VTA Social Media - Favorite Destinations Near VTA

Target Audience: The target audiences for VTA's "Favorite __ Near VTA" campaigns were (1) high-potential non-riders and (2) current frequent riders. With both groups, we aimed at the nexus of high transit propensity and passion for each topic'not hard to find with taquerias, pho, coffee, family activities and ice cream. We used Facebook and Instagram ads to target our current fans and their friends, for virality, and to target those who (1) match our target customer segments and (2) reveal an interest in the campaign's topic based on Facebook's data.

Strategy Objective:The campaigns were designed to leverage social media virality generated by current riders to reach high-potential riders with credible, authentic messages. The main call to action was, "Vote for your favorite __ near VTA," with each vote using the campaign hashtag counting as a contest entry to incentivize participation. Prizes were tailored to each campaign'a $25 gift card to your favorite coffee shop plus 5 free day passes on VTA's EZfare app, for example. We tallied mentions for each establishment to select a VTA rider favorite, and then sought additional word-of-mouth exposure by announcing the winner and asking them to share on social media. We contacted businesses in advance and produced Instagram Stories in shops during each week-long campaign to tap into their audiences.

Situation Challenge: Have you ever heard people say they don't ride public transit because it doesn't go where they want to go? So have we. We wanted to change that perception. Beyond a small number of major trip generators, the universe of destinations is so extensive and diverse it's not feasible to promote each individually. Additionally, VTA is most commonly considered for work and school commutes, and we have excess off-peak capacity. We want to increase off-peak boardings and market share of discretionary trips (night life, dining, entertainment, socializing). Again, destinations for discretionary trips are diverse.

Results Impact: The reach and engagement metrics demonstrate that, in addition to an opportunity to reach new audiences, these campaigns have fostered those relationships. Overall, we served 384,881 impressions and measured 7,059 engagements, for a solid 1.8% engagement rate per impression. - #vtataqueria: 81,447 impressions ' 800 engagements ' 1% engagement rate (Oct 2017) - #vtapho: 88,370 impressions ' 1,884 engagements ' 2.1% engagement rate (Dec 2017) - #vtacoffee: 70,662 impressions ' 2,102 engagements ' 3% engagement rate (Jan 2018) - #vtafamily Activities: 35,640 impressions ' 811 engagements ' 2.3% engagement rate (March 2018) - #vtaicecream: 108,762 impressions ' 1,461 engagements ' 1.3% engagement rate (Aug 2018)

Why Submit: For a shoestring budget of only $250-$500 per campaign for targeted social media ads, VTA was able to generate incredible reach and positive resonance that activated our customers as advocates and helped us show thousands of high-potential riders that VTA can be part of a rich, transit-oriented lifestyle. We plan more campaigns like these in the future, based on suggestions from riders of course. Next on the horizon is to discover "VTA riders' favorite boba tea."