Discover How You Can Accommodate Tweetup Dates In Your Restaurant

A lot of people are getting into this digital matchmaking thing these days. I could name at least a couple friends – or friends of a friend – who met their significant other while chatting online or else browsing a social media website. Twitter is quickly becoming a household name when it comes to meeting someone online. And you know, where there’s Twitter, there should be your restaurant.

The term is Tweetup. Tweetup, according to its online definition, is wordplay between “tweet” and “meet up”. People organize tweetups on Twitter. As a restaurant owner, this is a perfect opportunity to market your restaurant and serve as the rendezvous spot for these folks. You get to be the generous restaurateur who provides them a good place to talk and chill as they get to know each other a little better – one coffee cup at a time.

Here are some tips.

1. Designating a secluded area for tweetups doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t have to be a private room. Think of it as a smoking area versus a non-smoking area. Just make it so your tweetup clientele doesn’t have to put up with your other noisy customers.

2. Design simple nametags for your tweetup customers. Remember these people know each other by their online names. Wearing nametags make it ten times easier to find someone you just met online, compliments of your restaurant.

3. Don’t be a snob. As a restaurant owner, come out and greet your tweetup clientele – say a few words about your restaurant’s history, what type of food you specialize in, introduce your head chef, things like that, etc. Trust me, it makes a big difference.

4. Spare them a dedicated waiter, if you could afford it.

5. Offer them special menu pricing. In other words, discounted prices. You could also tempt them to come back a second time by offering them discounted coupons for future visits.

6. Treat them a free dessert or a glass of wine. I’m sure they’d be surprised, and will remember it when they share their tweetup experience on Twitter the next day. This is free online marketing for your restaurant, for the cost of two glasses of wine. It’s a fine idea, don’t you think?

The thing is to make sure they have a splendid tweetup experience at your restaurant. Afterwards, they’ll keep coming back, and maybe even spread the word about your establishment on Twitter. You know the value of positive word-of-mouth as a restaurant owner, right? So for the sake of all things online, put your best foot forward when tending to your tweetup clientele.

Share your insights on restaurant marketing via Twitter by leaving a message below.

How To Attract New Customers And Keep Loyal Patrons Through Restaurant Marketing On Twitter

An amateur restaurant owner goes, “What’s so great about online marketing for restaurants?” I go, “It’s simple, it’s easy, and it will only cost you as much as you’re willing to spend on the promotions alone. The advertising itself is free, or almost free.”

As online restaurant marketing goes, one of the most popular and effective medium right now is Twitter. Yes, that social networking website that lets users post small messages comprised of 140 characters or so. It’s amazing what technology can do to help businesses these days.

Here are some tips on how to work your restaurant marketing on Twitter.

Let them in on a little secret
The works: Tell our waiters the password “I like it shaken and stirred,” to get your free martini. I only have 50 glasses to give away.

Effect: This kind of marketing works because it lets your customers feel they’re getting some inside information that you feel only they deserve to enjoy.

Offer a tempting impromptu special
The works: Our bartender seems to have hit something good this time. Come in before 10PM tonight and be the first lucky 20 folks to taste it – free!

My pasta chef is feeling creative tonight. Be the first 5 customers to say “creative” in front of him to try out his new limited time-only dish.

Effect: This is great for transforming slow days into busy nights. The trick is to get customers through the front door using Twitter marketing. Keep them seated long enough and they’ll get hungry and spend more.

Reward your patron customers with specials
The works: Sign up for our free monthly newsletter and get another thing for free – entree coupons for Valentine’s Day!

Effect: You invite them into your restaurant and get valuable information in the process. Two birds with one stone.

Twitter is simply amazing for the attentive restaurant owner. Share your tips on restaurant marketing on Twitter by leaving a comment below.

If You Don’t Invest On Direct Digital Marketing For Restaurants Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later

These days we are discovering more and more ways to reach the average consumer. For business owner, this is a good thing, especially for restaurant entrepreneurs. restaurant owners can catch new and loyal customers who are on the move any time of day. But thing is, the competition can do so as well.

This is where direct digital marketing comes in. Now you don’t have to wait hours or even days for your message to reach customers through email. You can hit them anytime, anywhere, through more direct means, such as their mobile phone.

According to Quick-Service and Fast Casual (QSR) magazine,

Direct digital marketing is an addressable marketing method where relevant marketing communications are delivered to individuals through the e-mail, Web, and mobile channels using an e-mail address, a Web browser cookie, and a mobile phone number. The principles of direct digital marketing—addressability, message relevance, and personalization—are ideal for restaurant marketers and their customers.

Email marketing had its time and it was five or six years ago. These days there are more direct means to reach customers, and that is what direct digital marketing is all about – taking advantage of newer and faster ways to communicate with consumers.

But don’t take it the wrong way. email marketing for restaurants is still damn useful. But the medium has become more of a one-way communication channel. A customer can’t put a direct order through email. Direct digital marketing, on the other hand, encourages immediate consumer action and feedback.

Some restaurants are already capitalizing on direct digital marketing by developing mobile apps where customers receive the latest news, get coupons, and place orders on their iPhone. It should also be noted that the iPhone make up less than 7% of mobile phone users. But almost every mobile phone out there has an SMS or text messaging feature. This is a good place to try your hand on direct digital marketing as a small restaurant business owner.

QSR magazine writes,

To maximize reach and impact of any mobile program it is important to use the most common form of non-voice mobile communications: text messaging. Sending text messages containing special short-lived offers or limited-time coupons, and even enabling the placement of an order via mobile, are simple programs for marketers to set up and easy for consumers to use.

Direct digital marketing puts you, the restaurant owner, in the driver’s seat of your restaurant marketing campaign. You call the shots, and the message is relayed to your customers almost instantly. Direct digital marketing for restaurants allow you to set up coupons that expire within hours, not days.

Take it from the pros – direct digital marketing will boost your sales and make a positive impact on your restaurant business.

QSR magazine’s full article on direct digital marketing can be found here.

Check back on us for more restaurant marketing tips.

The Truth About Effective Restaurant Marketing Through Search Engine Optimization

In order to be successful you need to strike at the heart of the matter. As a restaurant owner, you need to think BIG. opening a restaurant in some rundown desert town won’t get you anywhere. You must aim for the populous cities—Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, etc.—but unfortunately that’s where the competition is stiff.

The common trend nowadays is restaurants closing down after only a few months of doing business. It’s definitely sad news, but what can anyone expect from a worldwide economic recession?

The way I see it, there are two types of restaurants that survived this drought.

The first one are old-fashioned mom and pop restaurants. These restaurants have been around for decades. Their owners don’t spend a dime on marketing, but these restaurants survive because they offer fantastic products you won’t find anywhere else. Whether it’s a classic chocolate milk shake or Grandma’s lemon meringue pie, these customers have a strong customer base and enough positive word-of-mouth to last them six more economic depressions.

Then there are restaurants who some people only know by reputation. As a new restaurant owner, this is where you want to be. It doesn’t matter if there are three other Japanese restaurants in your street. If customers know only your address and telephone number and what’s on your menu, they’ll come to you.

This is done through the use of Internet restaurant marketing, particularly SEO marketing. SEO or search engine optimization allows the restaurant owner to maximize the value of his marketing dollars, at the same time minimizing marketing inefficiencies.

For example, if a family of four feels like having gourmet sandwiches for lunch, they won’t be picking up the paper or the Yellow Pages for suggestions. They’ll simply look it up on the Internet. SEO allows your restaurant to appear, when done right, as one of the top hit searches on Google and other online search engines. In other words SEO lets you reach a wider customer base by spending less.

I suggest you hire a restaurant consultant who knows his way around the world of Internet marketing for restaurants. Before you could impress customers with that killer special peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, you need to convince them to come in first, and that is what restaurant SEO marketing does best.

Check out these articles for more information on social media and Internet marketing for restaurants:

• How Pizza Hut Turned Charity Work Into A Phenomenal Brand Promotion Campaign On Twitter
• Tips On How To Build A Good restaurant website
• A Step-By-Step Guide To Creating Your Restaurant’s Fan Page On Facebook

Share more tips on SEO marketing by leaving a comment below.

8 Amazing Strategies To Advertising A New Restaurant

It’s the first month of the new year and you’ve just opened your dream restaurant. Take note, your dream restaurant. So as much as possible you want everything to work out smoothly, from the in-house operations to advertising. I can help you on the latter.

There are a few essential steps you can take, as a restaurant owner, when advertising a restaurant for the first time. Here are some tips.

1.    Google is your best friend
Proceed to www.google.com and search for restaurant review websites in your city. Click on some of the hits at the top and write a short review of your restaurant, including operation hours and what you have to offer. This helps get the word out about your restaurant on the Internet, also known as online restaurant marketing.

A restaurant consultant will tell you that online marketing is your best bet if you really want to advertise.

2.    Take-home menus
Most restaurant owners take this for granted, and this is where you come in. Take-home menus help customers decide who to call between your restaurant and Restaurant X for lunch-time delivery.

Assign one of your employees to distribute take-home menus at the door as customers leave the establishment. Include all your menu items and their prices, as well as your contact information.

3.    Spread them around town
Invest on a small budget to have your take-home menus placed strategically in convenient stores, in break rooms at local offices, and in schools around town. It’s the most effective way to inform the townspeople what your restaurant has to offer.

4.    Advertise on the local newspaper
Ask the local paper to write a short introductory article or, if possible, a review of your restaurant. Since your restaurant is new, I bet they’d be interested to cover. Prepare a small budget for this one, too.

5.    Advertise on the local radio
It doesn’t hurt to ask the local radio stations if they would appreciate you bringing them a free complimentary breakfast or lunch as a way to welcome your new business into the neighborhood. They might just plug your restaurant for free.

6.    Promos, promos
Start a coupon promo to encourage both casual customers and patrons to keep coming back. For example, they get free coffee for accumulating 10 chef salad coupons.

7.    Networking
If Google is your best friend, then word-of-mouth is the wife you’re destined to love forever. Talk to your friends about exciting things happening in your restaurant to get them talking to their friends. Maybe even offer them a free dessert for bringing a new customer to your restaurant.

8.    Show your presence
Participate in local events. As a local restaurant owner, offer to serve free food and drinks in exchange for advertisement. For example, serve simple sandwiches wrapped in personalized tissues that reads, “Catering provided by [your restaurant name and contact number].”

These tips are great for new restaurants since you don’t really need to set aside a large budget just to get them started—unlike building and maintaining a restaurant website. Anyway, a combination of these restaurant marketing strategies should give your business some decent exposure, enough to fuel your next big marketing campaign.

Old School Versus New School: Do You Struggle With Traditional Restaurant Advertising Methods?

It’s fair to say that advertising can make or break a restaurant business. The purpose of restaurant advertising is to inform, but it goes both ways – the restaurant owner should also be well informed about the advertising options available to him or her.

Let’s look at the different advertising mediums and compare their pros and cons.

Traditional Methods
Free brochures - You know what it is. Free brochures with your restaurant’s name and address and contact number are distributed in high-traffic areas, stuck in windshields and inserted in mailboxes in residential neighborhoods.

But the problem with this method is that most of the time people treat these brochures are junk. They get thrown away and your effort goes down the drain. Tell me – when was the last time you read one of these flyers?

Magazines and newspapers - Advertising via print media is effective, I’ll give it that. And, unlike free brochures, people actually read magazines and newspapers.

But the problem here, unlike free brochures, lies in the fact that print advertising isn’t free. It costs hundreds of dollars for your restaurant’s name to appear on a black and white page in the back of the morning paper. Small restaurant owners generally can’t afford this much advertising fees.

Word-of-mouth - The best form of advertisement in the business. Do it right, and you’re all set for the next cover of TIME magazine.

The problem is that it is by no means to get right the first time—or the second time, or even the third time. Bruce Springsteen said, “You can’t start a fire without a spark.” Only a select few restaurants in the world have that spark to start a unique flame that would spread quickly and generate good publicity for the restaurant.

Modern Method
The Internet - Believe me, the only thing you need to do to top all three media I mentioned earlier is to invest in online restaurant marketing.

Internet restaurant advertising is a lot cheaper than traditional marketing strategies, making it a great point-of-entry for small business owners. It’s more effective than print media and word-of-mouth combined, since you can reach out to thousands of people at all times through your restaurant website. Testimonials and review sites are also effective ways to generate positive buzz for your restaurant.

Traditional advertising methods are still worth a look at. But these days, these tough times, it doesn’t hurt to think outside the box once in a while. Ask a consultant about your potential marketing options, and weigh theirs pros and cons. Aside from a delicious menu, this one of the most significant investments you’ll be making for your restaurant business.

So make it a good one. Your success rides on how well your marketing goes.

Are You At Risk Of Pushing Customers Away Before They Even Dine In Your Restaurant?

I am a big fan of Mo Twister, a radio show host back in my home country. I don’t get to listen to him too often now, but I check his blog every now and then. Last Saturday, I found something quite interesting.

In the blog post, DJ Mo was bashing this restaurant near the apartment where he lived. He hasn’t eaten in the restaurant yet. But he’d been browsing the Internet and found this neat if not condescending article tucked away in the restaurant’s website.

The article:

A word to the wise: UPPER EAST is not for those sans chutzpah and those unwilling to pay for the price for a taste of New York style.

Run by the chefs and students of AHA Philippines, UPPER EAST’s interiors are done in modern chic, urban classic, design reminiscent of New York’s Upper East Side apartments. Wooden chandeliers complete the picture of a restaurant that may just be too chic for its clients.

Just don’t expect to dine whenever you want to.

After all, UPPER EAST is not always open for business. We close our doors when we want to, and we certainly won’t wait around for guests who, frankly, need to get a move on. No lunch is served after 1 p.m. and no dinner after 9 p.m.

UPPER EAST is not for scrooges and stiffs. We tolerate sharing, although it’s not exactly de rigeur, is it? As for splitting? The fine is set at P250, not including our wait staff looking down their noses at you.

This is the UPPER EAST experience. And this is the price you pay… if you can get in.

What can you say?

Frankly I couldn’t say anything after going through the article at least a couple times. I had no idea if the owner of Upper East wanted to attract a following of elite diners by trying to sound like a New Yorker (do New Yorkers even talk this way?), or he or she is intentionally trying to push customers away, which makes more sense, if you ask me, considering the tone of the article.

This is what happens when online marketing for restaurants is taken out of context. I believe there’s nothing wrong with trying to establish a personality, a corporate attitude. But at least make sure it works to your advantage and that it doesn’t leave customers with a sour taste in their mouths.

A lot of the things you need to know before you get started on restaurant marketing on the Internet I’ve already discussed in my previous posts, which can be found in the Online Marketing section of this site. For example, instead of writing a condescending article about how “chic” your restaurant is, why not setup a weekly-updated blog where you ask clients for feedback and possible ways to improve the menu and service?

If there’s anything that can be laid in stone in this business, it’s that customers want to be heard. Period.

Small things like these – writing an introductory article for your restaurant’s website – sometimes goes a long way and could either make or break your business without your knowing it. If you’re going to do it, do it right. If you want to get your feet wet marketing your restaurant online, then be prepared. Brush up a little by reading some of my online restaurant marketing tips.

It’s always sad to see a restaurant business go down just because they couldn’t get their internet marketing campaign right.

Leave your comments after this post.

Put Yourself In Their Shoes: Why You Should Become A Customer In Your Own Restaurant

For some reason, the title of a short story I read a long time ago called “Put Yourself In My Shoes” came to me as I sat down to write this article.

Last month I came across an article by Rohit Bhargava on the internet. The article had an interesting title, “Forget Eating Your Own Dog Food - Just Try Buying it…” Rohit believes the best way to understand the customer is to experience your own product and services yourself – from the initial awareness up to the purchase period. That means every single step of the way.

It makes sense. If you put yourself in your customer’s shoes, you’d see things from their perspective. It might explain why your restaurant business is booming, or being unprofitable.

So how do you put this into practice?

The first step is to create a portrait of your ideal diner. What is her social status? Has she eaten at your restaurant or is this her first time? Is she a local or an out-of-town visitor? Is she here to conduct a business meeting or is the meal purely for leisure?

Answering these questions will help you put together an image of your prospective client.

Next stop is establishing a visible online presence. A successful restaurant internet marketing plan is when your restaurant is visible no matter what the ideal client is looking for. If your restaurant is only visible to those looking for it, then you need to reconsider your online marketing mix.

Search for restaurants in your city using Yahoo!, Google, Ask—any other popular search engines. Are you in the Top 20 list of local restaurants? Too bad if you’re not – your online visibility is minimal. If you’re in it, are the descriptions about your restaurant accurate and appealing to first-time diners?

Also look for your restaurant on Facebook and Twitter to check the social media community for fans and detractors.

Last but not the least, it’s time to check your website’s usability first-hand. Pretend you’re a potential diner looking for a place to eat and came across your restaurant’s website.

• Is the address, phone number and email address clearly visible on every page of the website?
• Do you have a dedicated page showing directions to your restaurant’s location?
• Is the menu available online? Is it in an easy-to-read format?
• Can you order online?

It’s probably going to take a while to get all of this done, but believe me, and Rohit Bhargava, it’s worth every ounce of effort and penny you put into it. The idea is to thrust your restaurant’s name out there on the World Wide Web, and eliminate every obstacle that stands between the ideal diner and your front door.

Put yourself in the shoes of your customers. You might just find something useful – a new marketing idea or opportunity – you didn’t know was there from the beginning.

Tips On How To Build A Good Restaurant Website

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you’re looking for a fine restaurant to go on a date? Where do you look for a restaurant to eat out for lunch? The internet. Do you still place orders on the phone? No, you do it on the internet, on the restaurant’s website.

Internet marketing is crucial to a restaurant’s success, and the first step to internet marketing is to build a damn good website. Here are some tips and common practices so you don’t make a fool of yourself – and your restaurant – online.

1.    Slice the responsibility into manageable sizes. Think of building a restaurant website as a huge 17-inch Yellow Cab pizza. Don’t even try to finish the whole thing yourself.

Building a website seems like easy work, but it’s actually more time-consuming than you think. I suggest you find someone to build and maintain your website, and keep that person around to make some necessary changes and keep the website active. I hate to see an outdated restaurant website go down the drain. I’ve seen it too many times.

2.    When Flash isn’t flashy. The word “Loading…” has never been more infuriating than when you’re hungry and the restaurant website you’re looking up takes 20 seconds to load every other page. When I visit a restaurant website, I only want to know a few basic details: where’s it located, what’s their contact number, what’s on the menu, etc. Give me that and I’ll give you my orders.

Interactive web design elements are great and make everything look more professional, but is it really helping out?

3.    Scratch their backs, and pray they’ll scratch yours. The idea is to provide links to other websites on your website. After all, the internet is known as the World Wide Web for a reason. Integration is key.

As a way to promote tourism, many cities now offer membership to restaurant directories absolutely free. Yellow Pages are also interesting, as well as other restaurant websites. If you make their names visible on your own website, they might be inclined to return the favor and mention your restaurant in theirs. It’s a way to boost online presence.

I’d like to know your opinions on other ways to improve your restaurant’s reputation online. Whether time-tested or theoretical, I’m all ears. Let’s hear them out by leaving a comment below.

Do You Struggle With The Idea Of Whether Your Restaurant Really Needs A Website?

I’m a business coach, and it’s a part of my job to talk with and act as advisor to all of my small business owner clients. That’s what I get paid for – to give people a straight answer. Period.

But here is the thing. Did you know that more than half my clients, in this modern era, were still hesitant about building their own restaurant website before I took them under my wing and showed them the real thing?

Simply put, not everyone is convinced, yet. So now I’ll tell you what I told my clients – right here, I’ll give you a straight answer. Does your restaurant really need a website?

1.    Yes, because a restaurant website helps you get to know your customers. There’s no better way to learn more about your customers than through a restaurant website. Construct a simple survey and ask visitors to your website or when they sign up – to get that free newsletter or dessert coupon. When visitors sign up, they leave their email addresses and phone numbers behind. To a small business owner, this information is gold.

2.    Yes, because a restaurant website lets you communicate with your fanbase. A restaurant website lets you to talk directly with your customers about promotions and stuff, at the same time it allows you to address service-related questions and concerns right away. A successful business is first and foremost a good friend.

3.    Yes, because a restaurant website is a marketing tool. This type of information lets you forward promotions and various deals to customers before they even walk in to your restaurant. Then measure your success, what I keep talking about in my previous posts. Observe which campaigns excite customers the most, change or improve the mechanics a little, and then launch it again on your website after a few months or so.

4.    Yes, because it is simply that. A decent website can never hurt your business and marketing efforts. Building a website is cheap, and it’s got the potential to take off and attract hundreds of curious customers into your restaurant when done right. Read my previous posts to check out the things you can do for your business with this so-called “internet presence”.

I hope I’ve given a straight answer, and the message should be clear. Your restaurant needs a website. Not every restaurant needs one, but that’s neither here nor there. Like I said earlier, a decent website can never hurt your business. A restaurant website is low-cost. So there’s absolutely no excuse—that is, unless you live out in the country and you’re Amish.

Feedback and comments are welcome. Leave a message below.

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