Archive for Marketing
August 16, 2006 at 1:42 pm
· Filed under Article, Internet, Marketing, Tools
excerpt:
“Google Inc. will offer printable discount coupons to local shoppers, in a promotional bid that aims to drive U.S. online shoppers using its Google Maps service to visit stores, the company said.
The world’s top Web search supplier is taking advantage of the marketing tool, which is traditionally used by small businesses, to entice U.S. consumers to seek out savings from local retailers such as dry cleaners, pizza delivery restaurants and auto repair shops.
Google has partnered with Valpak, the top U.S. supplier of coupon advertising, to provide more than 20,000 coupons from current Valpak advertisers when consumers search for relevant stores using its Google Maps map and local directory service…”
source: “Google Maps offers discount coupons for US stores” by Eric Auchard (Reuters, Aug.14,2006)
Permalink
July 28, 2006 at 3:08 pm
· Filed under Blogs, Free, Internet, Marketing, Tools
excerpt:
“On June 7, Reams started posting to the Mothership blog — and soon began counting down to opening. Then, on Friday, June 9, Reams announced on the blog the restaurant would be open the next morning. To his surprise, 50 customers came in for pulled pork barbecue and ribs – and their positive posts on his blog followed.
In simple terms, Reams managed to get Mothership off the ground and exceeding sales projections almost immediately without spending a penny on conventional advertising; only his blog, maintained by the free, Google-owned Blogger service, served as a sentinel for Mothership’s opening. He says he is Nashville’s only restaurateur using blogging as a method of publicity…”
source: “Businessman blogs boldly toward BBQ restaurant success” by Will York (The City Paper, Jul.24,2006)
Related links:
Free Blog Software / Hosting (About.com)
Permalink
July 18, 2006 at 9:46 am
· Filed under Internet, Marketing, Media, Tools, knowledge
Podcasts are significant because it opens access to radio shows and restaurant industry content that were only available locally. This is a new and interesting media resource for restauranteurs in a portable format. You can download the show and listen to it in the car, during lunch, or in the gym. Also, these podcasts are also marketing vehicles for restaurants and related businesses.
NRN Podcast Central (created by Nation’s Restaurant News)
“Foodservice News Delivered in Fresh New Ways”
Podcast Grill
“Where restaurant meets business – trends, expert interviews and more to make your restaurant more profitable than ever”
Pizza Radio
“Pizza Radio is your source for sound bytes from pizza experts.”
The Restaurant Guys
“Co-hosts Francis Schott and Mark Pascal—who own Stage Left Restaurant in New Brunswick, NJ—have interviewed food luminaries like Gourmet editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl and chef Charlie Palmer in between other animated discussions. Their podcasts are adaptations of three 40-minute episodes from their radioshow on WCTC-1450 AM.”
BarServ’s Raising the Bar on Service
“Raising the Bar” tackles a variety of topics relevant to the hospitality service industry and occasionally features high-profile industry guests from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The program will offer insightful ideas to empower hotel, restaurant and bar owners and managers to improve service and increase profitability.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
July 17, 2006 at 11:16 am
· Filed under Internet, Low cost, Marketing, Media, Tools, Video
excerpt:
“Findley’s meat market in suburban Atlanta had always relied on newspaper ads, direct mailings and quick radio spots to reach consumers. But after discovering Spot Runner’s do-it-yourself commercial tool for small businesses, the butcher shop ran a commercial on local cable TV ahead of Easter and again before Mother’s Day.
The commercials cost Findley’s $349 and $499 and the shop spent about $2,100 in March and $1,100 in May to air the spots on ESPN, Food TV, Fox News Channel and Fox Sports.
“We found out that it was very affordable and they help you work with a small budget,” said Findley’s owner Dolores Barr.”
source: “TV ads on the cheap for small biz” by Jessica Seid (CNNMoney.com, Jul.14,2006)
“At Spot Runner we make it easy, simple and affordable for everyone to take advantage of local TV advertising. We started Spot Runner because we saw three important opportunities:
- Small and medium-sized business people want to advertise on TV but the costs of creating ads are prohibitive.
- Choosing a media plan, negotiating the price, and tracking your advertising can be time consuming and difficult.
- Great TV advertising could be made more quickly and at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising agencies.
We put these elements together and Spot Runner was born.”
link: SpotRunner.com
Permalink
May 22, 2006 at 2:03 pm
· Filed under Marketing, Research, Web 2.0
excerpt:
"Jennifer Jones of Marketing Voices interviews Phil Gomes, Vice President for Edelman’s Me2revolution group, the largest independent public relations agency in the world. Jennifer talks with Phil about the intersection of corporate communications and social media. They discuss what social media is best today and how blogs, and podcasts can build stronger brands."
source: "Marketing Voices – Building Stronger Brands with Blogs, Podcasts, and Wikis" by Jennifer Jones (Marketing Voices, May 8, 2006)
Your restaurant is a brand. When customers see the name on a menu, a sign, or an ad, you are trying to build a stronger brand. Your restaurant "brand" is also you and your staff, and creating a connection between your restaurant brand and customers in social media (aka Web 2.0) can be a delicate matter.
For information on this developing trend of social media marketing and public relations, Advertising Age has released a 2006 Interactive Marketing & Media Fact Pack (pdf format).
excerpt:
"Marketers are "definately spending on:
- adding RSS feeds (40%)
- in-house blogs (35%)
- ads on third party blogs/blog networks (30%)
- video ads (27%)
- ads in RSS feeds (21%)
- mobile/wireless (20%)
- in-house podcasts (18%)
- sponsoring podcasts (14%)
- product placements in video games (10%)"
source: "Interactive Marketing & Media Fact Pack 2006" (Advertising Age, April 17,2006) (via FKCBlog)
Permalink
May 21, 2006 at 1:32 am
· Filed under Internet, Low cost, Marketing, Programs
excerpt:
"Think what a Web site could do for a restaurant: It could inform potential customers, like myself, of the restaurant's dress code, wine list, opening hours, ambience, reservation policies and menu (with prices … though we know most chefs think their culinary creations are priceless and talking about money is pedestrian, I’d like to know in advance how much a meal is going to set me back).
I could put my e-mail address on a mailing list via the Web site, and the restaurant could send me an e-mail update periodically: “Chef’s Special Today: Sea Scallops!” “Every Tuesday Night: A Complimentary Glass Of Wine With Every Entrée.” “We Have Added New Low-Carb Menu Items!” A more sophisticated restaurant Web site could even allow diners to book their own reservations and automatically e-mail reminders the morning of the reservation date.
The restaurant could post coupons for slow, early-midweek nights to tempt diners: “Every Monday And Tuesday: 15 Percent Off All Entrées.”
source: "Do Restaurants With No Web Sites Have Something To Hide?" by Tracey E. Schelmetic (May 18,2006)
You want a web site, but you don't have the programming skills or the money for software, web designer, and a hosting service, no problem. The one thing that will cost you money is your domain name (e.g. www.your-name.com) which can cost you as little as $10 a year.
There are many ways to put an acceptable restaurant web site for $10 in less than 24 hours. While web design may impress some customers, many times people are looking for general information about your web site.
For restaurant owners who would like to test the web waters before making a bigger investment, or for those stretching dollars, we will be posting a small guide to get your restaurant online with a fast, cheap (in cost, not look), and effective web site.
Permalink
May 16, 2006 at 6:36 pm
· Filed under Free, Marketing
excerpt:
"Marketers from 110 organizations contributed test results and lessons-learned stories for this fourth annual Wisdom Report, including: American Red Cross, CompUSA, Cox Communications, Deloitte & Touche, Palo Alto Software, and The Motley Fool:
• Email campaign segmentation test results
• Search marketing lessons (especially combining PPC and SEO)
• Offline advertising and marketing lessons
• Web site design and landing page lessons
• Business-to-Business marketing campaign lessons
• Office politics and job searching tips for a successful marketing career"
link: Online Marketing Wisdom 2006 – Free Report (from Restaurant News Resource and MarketingSherpa)
Permalink
May 16, 2006 at 10:01 am
· Filed under Free, Marketing
excerpt:
"All businesses in local phone directories are included in the search engines' basic listings at no charge. Marketing experts say a small-business owner should spend a few hours making sure the search engines have up-to-date information on the company, such as its business category, accepted payment methods and Web address.
Some search engines and online directories also offer enhanced listings for a fee. For example, Melanee Thai Restaurant, on West Pico Boulevard, comes up when Yahoo users do queries for "Thai food Beverly Hills." The restaurant pays Yahoo $9.95 a month to display standard information plus a biography of its chef, a menu, coupons and photos of dishes.
"It used to be you were competing with everyone on the general search engine," said Thomas Mix, who built the Melanee Thai website. "Now it's localized, so your nearest competitor got a lot nearer. If they're in [the search engines] and you're not, you're going to lose business."
source: "Looking online for local customers" by Chris Gaither (Los Angeles Times, May 16,2006)
The article also cites this interesting statistic:
"Consumers, however, haven't held back, with 39% of those surveyed in February saying they used search engines for local shopping. Thirty-six percent said they used print Yellow Pages for local shopping, down from 51% in 2003."
There is a change in trends, and restaurants should be aware of having their information placed in the right databases. Most major databases will allow you to input your information for free. This is different from submitting your url to search engines, you are entering your restaurant information to be listed.
Google Local Business Center
Yahoo Search Marketing
AOL Yellow Pages
Superpages
Yellowpages
Localeze
note: We will focus on ad services such as Google's AdWords for restaurant marketing at another time.
Permalink
May 10, 2006 at 9:43 am
· Filed under Free, Marketing, Web 2.0
excerpt:
"What we discovered are five emerging trends that every small business should be aware of. We still think that small businesses should be cautious and look to use new media or Web 2.0 in highly personalized ways, using sound marketing principles.
…Customers value who they do business with sometimes as much as what they buy. Blogging provides you with a more personal environment, where you can both promote your product and present a more personal view of your business.
Horsefeathers, a restaurant in North Conway, NH, publishes a blog about food, wine, local events, and restaurant news as a way to keep customers connected and loyal."
source: "Why Small Businesses Should Care About Web 2.0 Marketing: A Discussion with the Creator of Duct Tape Marketing" by Eric Kintz (MarketingProfs.com, May 9,2006)
For restaurant owners wondering what are the latest free web marketing tools, this article will give you a good overview from which to start. These tools open up many possibilities for restaurant owners to connect with the public.
Permalink
Older Posts »
