As a digital marketing agency and lover of LNK businesses, we’re always on the lookout for locals who understand social and wield its power perfectly to further their brands. We don’t provide services for any of these businesses, so just consider us not-so-secret admirers. Enjoy the getting into the meat of social with Honest Abe’s Burgers & Freedom.
Lincoln, Nebraska has always been a breeding ground for young and hungry “restaurantrepreneurs.” As the heartland of America, we’re surrounded by quality local ingredients. With topping options ranging from classics like applewood bacon and pepper jack cheese to off-the-wall (but delicious) offerings like sriracha ketchup and griddled Brussels sprouts, Honest Abe’s allows patrons to get creative with their beef or vegan patty creations.
Since opening its doors in 2012, Honest Abe’s has made a splash on social media and been a fiery engine that drives Lincoln burger lovers to the restaurant in droves. Erik Hustad — the mastermind behind Honest Abe’s — gave us all the beefy details of how he uses social media.
Why did you create Honest Abe’s?
Honest Abe’s was created for a couple reasons; the first one being that I wanted to create great burgers with unique flavors at a price that people could afford, but still high enough that we could use quality ingredients. From a business point of view, burgers are an American staple and will never go out of style. My prediction was that if you can make great burgers and fries, you’ll have customers, and that has proven to be true so far.
How do you use social media?
We use social media like crazy. In fact, it’s about the only advertising we do. We run burger contests on our Facebook page, photo contests featuring customers wearing our T-shirts. We promote weekly and rotating menus. We get tons of feedback from our customers through Facebook. We even post videos and pictures about our business, employees, and food. Social media has been such a powerful tool for Honest Abe’s. It is a game changer for a small business. We will never be able to compete with the chains with traditional marketing, but I highly doubt you’ll see so much activity on their Facebook pages. People love to engage with a local place like Abe’s because it’s unique to our city and they are proud to have it.
What is the number one reason why local businesses need to be active on social?
I think the number one reason local businesses should be active on social media is because that’s where the majority of people are looking before they go and spend their money. It’s amazing how many people find out about us online. It’s almost becoming more important than physical location, visibility, and traffic counts.
What has been your primary goal for being active on social?
Our biggest reason for being on Facebook is to let our customers know about what’s going on and keep them updated with changes to our menus and other things. We aren’t as concerned with gaining new “Likes” as we are with creating activity with those who already like us.
What sort of return have you seen from using social?
We haven’t calculated hard numbers on social media usage at all. We haven’t cared about measuring its effectiveness — mostly because it’s free — but we definitely see its impact. When we give away free fries for certain days of the year, and we shout it out online, we are always much busier. We also see some different volume when we feature different specials, and we know that’s because of social media, because that’s the only way people would know about it.
What memorable interactions have you had with your customer base via social?
Our customers share funny stories with us online, as well as photos of themselves with our shirts on or eating our food. Sometimes an Internet troll will say something negative and unnecessary on our page, and our fans will jump all over them. That’s always fun to see.
What is one thing you’re proud you’ve done for your brand on social?
We are mostly proud of the response we get from our customers when we ask for their feedback. When we run a burger contest, we get hundreds of ideas. It’s amazing to see that many people take time to get involved with our business.
There’s never a shortage of customers at Honest Abe’s, and it’s been forced to expand its space, making it easier for patty patrons to get their fix. The expected open date for the new space is June 15. Located just two doors down from its current location, the new Abe’s will feature almost triple the space and include a well-manicured, enclosed outdoor seating area. Hustad swore us to secrecy, but shared that he has big plans for a new restaurant in the old Honest Abe’s space.
You can find Honest Abe’s on Facebook or Instagram.
Hurrdat is a Lincoln, Neb. digital marketing agency specializing in social media and content marketing. The company was founded in 2010 and merged with B² Interactive of Omaha, Neb. in 2014 bringing even more digital marketing specialties to both firms’ clients. Together they provide a full range of social media, SEO, and website development services to both national brands and local clients. The companies employ more than 75 people in Nebraska and have won multiple awards for their business efforts, company culture, and clients’ campaigns.
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