Scaling a Chicago Landmark
Challenge
Valois, a historic restaurant in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, was struggling to maintain a strong digital presence despite its long-standing reputation and deep community roots. Social media performance was poor, with low engagement and outdated content that failed to capture the restaurant’s cultural and historic significance. Additionally, the absence of an online ordering system meant the focus had to be on driving awareness, traffic, and local visibility. To make matters more challenging, the website lacked optimization, limiting its ability to showcase menu offerings effectively or attract new customers searching for dining options in Hyde Park.
Work Carried Out
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To restore Valois’ digital presence and highlight its cultural significance, Creative Sphere implemented a complete marketing refresh. From transforming social media with engaging, story-driven content to redesigning the website and optimizing local SEO, we built a strategy that not only boosted visibility but also celebrated the restaurant’s historic role in the Hyde Park community.
Social Media Transformation
- Developed a robust content calendar mixing food photography, reels, customer stories, and cultural references to Hyde Park and Chicago.
- Produced high-quality photography and video content capturing Valois’ signature “See Your Food” experience and historic vibe.
- Optimized hashtags, captions, and local geo-tags to expand reach across Chicago neighborhoods.
Website Redesign & Optimization
- Designed a modern, mobile-responsive website highlighting the menu, restaurant history, and Google Map integration.
- Focused on SEO to target terms like “breakfast in Hyde Park”, “best diner in Chicago”, and “Valois Hyde Park.”
Local SEO & Google Business Profile
- Fully optimized Google Business Profile with updated visuals, menus, and accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone).
- Posted weekly updates and special highlights to keep the profile active and visible.
Community-Centric Storytelling
- Leveraged the restaurant’s cultural identity (a favorite spot of President Obama and Hyde Park locals) to strengthen storytelling and customer connection.
Specific Elements Created
Professional photography of menu staples paired with high-performing Reels that captured the restaurant’s food, atmosphere, and cultural history, including its ties to Hyde Park and President Obama.
A redesigned, mobile-responsive website showcasing Valois’ menu, rich history, and integrated Google Maps to make it easier for new and returning customers to find and visit the restaurant.
Local keyword optimization combined with consistent Google Business Profile updates, including new photos and videos, to boost visibility, search rankings, and customer engagement.
Results Achieved
Through Creative Sphere’s targeted social media, website, and local SEO efforts, Valois experienced significant growth in online visibility, engagement, and in-store traffic. Instagram followers and engagement soared, website visits increased, and top local search rankings drove more customers through the doors, solidifying Valois as a must-visit Hyde Park landmark.
Social Media Metrics
- Instagram followers grew from 2,000 to 5,500 in 4 months.
- Average engagement rate increased from 2% to 7%, with posts regularly hitting 500+ interactions.
- Average Reel views rose from 1,000 to 12,000, with several videos crossing 20,000 views.
- A feature on Valois’ “See Your Food” experience generated 4× higher engagement compared to standard posts.
Website Impact
- Monthly traffic increased by 70% after relaunch.
- Bounce rate dropped by 30%, while session duration nearly doubled.
- Google Maps click-throughs from the website increased, driving more walk-ins despite no online ordering.
Local SEO
- Achieved top 3 rankings for “breakfast in Hyde Park” and “best diner in Chicago.”
- Google Business Profile impressions rose by 65%, calls by 40%, and direction requests by 50%.
Customer Outcomes
- Noticeable increase in in-store traffic linked to social media and Google searches.
- Customers frequently mentioned discovering or rediscovering Valois through Instagram campaigns and Google visibility.
- Stronger brand positioning as a must-visit Hyde Park landmark.