry dropped more than 60% compared to before the pandemic.
Strategy
To adapt to this unprecedented shift , Smokin’ Bones was in search of a strategic plan using digital marketing services that would allow them to sustain business throughout the many waves of the pandemic. As a result, Smokin’ Bones turned to Xi Digital for innovative ideas on how to pivot their approach and develop a solution that would allow Smokin’ Bones to adapt to the new landscape.
Then an idea occurred. With the help of Xi Digital, Smokin’ Bones decided to transform their in-person catering service to a packaged meal service that could be delivered safely and conveniently to customers’ doors. In making this change to their business model, Smokin’ Bones was able to meet the needs of customers with individually portioned meals that made eating in groups more convenient and sanitary. This change in service allowed Smokin’ Bones to provide the same high-quality food while also limiting the amount of staff they had on-site and ensuring customers felt comfortable.
Xi Digital then devised a strategic search engine optimization marketing campaign focused on keyphrases such as “prepared bbq meals,” “bbq food delivery,” and “backyard bbq catering.” With this SEO marketing strategy in full force, by October of 2020, just a few months after the start of the pandemic, Xi Digital was able to generate over 200% more leads for Smokin’ Bones online, right in time for the Holiday Season.
Performance
Today, Smokin’ Bones continues to thrive as a leading BBQ catering service in the Greater Toronto Area, with more new business every month and first-page rankings for important keyphrases like “bbq catering toronto,” “barbeque catering,” and “bbq catering.” In the summer of 2022, from June to August, Smokin’ Bones saw a 52% increase in goal completions online, including 41% more calls, 58% more online reservations, and 133% more online inquiries compared to the previous three months.
The Future
As we move forward and away from the restraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, Smokin’ Bones will continue to provide comprehensive catering services including both, individual packaged meals and traditional in-person catering services, with the support of the Xi Digital team and innovative digital marketing strategies.
Contact us today to learn how we can help you generate business online.
FIRST PAGE RESULTS
