Baker Public Relations implemented a 90-day work plan for the opening of Palette Café in May 2019, with a grand opening date and ribbon cutting scheduled for June 5, 2019. Palette Café was the first step in opening the entire Palette concept, eventually including a coworking and community space.
The launch plan included local dignitary/community outreach for the ribbon cutting, pitching to local media and drafting a press release both to secure opening coverage. Other duties included social media content creation and video production to promote Palette Café and inform its target audiences through its social media channels and website. The target audience consisted of Saratoga Springs residents, with a focus on women in the community. The strategy involved laying the foundation for building a community of women interested in joining the coworking space, slated to open that fall.
The strategy behind utilizing local print media was to allow reporters to take photos of the space, engage with the owner and tell Palette’s story – one that empowers women to embrace their inner prowess, socialize and grow relationships in an environment built around the notion of supporting each other.
Baker Public Relations secured several interviews with the owner before and after the opening of Palette Café, including Times Union (piece ran on the cover of the Business section), Saratoga Living, Saratoga Today, Saratoga Business Journal, Albany Business Review, Mini City, Women@Work and The Saratogian. These interviews all featured photos of the café space and covered the key messages on the importance of Palette Café and its downtown Saratoga location. Baker Public Relations also secured digital coverage from local food bloggers, including Saratoga.com, Saratoga Food Fanatic and 518 Bites & Sights. Print media shared their stories digitally, which allowed us to utilize the content and share via social media.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony and invite-only event featured fantastic turnouts, including Saratoga Springs Mayor Meg Kelly, Senator Daphne Jordan’s representative, Saratoga County Supervisor Tara Gaston, Saratoga County Commissioner of Finance Michele Madigan and notable members from both the Saratoga and Capital Region Chambers.
Baker Public Relations created a social media content calendar for Facebook and Instagram that remained consistent with Palette’s overall brand of colors, fonts and style. Since the initial calendar was created, additional content has been posted monthly on behalf of Palette Café.
Baker Public Relations also created videos for Palette Café’s social network. The topics included an overview of Palette Café and its community involvement and an introduction to Palette Upstairs, the coworking space and a testimonial video.
Combining traditional media and social media was the most cost-effective way to achieve the objectives and goals Baker Public Relations had set forth, ultimately creating exceptional coverage results for the client.
Since the opening of the café, Baker Public Relations was, once again, retained as the agency of record to assist with opening and promoting the coworking space and a second Palette location in Schenectady, New York the following year.