Aycliffe Village restaurant , The County , is buzzing with social media support
Support – social media work by local agency Thrive has helped The County during the pandemic .
RECIPE FOR
The County , a handy restaurant and B & B
for many with its close proximity to
Aycliffe Business Park , has been enjoying plenty of busy days and nights thanks to the Eat Out to Help Out scheme and marketing support from local creative agency , Thrive .
Thrive came on board to help The County manage their online presence after its new owner , Michael Parkin , took over the popular restaurant in late 2019 .
Although it has been a tough few months for the hospitality sector , Michael ’ s determination to make a success of reopening has proved fruitful , with a number of incentives and Covid-secure practices put in place to ensure new and old customers alike visited over the summer .
The County enjoyed a busy August , bolstered by its participation in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme , which continued on a reduced level throughout September , along with special permission from Great Aycliffe Town Council to expand the outside seating area onto the village green , to support the restaurant in its endeavours to provide social distanced seating .
Michael said : “ We ’ ve been overwhelmed by local support and the number of people who have come back to the restaurant , when we know for some it ’ s not a decision that has been made lightly .
“ From those who have visited . we ’ ve had fantastic feedback on our efforts to go ‘ one
SUCCESS
step further ’ and offer customised social distancing , offering more than two metres socially distanced from other patrons wherever possible .”
The restaurant has also been boosted by marketing and creative input from business park agency , Thrive , who are regular customers and have already generated positive results for the restaurant .
Thrive has been supporting The County with organic and paid social advertising , and has seen success in its promotion of the news that The County received a rare accolade in August , being named one of TripAdvisor ’ s ‘ Travellers ’ Choice Winners 2020 ’, placing them in the top 10 % of restaurants worldwide .
The award signifies the excellent service and dining experience delivered by The County , and Thrive ’ s digital marketing team created a carefully-curated , paid targeted ad to deliver this message to almost 6,000 people at the height of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme , ensuring the restaurant remained busy throughout .
Rachael Farley , Thrive ’ s digital marketing executive , said : “ It ’ s been great to see The County get back on its feet and make a success of all of the initiatives and opportunities offered to the hospitality sector , and it ’ s wonderful to think our paid advertising and social media support has helped towards that .
“ Our paid social media campaign reached 6,000 people for less than £ 20 and achieved almost 230 engagements , ensuring people in a targeted geographical area were reminded about , or introduced to , such a brilliant local restaurant .”
The County is delighted to see support for its Covid-secure efforts continue after the official Eat Out to Help Out scheme ended in August , and Michael hopes to welcome more new and regular visitors in the coming months , as the team is ready to serve the locally supplied homemade meals , and real ale , it has built its name on .
Michael added : “ I would like to thank Thrive for all that they have helped us with over the last couple of months , it ’ s been a weight off my mind to know that I don ’ t have to worry about our marketing presence , and I can focus on the important task of running my business during these challenging times .”
Thrive is a creative and marketing agency situated within Xcel Centre , on Aycliffe Business Park . Discover their latest insights and what they do at thriveability . co . uk .
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 25