How an Iconic Soda Shop Captured the Hearts and Dollars of Tourists in Music City
Imagine a place where history, sweetness, and the soul of Music City come together. For 84 years, one historic soda shop has brought joy to locals and travelers alike. But in an age where tourists are influenced by social media, travel blogs, and TikTok, how could this beloved shop compete for a spot on the crowded itineraries of visitors to Nashville? The answer lay in digital strategy. Here’s how a carefully crafted campaign helped tourists discover a taste of happiness.
The Mission: Capture Consumer Dollars
When tourists arrive in Nashville, they arrive with a list—a list of sights, sounds, and flavors that define the city. To claim a spot on that list, businesses must compete for attention against a flood of online recommendations. For this soda shop, capturing the attention of tourists and enticing them to visit was no easy feat. But by embracing digital advertising and using geofencing technology, they set out to reach visitors at just the right moments.
The Strategy: Geofencing, Targeted Messaging, and Retargeting
- Geofencing Tourist Locations
Our first move was to establish geofences around popular tourist hotspots and restaurants offering similar cuisine and price points. But we took it a step further, zeroing in on the tourists who were actively enjoying all that Music City had to offer. These geofences were designed to capture user attention only while they were still within the Nashville area, ensuring that our ads would catch them before they moved on to their next destination.
And this strategy wasn’t limited to eateries alone. We extended our geofencing reach to iconic tourist destinations around Nashville. Each digital boundary became an invitation, subtly guiding visitors toward an experience they wouldn’t want to miss—a stop at the soda shop.
- Crafting the Right Message
With nearly a century of history, this soda shop’s legacy was a powerful asset, yet the original ads didn’t convey that rich story to new visitors. We encouraged the client to lean into their historic charm and to create advertisements that would resonate with tourists seeking authentic experiences. The messaging became timeless, evoking nostalgia and offering a direct call to action. To entice tourists even further, the ads featured an instant incentive: a click-to-coupon invitation, promising a unique taste of happiness that only an 84-year-old soda shop could deliver.
- Site Retargeting for Re-engagement
When a visitor landed on the soda shop’s website, our work was just beginning. Using site retargeting, we continued engaging users who had already shown interest—whether they’d arrived via a paid ad or discovered the site organically. This approach allowed us to optimize ad spend by keeping the shop top-of-mind for a lower-funnel audience, visitors who were already curious about what they’d find there. By nurturing this interest, we transformed casual interest into foot traffic.
The Results: A Campaign That Sparked Joy and Boosted Sales
In six months, the strategy yielded results that were as sweet as the soda shop’s offerings:
- 4,697 Clicks on Ads
- 0.09% Click-Through Rate (CTR)
- 311 In-store Visits
The combination of geofencing and retargeting proved effective. Tourists who saw or clicked on the ads visited the shop within a week, with 311 of them stopping in to eat, drink, and shop. Each visit wasn’t just a transaction; it was a moment where tourists found a small slice of Nashville’s history.
But the results went beyond mere numbers. With digital tracking, the client gained insight into the specific tourist attractions and competing restaurants that drove the most traffic to their shop. They could also determine which creative ad messages resonated most strongly with visitors, providing invaluable guidance for future campaigns.
A New Era for Historic Charm
For any business—particularly those with a long legacy like this soda shop—digital advertising can be the bridge between yesterday’s charm and today’s fast-paced world. Thanks to this digital strategy, tourists from around the world found their way to this shop, discovering a piece of Nashville history and leaving with memories sweeter than any soda.
If you’re ready to bring history and modern technology together to reach more visitors, consider geofencing with A Nice Guy Marketing. Here, we understand the power of connecting stories with travelers, helping businesses like yours capture not only consumers’ dollars but their hearts as well. Contact us today for a consultation, and let’s create your own tale of digital success.