Think Before You Tweet
May 26, 2009
If you attended the NRA show in Chicago last week, no doubt you heard the buzz surrounding social media marketing discussed in the “How to Stand Out in a Tough Economy” moderated by Scott Shaw, CEO of Fishbowl Marketing. The panelists for that session included Jon Young, President of Dine & Drink Inc. and Denny Hebson, Marketing Director for Hackney’s Restaurant, both of whom offered advice gleaned from first-hand experience in connecting with customers via Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites. Another great resource on the subject was recently released by MarketingProfs.com: “Twitter Success Stories: How 11 companies are achieving their marketing objectives—140 characters at a time.” This is a compilation of case studies that details how entities in various industries have harnessed the power of Twitter to build and engage with their online community, enhance their online customer service initiatives and drive sales.
Intrigued by this potentially profitable arena? Before you start Tweeting or making friends on Facebook, consider the following suggestions based upon our own marketing experience, the NRA panelists’ advice and the Marketing Profs case studies:
- Define your strategy before you create a social networking presence. Does social networking fit in with your overall business strategy? Do you have the time to devote to a successful program? Which marketing objectives do you hope to achieve with your campaign?
- Be transparent and authentic. You are deepening the relationship with your customers and they want to know that your dialogue is genuine.
- Listen. Your goals in communicating via social media resources should be to 1) listen, 2) join in the discussion and, if it seems appropriate, 3) offer solutions based upon the needs mentioned by potential clients. Hard selling doesn’t work in social media. Don’t make the common mistake of bypassing listening in order to speak and sell.
- Social Media requires an investment of your time. An effective campaign needs to be moderated on a regular basis. An inactive or mismanaged profile reflects poorly on your business and likely does more harm than good.
- The medium is ever-evolving. Last year at this time Twitter garnered only a fraction of the social media audience; today it seems as if everyone is Tweeting. Staying on top of the latest trends in social media takes commitment, research and a genuine interest in the subject.
Bottom line? In today’s increasingly competitive marketplace, restaurateurs should seriously consider a social media marketing strategy as part of their overall marketing mix. Often a moderate time commitment and small monetary investment can allow you to stand out amongst your competition, leading to increased loyalty from existing customers while growing your list of new clients.
Hello from the Windy City!
May 18, 2009
Greetings from the lobby of the Michigan Avenue Marriott in downtown Chicago. Mindi and I are here attending the National Restaurant Association Show.
First impression: it is HUGE! We understood a “national” show wasn’t going to be three booths shoved into a corner, but the McCormick Place truly has the population of a small town for this conference. There is so much good food and so many good people it’s going to be difficult to leave.
Yesterday morning, we attended two educational seminars: (1) “The CEO/COO View of Technology” hosted by Larry Behm (Panda Restaurant Group), Fred LeFranc (Ruby Tuesday), Jack Crawford (Uno Chicago Grill), and Jack Baum (Table Top Media), and (2) “How to Stand Out in a Tough Economy” hosted by Scott Shaw (Fishbowl Marketing). Both discussions were excellent sources of information and well presented. Mindi was able to speak with Scott Shaw for a few minutes after the latter seminar and discuss some pertinent Search Engine Marketing issues within the restaurant industry.
We’re very encouraged by the interest and attention restaurateurs are beginning to give their websites. There is a palpable feeling of excitement about the heretofore underutilized and profitable opportunities available for restaurant sites utilizing effective internet marketing strategies, and after our various conversations yesterday we feel as though we’re offering our expertise at a very opportune time.
A Recipe for Restaurants to Enjoy Online Success
May 5, 2009
The restaurant industry has long been neglected in the world of search engine marketing. Search for regional dining terms in Google and you’ll likely find yourself looking at a list saturated with review sites, general directories, and poorly optimized websites. Matt Creer and Mindi Cabe recently founded TwoTables Internet Marketing to focus specifically on online promotion for individual restaurateurs and restaurant management groups.
“I was very surprised to find so few restaurant websites utilizing effective internet marketing techniques – particularly as they pertain to search engine optimization and local search,” said Creer. “A strong online presence could mean the difference between average profits and a banner year for some of these companies.”
Cabe and Creer are both former managers at Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc. – a company that specializes in online promotion for the hospitality industry. Cabe held the position of Professional Development Manager and directly supervised the project management team. Creer, the Performance Manager for Blizzard, oversaw the search engine optimization, paid advertising, copywriting, social media, and email marketing teams. They have over 10 years of combined experience in internet marketing.
Creer and Cabe chose restaurants as their focus after recognizing how little restaurateurs are taking advantage of the shift in the way in which consumers use the Internet to find information.
“The Internet has unquestionably become the first place people look to research goods and services,” said Cabe. “How valuable would it be for a restaurateur if their site consistently ranks in the top 5 for a search term like ‘San Francisco Italian restaurant’ or ‘Atlanta bistro’? We have the expertise, the commitment, and the passion to help them reach that goal.”
TwoTables Internet Marketing is built upon the philosophy that focusing upon a specific industry gives internet marketers a distinct edge over promotion companies who utilize a more “cookie cutter” approach. TwoTables is a member of the National Restaurant Association and both Creer and Cabe will be attending their annual show May 16 – 19 in Chicago.