tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323975332024-03-08T05:21:50.377-05:00Restaurant Marketing Plans and Local Store MarketingRestaurant marketing to get more customers to visit more often and spend more money on each visit AND decrease your advertising costs at the same time.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-85284917174161087452010-06-01T14:20:00.001-05:002010-06-01T14:20:37.244-05:00KK=free<br>DD=free w/purchase<br>No strings=better pull<br><a href="http://ww2.ajcmobile.com/autojuice/?targetUrl=http://www.ajc.com/news/spell-them-doughnuts-or-537315.html">http://ww2.ajcmobile.com/autojuice/?targetUrl=http://www.ajc.com/news/spell-them-doughnuts-or-537315.html</a>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-62914019962908526262010-05-26T13:12:00.002-05:002010-05-26T13:23:30.484-05:007 Email Marketing TipsEmail marketing has been around long enough that I didn't think this kind of info would be necessary. Apparently it is. <br /><br />If you want me to act upon your message, forward to friends, or at the very least READ your email, please follow these basic tips:<br /><br />1. Pictures are fine. But if your message is embedded in an image I will not see it. I don't get email images on my mobile device and my Outlook prevents them as well. Use pictures/graphics to augment your message, not to be your message.<br /><br />2. Send messages more often. Addresses change, people forget they signed up. Sending messages more often helps engage people and lessens the risk of unsubscribe.<br /><br />3. Don't send messages too often. Really. You're not THAT important in someone's life. Send messages that are useful to your customers, don't keep sending just because you feel the need to talk all the time.<br /><br />4. Make your messages timely. I got an email from a fast-casual place letting me know about FREE sandwich day. Great, that's useful info. But the message was 27 days before the date. If you want email to be an inexpensive communication channel, send me a reminder a couple of days ahead of time. This is a message I will forward.<br /><br />5. It's not all about you. What have you done for the community? How have you contributed to your neighborhood? People get tired of hearing about "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!"<br /><br />6. Give me an action item. What behavior do you want to effect? What reason have you given me to act on your message? Use dayparts and added value, not just discounts.<br /><br />7. Email is just one channel of communication. Use it to reinforce your advertising, your in-store messaging, your local store efforts. It's part of a marketing mix, not a really large hammer that solves all problems.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-57036710884068124672010-05-25T13:37:00.002-05:002010-05-25T13:50:08.086-05:00CFA - Losing Money or Gaining Customers?Chick-fil-A is <a href="http://www.getspicychicken.com/">giving away free spicy chicken sandwiches</a>. The sandwiches aren't on the menu yet, but CFA is taking reservations.<br /><br />Don't they know that will increase their food costs? They'll lose tons. TONS I say!<br /><br />On its face, this seems like a contradiction to the <a href="http://www.nrn.com/breakingNews.aspx?id=383278">NRN article</a> of NPD's study on what's next, <em>No More Free Lunches</em>.<br /><br />But a closer look shows that CFA is simply falling back on the tried and true tactic of product roll out: if the product is good, put it into people's mouths. Taking a reservation is a great addition to their arsenal. Now they can follow up.<br /><br />But as Bonnie Riggs, NPD’s restaurant analyst, notes: “You want to get them into your restaurant and hopefully you can up-sell,” Riggs said. “But you have to have something to generate buzz to get them into you restaurants first.”<br /><br />This isn't new for CFA. Their free food promotion to those wearing their favorite school's gear to kick off the college football season last year, or mailing out thousands of freebies to drive trial of milkshakes, both come to mind.<br /><br />The trick is what they do with the customers <em>after</em> they've tried the product. That's the part most restauranteurs don't get about these kinds of specials.<br /><br />Which is good for CFA and others who know what they're doing.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-19372171258616051712010-02-22T16:03:00.003-05:002010-02-22T16:06:19.786-05:00Sign of the Times"Typically, if you're unemployed, you're not getting up at six and not going through the drive-thru," said Jeffrey Bernstein, an analyst at Barclays Capital. "There is a direct correlation between unemployment and breakfast sales." (From <a href="http://www.qsrweb.com/article.php?id=17377&prc=66&page=58">QSR Web</a>.)<br /><br />Hate to say this, but marketing doesn't overcome this type of trend. You can't modify this behavior.<br /><br />If your breakfast sales have been hurt, find something that <em>is working</em> and make it better.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-71649997249784684792010-02-22T15:56:00.004-05:002010-02-22T16:07:07.076-05:00Customer Service. . .Again<blockquote>I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. -- Maya Angelou</blockquote><br /><br />We talk about it all the time, but based on recent experiences in restaurants I'm not sure we actually get it. An adequate experience does not equate to great customer service. <br /><br />"Well bully for you. You didn't piss anyone off today."<br /><br />I honestly <em>think</em> you'll need about 50% fewer marketing dollars if you just get that "feeling" right. I honestly <em>know</em> that you need about 100% more marketing dollars if you don't.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-60271203281132181562010-02-19T10:15:00.001-05:002010-02-19T10:17:34.821-05:00Ringling Brothers. . .a new client?<em>Update - Feb. 19, 2010</em>: Apparently Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey has focused their marketing plan based on this <a href="http://gossmark.blogspot.com/2008/01/circus-marketing.html">old LSM tactic </a>(originally posted 1/28/08). . . only they used a <a href="http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/circus-zebra-leads-police-312266.html">zebra in downtown Atlanta</a>.<br /><br />Local Store Marketing has always been part science, part P.T. Barnum. I thought it appropriate to share this analogy by an unknown author:<br /><br />When a circus comes to town, and you put up a sign, that's <strong>advertising</strong>.<br /><br />If you parade an elephant through town, that's <strong>promotion</strong>.<br /><br />If the elephant knocks down the mayor's fence, it's <strong>publicity</strong>. If you can get the mayor to laugh about it, it's <strong>public relations</strong>.<br /><br />If the town's citizens come to the circus, and you show them all of the entertaining booths, show them how much fun they will have when they spend their money at the booths, answer their questions and, ultimately, they spend a lot at the circus, that's <strong>sales</strong>.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-14743123890042386662010-01-18T12:18:00.004-05:002010-01-18T12:29:52.162-05:00Social Media IS LSMSome good advice on using social networking tools to engage your customers and develop loyalty in this article on <a href="http://www.rimag.com/article/374635-Q_A_Jackie_Huba_On_Social_Media_Marketing_in_the_Restaurant_Business.php">Social Media Marketing in the Restaurant Business</a>.<br /><br />The point I take is that social media is an extension of you and your product, it's another channel of communication for your existing marketing plan.<br /><br />Everyone loves to know the owner. Everyone likes to feel like they're a member of an exclusive club, or to get additional privileges.<br /><br />Get feedback, engage customers, make them feel special. Do this through Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and on discussion boards.<br /><br />But you need to also do this in person, at PTA meetings, in your dining room. The author hits the nail on the head, but she only speaks to electronic communication channels. Add those channels to the real-life ones. Social media is effective because it increases frequency of message.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-33775428484711605722010-01-18T11:53:00.004-05:002010-01-18T12:13:28.621-05:00Social Media and Restaurant MarketingSo how are you using social media to market your restaurant? Seems like asking for advice on the matter is like asking 10 economists for their opinion on any subject: you get 12 different answers.<br /><br />- Carefully plan out your branding message, or shoot from the hip?<br />- Engage customers and develop a relationship, or shotgun a message to drive trial?<br />- Social media will bring me hundreds of cusotmers, just because they can find me on their iPhones!<br />- My Facebook page has lots of pictures and my menu.<br /><br />Maybe a social media strategy isn't the pinnacle of success. Maybe social media are simply one more way to increase your frequency of message. Maybe these tools are just one more channel through which to promote your <strong>marketing strategy</strong>.<br /><br />There's a lot of advice out there, but most of it makes social media seem like just today's version of a radio commercial: it reaches a lot of people, but the clutter nullifies the message.<br /><br />A social media strategy is important. But it's only one leg of an overall marketing strategy. After all, the goal isn't to create awareness. It's to create sales.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-70130980335370228242009-12-29T12:15:00.002-05:002009-12-29T12:18:33.099-05:00Gift Card Sales?I'm wondering what you all thought of your gift card sales this year. I know you have to have them, and I know they're all the rage to increase your ticket and put some money in the till before the end of the year, but are they all they're cracked up to be?<br /><br />I've heard differing opinions. Some people are able to sell a lot, some have them as a convenience. It probably has a lot to do with how aggressive you are in promoting them, but at the end of the day: <br /><br />Are gift cards worth the effort?Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-42397451411179649622009-11-12T12:00:00.002-05:002009-11-12T12:02:31.118-05:00Smart LSM: Drinking Beer = Doing GoodThis is a good idea that someone just reminded me of. It's not 100% germane to you during the colder months, but this is a good summer / 4th of July promotion. A <a href="http://www.eavbuzz.net/forum/index.php?topic=23098.0;topicseen">local restaurant</a> printed his logo and the local fire station's logo (engine 13) on beer coozies. All proceeds help furnish the new fire station being built.<br /><br />He probably gets them for $1 each (total spend = $300) and each one sold = 1 person in his restaurant (not exactly, but pretty close). Plus, the fire fighters tell everyone to go there and get one (word of mouth). I just love the simplicity of it.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-48757244585066263282009-11-11T17:16:00.003-05:002009-11-11T17:21:51.948-05:00Destination IdeasHow can you make your store a destination? Get a little creative. You can often get free radio time or local news ink, depending on your hook. But partnering with an organization will also get you frequent messages in their newsletters.<br /><br />Feel free to comment with other ideas:<br />- Toys for Tots<br />- Coats for Kids<br />- Pictures with Santa<br />- Related to Santa: get a mailbox and promise to "deliver" straight to the North Pole. Hand out coloring sheets/Dear Santa templates to local schools and pre-schools.<br />- Car washes in your parking lot (best for free-standing buildings)<br />- Touch-A-Truck events<br />- Bicycle safety rallies (partner with the fire or police dept.)<br />- Host open enrollment for local sports leagues<br />- Meet the Mayor (councilperson, state rep, whatever)Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-68772989984138804292009-11-11T17:08:00.002-05:002009-11-11T17:15:59.074-05:00Make Your Store a DestinationIf only you could make your store a destination spot. If only you could get people into your store (during a season you'd really like to capitalize on) to see all of your merchandise. Oh, and it'd be great if you could get people to thank you for the privilege of being in your store.<br /><br />Wait a minute. . .you can (from ACE Hardware in East Atlanta Village - great LSM-ers, btw):<br /><br /><blockquote>We heard reports of UPS & FedEx packages disappearing from porches - often only moments after being delivered. The speculation is that the thieves are following the delivery trucks.<br /><br />So, as a service to our neighbors, Village Hardware will receive and hold your packages for you until you can pick them up. Have your packages delivered to your name, c/o Village Hardware, 1231 Glenwood Ave, Atlanta, GA 30316. When you are expecting a delivery, just give us a call and we'll see if it's arrived.</blockquote><br /><br />And the response?<br /><br /><blockquote>Wow! That's awesome of you guys!</blockquote><br /><br /><blockquote>That is awesome customer service!!</blockquote><br /><br /><blockquote>No kidding. Jason, that's fantastic. <br /><br />And, you know, when you go pick up your package, buy some stuff!</blockquote> (Don't forget, this is a customer telling others to buy stuff.)<br /><br />OK, so you're not a hardware store. Change the idea to fit your restaurant (or book store, or nail salon, or whatever). Ideas forthcoming in another post.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-55797480661258301442009-10-20T09:18:00.000-05:002009-10-20T09:18:00.294-05:00Advantages of Targeted Facebook Advertising<a href="http://facebook.com">Facebook</a> offers highly targeted advertising at a relatively low cost. Facebook collects demographic info on 150 million+ users, which you can use to your advertising advantage. I know what you’re thinking, as a Facebook user – that’s kind of scary, right? But the targeted ads are actually quite subtle, and I for one don’t mind being served ads about brands and products I like. And from an advertiser’s perspective, it’s very efficient in reaching your target.<br /> <br />As far as targeting demographics, you can choose from age, gender, relationship status, location, interests, and more. The most recent Facebook stats show their highest growing age group is over 35. Facebook isn’t just for college kids anymore, although the under 24 set are still the biggest Facebook age group. The "young professionals" group ages 25-34 is doubling every 6 months. Talk about a growth explosion.<br /> <br />Building ads on Facebook is easy. In fact, they <a href="http://www.facebook.com/advertising/">walk you through it</a>. And you don’t have to have the ads point your homepage – in fact, it’s a better experience to keep users in Facebook and redirect them to either your restaurant’s fan page or to a specific event posting. <br /><br />If you’ve never bought online ads before, Facebook’s system of bidding on cost per click (CPC) or cost per impression (CPM) might seem confusing. Fortunately, they’ll <a href="http://www.facebook.com/help.php?page=864">walk you through this</a>, too. Basically, you choose a daily ad budget and then bid on how much you will pay per click or per 1,000 impressions. The minimum daily budget is $1.00. Pretty much everyone can afford that.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-43266892790174283102009-10-16T09:06:00.000-05:002009-10-16T09:06:00.278-05:00Twitter for RestaurantsYou might already be tweeting for your restaurant. If not, think about adding Twitter to your overall LSM strategy. Many restaurants are finding that tweeting customers is worthwhile because it’s an easy way to get short messages out quickly. Many of your customers are probably already using it to gather information. Notice I say "your customers" - using Twitter isn't a method to gain more customers, but to increase the frequency with which existing customers visit your restaurant. <br /><br />I’m not going to tell you how to sign up for Twitter (nor will I tell you the grass is green - it's obvious), but I am going to give you some ideas on how to use it to reach your customers in intimate and engaging ways. Here’s a list of ideas.<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Tweets don't always have to be business-related:</span> Do you like to get sales messages all the time? Neither does anyone else. Keep your tweets relevant but throw in a personal touch. Show there’s actually a person behind your messages.<br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Remember who you’re talking to:</span> Tie your tweets to the community. Is it the mayor’s birthday? Did one of your loyal customers have a baby? What was the score of last night’s high school football game?<br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Keep tweets timely:</span> Is the local sports team that just won a big tournament in the restaurant? Tweet it with your congrats. The next time you’re at the local craft fair or other event, use Twitter to tell folks where they can find you and what you’re offering.<br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Offer Twitter-only promotions:</span> When it IS time to make business-related posts, make them of value. Offer a free appetizer, upgrade a sandwich to a combo, use Twitter-only codes to make your tweets feel special. Some restaurants even have “Twitter Tuesdays” or Thursdays and offer weekly specials to Twitter followers. Others offer daily or semi-weekly secret specials, tweeted at a different time every day. Gain more followers by offering a prize for retweeting (RT) a recruitment message from you.<br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Become a true Twitter leader:</span> There are a few good examples of restaurants using Twitter in out-of-the-box ways. A coffee shop in Seattle (and not Starbucks!) started taking to-go and drive-through orders via Twitter, at a customer’s request. A taco truck tweets their location every day so customers can find them. Other restaurants hold “tweetups” so local tweeters can meet each other face-to-face.<br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">Get involved in the Twitter food community:</span> Most regions have tweeters who are food critics or enthusiasts. Know who these users are and follow them. You might also want to follow your competitors to see how they’re using Twitter. This is another good source for ideas.<br />• <span style="font-weight:bold;">MOST IMPORTANTLY, engage your audience:</span> I can’t put enough emphasis on this. Twitter was created for sharing information. Your conversation should be two-sided. Ask your followers questions. “What else would you like to see on our menu?” or “What’s your favorite menu item?” Sure, these are a little boring, but you might learn a lot from them. And you don’t have to keep the conversation business-related. Watch what your followers are talking about and join them. RT their posts, if they are relevant to the rest of your audience. Just participate.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-78508369351441966222009-10-14T14:36:00.002-05:002009-10-14T14:36:01.752-05:00Managing Listings on Directory Sites (Yelp, Urbanspoon, Kudzu, etc.)I’m assuming you’ve tried to look your location up before on Google Maps. Have you tried, specifically if your location is in the Atlanta area, checking <a href="http://yelp.com">Yelp</a>, <a href="http://urbanspoon.com">Urbanspoon</a>, or <a href="http://kudzu.com">Kudzu</a>? These are all directory sites with entertainment, restaurant and service industry listings. Each of these sites are mostly customer-driven and allow users to rate and review businesses. But you hopefully already knew that.<br /><br />Let’s talk about why it’s important to take ownership of these listings. You want your listing’s information to be accurate, for one. You also want the ability to respond to reviews, questions and comments. Your location may already be listed or you might have to add it. Some of these directory sites (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/business">Yelp</a> in particular) will allow you to register as a business owner and add or take over your location’s listing. Once you have this done you can add your listing or make changes to an existing listing, upload pictures, and write a review for your listing (clearly stating you’re the owner or manager, of course). You’ll then be ready to encourage your loyal customers to write more reviews for you.<br /><br />In the same vein, there are some definite DON’Ts with these directory sites:<br /><br />• DON’T fake any reviews for your location. This can be very obvious and will make you look dishonest.<br />• DON’T incent customers to write favorable reviews. You want honest opinions only.<br />• DON’T ignore unfavorable reviews. Turn these bad experiences into good ones by contacting the customer privately and listening.<br />• DON’T become openly defensive about bad reviews. They happen. DON’T remove them, either. The point of this is to be transparent. But pay attention – you may have some changes to make.<br />• Lastly, and this should be obvious, DON’T write unfavorable reviews about the competition. Even if you think they’re doing it to you. This isn’t elementary school. <br /><br />Taking ownership of these listings is just a small part of making sure people know <span style="font-weight:bold;">who</span> you are and <span style="font-weight:bold;">what</span> you are. It's just one more tactic for your localized social media strategy, and shouldn't take long to set up or maintain. You will probably want to do some research to find other local (and not-so-local) directory and rating/reviewing sites and make sure you're listed there. Here's a great <a href="http://onlinerestaurantmarketing.wordpress.com/2008/03/05/how-to-get-your-restaurant-listed-on-search-engines-and-restaurant-sites/">list</a> to start with, but your community may have sites of forums you'll want to become involved in as well.<br /><br />As always, feel free to comment below with your stories about online directory marketing. How have you joined your customers' conversation?Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-69206027607706795582009-10-05T12:31:00.003-05:002009-10-05T12:44:24.479-05:00Adapt the Tactic to Your AudienceIt's come up a lot lately in individual conversations, so I make it a point to...uh...point it out again.<br /><br /><em>I need new ideas.</em> This statement needs to be refined: You need new ideas <em>for whom?</em> I'm not splitting hairs, but generally people want new ideas and <strong>then</strong> they find people to market to.<br /><br />Consider this example: A local restaurant puts on an open mic night. Their challenge now is to find people to attend said open mic night. They're now out pounding the pavement, talking to anyone who will listen, saying "come to our open mic night."<br /><br />Did the general public ignore your promotion about how great your food is, but now all of a sudden they're falling over themselves to come in to read poetry or play the guitar? I doubt it. If an open mic night promotion works to the general population in your area then you would likely have had the same success with telling everyone how great your pizza/bbq/chicken tenders/steak is.<br /><br />In other words, it's that you did any promotion at all that made it work.<br /><br />The converse is usually also true. If an open mic night promotion fails to draw people, it probably wasn't the open mic night. It was your food.<br /><br />If you're in this situation, a simple modification to the promotion might work better.<br /><br /><em>How can I get the church choir to come visit?</em> Maybe an open mic night. It appeals to the target audience. If it works, try other church choirs. Try the HS drama club. But don't bother talking open mic night to the PTA.<br /><br />Choose your audience first, then adapt tactics that appeal specifically to that group. You'll save yourself a whole lot of frustration.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-44512532849747747282009-10-02T14:48:00.005-05:002009-10-13T11:08:49.442-05:005 Facebook Ideas You Should Be UsingGot a Facebook fan page for your restaurant? Super. Don’t? Then read no further. Go directly to Facebook, build a fan page, and get back to us.<br /><br />We're not saying that using Facebook is a strategy – but it’s a more personal way of communicating your other tactics (events, specials). Having an FB fan page won’t necessarily get you more business. Using Facebook to promote specials (or make someone feel good by making specials just for fans), highlight your community involvement, whatever – that’s how you make yourself Mayor of the Village.<br /><br />Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about Facebook marketing. I’m going to lay down some ideas here. You may have used a few of these before and if so, leave a comment and tell us how it worked. I will also list some that are hopefully new to you. So without further ado and in no certain order:<br /><br />1. Once you have over 25 fans, go to <a href="http://facebook.com/username">facebook.com/username</a> and reserve a unique name and url for your page. Let’s say your restaurant is Fannie’s Cookies. Then reserve “fanniescookies” as a username. Your page’s unique url will now be facebook.com/fanniescookies which obviously is easier for directing your customers.<br /><br />2. Everyone should know this one: promote Facebook-only specials. There are a ton of ways to go about this. Post a keyword or phrase like “Fancy Fannie likes funnies” or something that people wouldn’t use in normal conversation. Tell your fans that if they come in and dance for 15 seconds, they get a free drink with their meal. Hold a contest for all fans, giving something free and OF VALUE to a random fan or two when they sign up before the end of the month. Run a photo or video contest and have fans upload them to your Facebook page. The list goes on and on.<br /><br />3. Do you have a presence at local events? Make sure you mention your Facebook page and specials. Maybe even make a quick business card or coupon with your Facebook url to send home with folks, because I don’t know about you but my memory sucks.<br /><br />4. Another idea for Facebook and events. Let’s say you’ll be at the local high school’s football game this week. Use the Events app on Facebook to create an event. Invite all your fans to the event. Promote the event via posts to your page. Maybe even give a little something extra to customers who mention that they saw you on Facebook. Like American Express says, “Membership has its privileges.”<br /><br />5. Promote peer-to-peer discussions. That’s what social media is about, right? So don’t just talk to your fans but facilitate discussions on your Facebook page. This can also be a contest situation, depending on how many people answer your discussions. Starting questions will depend on your audience, but could be anything from pitting 2 local football teams against each other (“Who has the best team, the Red Rangers or the Purple Penguins?”) to asking about fans’ favorite pizza toppings. No hard selling here, of course. Talk about what the fans want to talk about.<br /><br />Stay tuned for more Facebook ideas soon. In the meantime, post comments here and tell us your Facebook success stories – and your fails. Those can be helpful, too.<br />Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-84057861015136118922009-06-27T14:17:00.001-05:002009-06-27T14:17:00.589-05:00Ben & Jerry'sThis people must be stupid, giving away their food like that. Don't they know they'll cannibalize sales? Don't they know they'll addict their customers to discounts?<br /><br />Or, maybe, they have propped up a weaker evening. Maybe butts in seats is worth it to them on this day. After all, you can't take a percentage to the bank.<br /><br />Only Ben & Jerry's knows, but it does seem like they are promoting a higher ticket item (sundaes, instead of cones) which introduces customers to more menu items (and creates more reasons for going). <br /><br />It also looks like they are incentivizing customers to bring friends (read: introduce them to the product).<br /><br />Ben & Jerry's has done similar promotions in the past. Most notably free ice cream day, scheduled just before the weather breaks in the Spring, which serves to jump start their season and create new habits.<br /><br />Maybe we can learn a little something from them.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-66372361023690160042009-06-25T14:05:00.001-05:002009-06-25T14:05:00.611-05:00Rewarding Neighborhood HeroesCorporate America and chains have taken over what used to be the purview of mom and pops, namely community involvement.<br /><br />Starbuck's, Ben & Jerry's, and now, Citgo? Yes, Citgo. The gas station. Nominate yourself as a community hero and win a free gas card worth $2500.<br /><br />So why wouldn't you, as a local restaurant owner, do something similar? It doesn't have to be grand, because you still have a leg up on corporate America: you can put a face with the gesture.<br /><br />- Have your target audience (principals, HR directors, charity directors) nominate their employees and volunteers.<br /><br />- Recognize a different person each week (in-store); their co-workers come with them to celebrate<br /><br />- Recognize them in a wider forum in your email distribution (Bob G. of Smyrna was last week's Hero - raising over $15,000 for Children's Hospital, for example)<br /><br />- At the end of the year, donate $1,000 (or more) to the charity of one of the year's 52 winners<br /><br />Total cost: 52 x lunch (@ food cost) + $1,000 (about $100 per month)<br />Benefits: an easy conversation with community leaders (fire chief, principals, pta, volunteer coordinators), a strengthened relationship with their organizations, increased frequency of message and (hopefully) email sign up.<br /><br />If you're the mayor of your village, you can steal these ideas, make them your own, and do them way better than the corporate monoliths. (BTW, corporate monoliths do these things for a reason.)Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-92001702204274378382009-06-23T12:43:00.003-05:002009-06-23T12:49:48.354-05:00Regions Bank = Poor Customer ServiceWent to change a $100 bill at a Region's Bank in Georgia today - since that's all I had and most small businesses can't change $100 without at least a little difficulty.<br /><br />Cashier asked if I had an account, I said no (it was the nearest bank). He informed me that he couldn't help me because he wouldn't be able to reach me "in case he needed to afterward."<br /><br />Nevermind that this is complete BS, I can understand that certain privileges are reserved for customers and used as an incentive to become one. But shouldn't certain courtesies be extended to entice others?<br /><br />I was floored. I really couldn't believe this was the policy. . .I stared. . .for nearly 20 seconds.<br /><br />Happy ending: the customer at the next bay, in disbelief himself, gave me change for my $100 bill.<br /><br />Note: Regions has a PR firm that, no doubt, trolls the web looking for positive and negative statements about their company. <br /><br />Here's a blog post for them to find. I'm going to log out so I can tweet a similar message, since I've already told at least 4 people (all in under an hour).Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-32893053179387947722009-06-23T11:38:00.002-05:002009-06-23T11:44:36.744-05:00Relationship Over TacticsThere's a lot of angst among folks just getting started with LSM, so let's re-focus on what is important.<br /><br />LSM is about relationships, shaking hands, kissing babies, and being an upstanding member of your community. Period. <br /><br />That you offer samples to overcome objections, suggest a fundraising program, offer tours to school children are just incidental. Your goal is to support the groups in your communities who will in turn support you.<br /><br />"But what do I say to a school principal?" How about "hi"? Too often we go for the sale before we even have a relationship. First words: "We live in the community, we hire from the community, we rely on the community, we want to be a part of the community. How can we help?"<br /><br />The school programs, emails, ads, sampling events, etc. are your <span style="font-style:italic;">media</span>, not your objective. <br /><br />Start the relationship then build on it. An honest desire to be a part of the community is half the battle. The other half, the tactics, are the fun part. But they can't be implemented until a relationship exists.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-4493350358833473312009-06-12T15:58:00.001-05:002009-06-12T15:58:28.964-05:00Freedom! I can now blog from anywhere.<p>(Not much of a post, I grant you, but I'm testing the mobile thing.)Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-48398433395030909852009-06-12T15:41:00.002-05:002009-06-12T15:44:36.076-05:00Gossamer on TwitterNot real sure of the value for my business, but Twitter has a pretty big upside for your restaurant marketing strategy.<br /><br />I'll be honest, there's a lot of crap out there. But there are some nuggets, too. You can follow me at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/gossmark">twitter.com/gossmark</a>.<br /><br />My plan for now is to post the good, bad, and ugly of restaurant marketing and service from the field. Tough job, but someone has to do it.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-22778384396755477782009-06-07T14:55:00.002-05:002009-06-07T15:00:32.095-05:00Community Involvement: The (Old) New Ad MediaGreat article about <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/141782-decency-is-the-new-advertising?source=email">decency as an ad medium</a>.<br /><br />Some things as this relates to your business:<br /><ul><br /><li> People want to buy from someone they know, like, and trust<br /><li> Love me, love my product<br /><li> Care about what your customers care about, they'll care about you<br /><li> They'll promote you if you support them<br /></ul><br /><br />Everyone says that word of mouth is the best form of advertising, so how come we spend money on lesser forms? Why not spend the money on our product quality? On putting food into people's mouths? On <i>putting the words into our customers' mouths</i> so that they can spread them?<br /><br />The sidelines of the local soccer field are the new mass media. Better get used to it.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397533.post-6136580228039446342009-06-05T11:14:00.002-05:002009-06-05T11:17:28.669-05:00National Doughnut DayIt's National Doughnut Day, Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' are celebrating.<br /><br />Which one will get a higher one day spike?<br />Which one will get a higher long range return?<br /><br /><blockquote>To get your freebee at Dunkin' Donuts, you'll need to buy a drink. But there are no strings attached at Krispy Kreme.</blockquote><br /><br />My money is on Krispy Kreme. People will buy the coffee anyway, and the goodwill is better.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273892479271522551noreply@blogger.com0