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Smokin' Bones BBQ Catering

In 2019, Smokin’ Bones was generating hundreds of monthly inquiries requesting their services on-site at events across the city. But in 2020, everything changed around the world, especially for businesses operating in the food service industry. The global COVID-19 pandemic introduced gathering limits and restrictions that kept changing. As concern about the state of public health grew, the way people approached events and dining changed, making it difficult for catering services like Smokin’ Bones to come cook and serve at events in offices, homes, and other venues throughout the city.

Smokin' Bones BBQ Catering

Context

Smokin’ Bones is an exceptional barbecue catering offering services for weddings, parties, office get togethers, and other special events around the Greater Toronto Area.

Their high-quality and versatile barbecue catering services impressed customers with their range of services that includes cooking, serving, bartending, and even finding the perfect entertainment.

In 2019, Smokin’ Bones was generating hundreds of monthly inquiries requesting their services on-site at events across the city. But in 2020, everything changed around the world, especially for businesses operating in the food service industry. The global COVID-19 pandemic introduced gathering limits and restrictions that kept changing. As concern about the state of public health grew, the way people approached events and dining changed, making it difficult for catering services like Smokin’ Bones to come cook and serve at events in offices, homes, and other venues throughout the city. In fact, the Government of Canada reported that by April 2020 revenue from the food services industry dropped more than 60% compared to before the pandemic.

Strategy

To adapt to this unprecedented shift , Smokin’ Bones was in search of a strategic plan using digital marketing services that would allow them to sustain business throughout the many waves of the pandemic. As a result, Smokin’ Bones turned to Xi Digital for innovative ideas on how to pivot their approach and develop a solution that would allow Smokin’ Bones to adapt to the new landscape.

Then an idea occurred. With the help of Xi Digital, Smokin’ Bones decided to transform their in-person catering service to a packaged meal service that could be delivered safely and conveniently to customers’ doors. In making this change to their business model, Smokin’ Bones was able to meet the needs of customers with individually portioned meals that made eating in groups more convenient and sanitary. This change in service allowed Smokin’ Bones to provide the same high-quality food while also limiting the amount of staff they had on-site and ensuring customers felt comfortable.

Xi Digital then devised a strategic search engine optimization marketing campaign focused on keyphrases such as “prepared bbq meals,” “bbq food delivery,” and “backyard bbq catering.” With this SEO marketing strategy in full force, by October of 2020, just a few months after the start of the pandemic, Xi Digital was able to generate over 200% more leads for Smokin’ Bones online, right in time for the Holiday Season.

Performance

Today, Smokin’ Bones continues to thrive as a leading BBQ catering service in the Greater Toronto Area, with more new business every month and first-page rankings for important keyphrases like “bbq catering toronto,” “barbeque catering,” and “bbq catering.” In the summer of 2022, from June to August, Smokin’ Bones saw a 52% increase in goal completions online, including 41% more calls, 58% more online reservations, and 133% more online inquiries compared to the previous three months.

The Future

As we move forward and away from the restraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, Smokin’ Bones will continue to provide comprehensive catering services including both, individual packaged meals and traditional in-person catering services, with the support of the Xi Digital team and innovative digital marketing strategies.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you generate business online.

Google First Page Results

Search Keywords: barbecue catering Toronto

Search Keywords: bbq catering GTA

Smokin Bones Reviews on Google

SMOKIN BONES REVIEWS ON

Client Experience

Exceptional customer service, staff and attention to detail. The job isn't done until the customer is happy and Mark, Boris and their team will go above and beyond to make sure of this! Have had 3 websites built with them to date and have web hosting with them too and very happy with all the hard work they have put in and continue to do for me and my clients. Prices are fair, reasonable and competitive and I would highly recommend their services to anyone looking for custom web design, Google advertising and web development.

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Nathan Cantkier

We have been working with Xi Digital for a few years now with our online marketing and I am always extremely pleased with the results. The team at Xi Digital goes above and beyond to make sure that all your marketing needs are met. They work with you diligently to ensure that everything is perfect. Mark and Boris attentively and quickly responded to all of our questions and had solutions for all of our concerns. We couldn't be happier with their services. Thank you so much for all your hard work. We highly recommend this company.

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Marat R.

We utilized the team at XI-Digital to design and build a website for us as well as work with us on our online marketing.
We couldn’t be happier with their service and dedication to their clients.
We love our website and will continue to work with XI-Digital as we grow.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

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Matthew Rose

We shopped around and spoke to different companies, but Xi Digital was the only one that really took the time to explain things to me. Very fast turnaround time for having my new website up and running. AdWords were also taken care of by Mark and it has been a fantastic experience. I highly recommend this company. Thanks Mark for everything.

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Farah Alani

One of the few companies that truly "under-promise and over-deliver". Thank you for getting us to the top of the first page of Google and keeping us there! Your expertise and superior customer service are greatly appreciated.

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Guy Price

What a GREAT company to work with!! From initial consultation to final product Xi Digital was professional, creative and ensured we were happy with the final product!! Mark and the Xi Digital team continue to provide excellent support, communication and share their knowledge anytime we want to make adjustments or add to our website!!

We would highly recommend Xi Digital for your complete internet marketing needs!!!

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Ross DePalma

Mark and his team at XI-Digital are a great group of professionals who helped me create my company's website. I had extensive questions and they were always there to answer them. They provided ideas, recommendations and fantastic customer service. If anyone needs to create their website and doesn't know where to start, call Mark and he will help you with content, graphics and videos. He will even create your unique Facebook page that mirrors your website.

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Liana Ellis

Working with Mark at Xi Digital has been an absolute pleasure. He made the project easy and stress free . He is very organized and extremely knowledgeable and knows the online market extensively. 

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Yien Truong

Mark, Boris & XI Digital are creative, innovative and results oriented. They have always delivered on what they commit to. They provide great suggestions and have terrific products to offer their clients. On behalf of myself and Imagine A Cure for Leukemia we would highly recommend Mark and his team for your web based needs. 

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Nara Abrams

XI Digital went way beyond the call of duty! Their genuine passion, creativity, and expertise was truly inspiring. They are an amazing, upstanding bunch of guys who are an absolute pleasure to work with. Having worked with other developers in the past, i have NEVER found such a talented and invested team like XI Digital. I wouldn't think of using any other company for any online projects that I am involved with both big and small

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Hayley Hofbauer

The team at Xi-Digital absolutely wowed us with their work. We personally were in contact with Mark, Rafaello, and Boris and they went above and beyond at every step. We were definitely not the easiest customers to work with. Boris was amazingly able to make each and every single one of our small and perhaps tedious requests come to reality and make our website exactly the way we like it. However, the thing that most impressed us was Boris’ response to some requests that may have been difficult to accomplish. He always either knows exactly how to create the features you like or he says, “we’ll find a way to do it”.

With that being said, we definitely shopped around quite a bit before we came back and I’m happy to let everyone reading this know that Xi-Digital didn’t stop accommodating us until we were 100% satisfied and I’m sure they’ll be the same towards you.

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Pedram Ghafoori

The group at XI are true professionals that deliver real results. I have the utmost confidence in the team to ensure my requests are being fulfilled in a timely manner and that the final product will exceed my expectations. Regularly, you have to make decisions on where to allocate marketing spend/budget. Sometimes when you invest in a marketing initiative, you are not sure if you are getting the 'bang for your buck' so to speak. However, when working with XI, they ensure that all results are reported on transparently and regularly over time so that you can monitor your marketing investment and ensure it is generating the returns you need. They will also take that strategy and adjust/tweak it over time so that you have a truly optimized program/initiative. 

I would highly recommend XI if you are looking to invest further in the online/digital space.

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Matt M

In the world of IT I have found its difficult to find someone who is also a great business person. Someone who returns calls, hits deadlines and is always aware of providing value. Mark and the team at XI Digital have been all of these things and more. I highly recommend him and his team to you. I have recommended him to colleagues many times and he has always delivered. Thanks Mark. Your work makes my life better. 

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Randy Taylor

These guys know their niche. We have been cooperating with Mark and his team for many years and we have had always leads coming in. Their marketing skills are phenomenal!

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