by Mark Bingaman
Our buddy @ChrisBrogan turned us on to a Milwaukee restaurant chain that's taken to Social Media marketing with flourish. Chris recently posted a video interview he conducted with Joe Sorge, owner of 2 restaurants in Milwaukee, AJ Bombers and Water Buffalo. You'll find the link to the video at the bottom of this post.
Great information and inspiration from a restaurant owner who feels the power of social connection helping to build his business. In the video, he says the restaurant does its' best to keep the @AJBombers twitter and Facebook communities forefront with customers.
A check of the @Water_Buffalo Twitter profile showed 724 followers (obviously there's more work to be done there) but @AJBombers boasts 2,420 followers while the 'Bombers Facebook page displayed 900+ fans.
The restaurant also utilizes FourSquare, the burgeoning social community that rewards users of Social Media for visiting places of business.
Enjoy the interview and consider the thoughts of a hospitality entrepreneur investing in the Social Media opportunity.
How Social Media Can Power Your Business – Kitchen Table Talks
Posted using ShareThis
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
To Party or Not to Party; Social Media Strategy for St. Patrick's Day.
Hmm, only about 3 weeks away from St. Patrick's Day, are we? Whaddaya say we mull over some old-fashioned Social Media marketing plans for the day devoted to everyone's favorite Irish saint.
Certainly, if you're in the hospitality industry, your overall marketing approach and budget is already planned out for the wearin' of the green. But, is there a Social Media campaign ready to roll? I mean, c'mon, you can't have a rip-roarin' social event like a drinking holiday without plenty of Social Media action.
For many of you, given the embryonic reality of the Social Media world, this may be the first year you've been active on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Guess what? Social Media can add a whole new element of fun to the party!
Now's the time to start growing buzz among your followers and make sure they know where the party is! Will your friends be receiving any special treats for receiving your tweets? Don't forget to plot your approach throughout the day of the event itself. Will you be actively tweeting and posting throughout all the green eggs, ham, and beer debauchery? A couple of Facebook posts and random tweets mentioning a party several days before the holiday just won't cut it. Your friends are more sophisticated than that. What will you do special for them in the social media universe? How will you shine and maximize your social opportunity?
If you haven't become active with YouTube yet, contemplate dipping your toe in those waters. Anyone hosting a blow-out bash should make sure portions of the event are being filmed for post-promotion efforts as well as marketing material for next year's shindig.
Are there vendors reliant upon your business who have taken to Social Media with special relish? Vendors who may be open to partnerships and allow cross-marketing to their fans and followers in an effort to drive more customers your way?
Then, there are the countless businesses who have no relation to drinking or parties whatsoever. What unique approach will you utilize to leverage your friends and followers, i.e. customers, to spike traffic and sales that day?
The bottom line is that this is an incredibly active day with people traveling here and there, often with no plans whatsoever. A smart business owner can utilize the immediacy of Social Media to pull customers to his or her location rather than the spot across town.
And the same holds true for consumers who don't fall into the "party" mold. Many of them still desire to be out and active, even if they have no interest in heading to the madness of the pub or restaurants. Give them options. A Social holiday demands a Social Media connection.
Certainly, if you're in the hospitality industry, your overall marketing approach and budget is already planned out for the wearin' of the green. But, is there a Social Media campaign ready to roll? I mean, c'mon, you can't have a rip-roarin' social event like a drinking holiday without plenty of Social Media action.
For many of you, given the embryonic reality of the Social Media world, this may be the first year you've been active on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Guess what? Social Media can add a whole new element of fun to the party!
Now's the time to start growing buzz among your followers and make sure they know where the party is! Will your friends be receiving any special treats for receiving your tweets? Don't forget to plot your approach throughout the day of the event itself. Will you be actively tweeting and posting throughout all the green eggs, ham, and beer debauchery? A couple of Facebook posts and random tweets mentioning a party several days before the holiday just won't cut it. Your friends are more sophisticated than that. What will you do special for them in the social media universe? How will you shine and maximize your social opportunity?
If you haven't become active with YouTube yet, contemplate dipping your toe in those waters. Anyone hosting a blow-out bash should make sure portions of the event are being filmed for post-promotion efforts as well as marketing material for next year's shindig.
Are there vendors reliant upon your business who have taken to Social Media with special relish? Vendors who may be open to partnerships and allow cross-marketing to their fans and followers in an effort to drive more customers your way?
Then, there are the countless businesses who have no relation to drinking or parties whatsoever. What unique approach will you utilize to leverage your friends and followers, i.e. customers, to spike traffic and sales that day?
The bottom line is that this is an incredibly active day with people traveling here and there, often with no plans whatsoever. A smart business owner can utilize the immediacy of Social Media to pull customers to his or her location rather than the spot across town.
And the same holds true for consumers who don't fall into the "party" mold. Many of them still desire to be out and active, even if they have no interest in heading to the madness of the pub or restaurants. Give them options. A Social holiday demands a Social Media connection.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Don't Waste Your Weekend Business! Get Social...with Social Media
The weekend can be one of the most beneficial times for businesses and organizations of all types to impact their followers and friends via Social Media. Yet, since Friday, Saturday & Sunday often degrades into chaos for many of us, we neglect to do so.
That translates to a wasted opportunity as the consumers who are most likely to roll into your restaurant, shop, bar, festival, showing, concert or event are at their most active (and open to influence) when you just don't have the time to update your status on Facebook or Twitter. Bummer.
So what do you do? Make the time.
It's not enough to pre-promote your event thru the week and hope they'll remember to show. The beauty of Social Media is in it's immediacy! (I bet there's a pretty good reason that the word "media" is the primary root of the word "immediacy.")
If you're a real estate agent, make sure you're tweeting reminders about your open house on Saturday morning. If you're handling marketing for a festival throughout the weekend, gosh darn it, get those status updates and new pictures up on Facebook with regularity. Don't wait until the weekend is over! Showcase the fun everyone's having at your party and do it WHILE the fun is ongoing. Yes, believe it or not, there are plenty of people sitting at home on Facebook or cruising around looking for a good time, their cell phone anxiously ready for your tweet.
While post-promoting the event is fine (and something you should do) wouldn't it be all the better if those friends and followers were making your cash register sing and tickets sell?
If you're a nightclub anxious to get some more booties shakin' on the dance floor, a well-timed tweet at 11pm on Saturday night can do the trick.
If you're a retailer disappointed with a slow weekend, then crank up the Facebook and Twitter charm on Sunday at noon and roll out an impromptu "Friends & Followers" sale or sweet discount. But c'mon now. Make it interesting. That whole "10% off" thing is SO boring.
Yeah, I know, this is all pretty much common sense. But many of us forget to do it. The weekend is busy. But make it even busier by staying in touch and relevant at the exact time your followers and friends are most open to your message. In other words...Get SOCIAL on the weekend!
That translates to a wasted opportunity as the consumers who are most likely to roll into your restaurant, shop, bar, festival, showing, concert or event are at their most active (and open to influence) when you just don't have the time to update your status on Facebook or Twitter. Bummer.
So what do you do? Make the time.
It's not enough to pre-promote your event thru the week and hope they'll remember to show. The beauty of Social Media is in it's immediacy! (I bet there's a pretty good reason that the word "media" is the primary root of the word "immediacy.")
If you're a real estate agent, make sure you're tweeting reminders about your open house on Saturday morning. If you're handling marketing for a festival throughout the weekend, gosh darn it, get those status updates and new pictures up on Facebook with regularity. Don't wait until the weekend is over! Showcase the fun everyone's having at your party and do it WHILE the fun is ongoing. Yes, believe it or not, there are plenty of people sitting at home on Facebook or cruising around looking for a good time, their cell phone anxiously ready for your tweet.
While post-promoting the event is fine (and something you should do) wouldn't it be all the better if those friends and followers were making your cash register sing and tickets sell?
If you're a nightclub anxious to get some more booties shakin' on the dance floor, a well-timed tweet at 11pm on Saturday night can do the trick.
If you're a retailer disappointed with a slow weekend, then crank up the Facebook and Twitter charm on Sunday at noon and roll out an impromptu "Friends & Followers" sale or sweet discount. But c'mon now. Make it interesting. That whole "10% off" thing is SO boring.
Yeah, I know, this is all pretty much common sense. But many of us forget to do it. The weekend is busy. But make it even busier by staying in touch and relevant at the exact time your followers and friends are most open to your message. In other words...Get SOCIAL on the weekend!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
How to Steal From Intel: Inside...Their Social Media Policy
No, really. Go ahead. Steal it. You should.
We have all kinds of readers, users & members at the International Social Media Chamber of Commerce. Home-based entrepreneurs, restaurant owners, enterprise CEO's, digital media strategists, Social Media directors, non-profit marketing directors...you get the idea. Every one of you a different kind of business and organization with many different goals and levels of social media comprehension.
If you're a small business owner or a one-man/woman shop you may not think an established "Social Media policy" is one of your most pressing concerns. And, it's probably not. But, the cool thing about the Social Media policy outlined for employees of Intel is that it makes sense for pretty much any organization or business galloping through the Social Media forest.
For a large corporation or any business with multiple employees...it works.
For an individual or entrepreneur trying to utilize the medium...it works.
So, if you're new to Social Media, or a small business, imagine the Intel policy as a guideline for how to best function & interact in this incredibly rewarding environment.
If you're a larger entity that lacks a clearly defined policy for your employees/volunteers (and don't forget sub-contractors & vendors!) then you can't go wrong by stealing a lot or a little from the Intel dictates.
Seriously, even if you're something like a mom-and-pop restaurant chain with a couple of locations and 15 or 20 employees, that's potentially 20 people with blogs, Facebook & Twitter profiles that represent your business and image. Make sure they understand both the benefits & the pitfalls available with Social Media.
Here's the Intel Social Media policy. Think about making it your own.
http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/en_US/social-media.htm
We have all kinds of readers, users & members at the International Social Media Chamber of Commerce. Home-based entrepreneurs, restaurant owners, enterprise CEO's, digital media strategists, Social Media directors, non-profit marketing directors...you get the idea. Every one of you a different kind of business and organization with many different goals and levels of social media comprehension.
If you're a small business owner or a one-man/woman shop you may not think an established "Social Media policy" is one of your most pressing concerns. And, it's probably not. But, the cool thing about the Social Media policy outlined for employees of Intel is that it makes sense for pretty much any organization or business galloping through the Social Media forest.
For a large corporation or any business with multiple employees...it works.
For an individual or entrepreneur trying to utilize the medium...it works.
So, if you're new to Social Media, or a small business, imagine the Intel policy as a guideline for how to best function & interact in this incredibly rewarding environment.
If you're a larger entity that lacks a clearly defined policy for your employees/volunteers (and don't forget sub-contractors & vendors!) then you can't go wrong by stealing a lot or a little from the Intel dictates.
Seriously, even if you're something like a mom-and-pop restaurant chain with a couple of locations and 15 or 20 employees, that's potentially 20 people with blogs, Facebook & Twitter profiles that represent your business and image. Make sure they understand both the benefits & the pitfalls available with Social Media.
Here's the Intel Social Media policy. Think about making it your own.
http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/en_US/social-media.htm
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Are You Like a Used Car Salesman with your Twitter Welcome DM's?
The controversy over how to best utilize welcome messages with Twitter Direct Messages (DM's) will likely always continue to rage. For those of you relatively new to Twitterland it's a definite conundrum. How should one best respond to an individual nice enough to follow your tweets? Of course, the best answer is the simplest; a nice, personal message that doesn't attempt to sell or move someone to another list or page. After all, that's why we call it SOCIAL media and SOCIAL networking. It's supposed to be about building relationships and friendship. But, what if you're picking up so many follows that personalization becomes difficult or impossible?
Should you use auto-DM's? Or, Oh my God!...should you not? Are "free gifts" OK? The schools of thought on what's acceptable and what's not or as diverse as Twitter utilizers themselves.
If you're attempting to build relationships with prospective clients and customers do you really want to come off like a used-car salesman? One who jumps on a customer as soon as they walk in the showroom and twists your ear with an immediate pitch?
DM etiquette with a new follower demands the same sort of manners and respect that you'd offer any new acquaintance strolling across your path in person.
Melissa Walters is an Ohio blogger who makes this point very well on her site "The Melissa Mission." Her advice?
Make it from your heart
Make it about them
Bless their life in some way
Be REAL, fakers need not follow back.
Read Melissa's entire Blog post: http://www.melissasmission.com/blog/2009/07/dear-twitters-auto-direct-messages-weak-unfollow/
Should you use auto-DM's? Or, Oh my God!...should you not? Are "free gifts" OK? The schools of thought on what's acceptable and what's not or as diverse as Twitter utilizers themselves.
If you're attempting to build relationships with prospective clients and customers do you really want to come off like a used-car salesman? One who jumps on a customer as soon as they walk in the showroom and twists your ear with an immediate pitch?
DM etiquette with a new follower demands the same sort of manners and respect that you'd offer any new acquaintance strolling across your path in person.
Melissa Walters is an Ohio blogger who makes this point very well on her site "The Melissa Mission." Her advice?
Make it from your heart
Make it about them
Bless their life in some way
Be REAL, fakers need not follow back.
Read Melissa's entire Blog post: http://www.melissasmission.com/blog/2009/07/dear-twitters-auto-direct-messages-weak-unfollow/
Sunday, July 26, 2009
A Pizza Perfect Example of Rewarding Followers on Twitter
Bruno's is a pizzeria in the small college town of Eggert, New York, just outside Buffalo. And, it's a picture perfect pizza example of how every restaurant, bar and retailer can benefit from a loving approach to Twitter marketing. While Facebook plays a role in their social media strategy, it's the Twitter opportunity that they seem to focus on most. And, for good reason. Twitter is a device ideal for an immediate call to action...perfect for a pizza place or any retailer that wants foot traffic now.
Here's why I like what Bruno's is up to. The Twitter sign-up page on their website for the Tweet Deals program is great. It's appealing to the eye, and easy to use, while also describing the benefits of their "Friends & Followers" approach. http://www.brunospizzeria.com/twitter.html
Management has clearly defined the benefits of being a member of the "opt-in" Tweet Deals program.
"Bruno's is testing a new promotion to reward our most loyal customers with great short term offers. Here's how it works...
Three times during the month of May, a special Tweet Deal email will be blasted to all Bruno's Fan Club members. We will post a Tweet Deal that starts with three numbers which represent the promotional price and how many customers can purchase at that price. For example, when we tweet "3-6-9 Large Pizza-1 Topping," the first 3 callers can buy a Large 1 Topping Pizza for $3, the next 6 callers for $6 and then next 9 for $9. (Limit one Tweet item per order, must be picked up within an hour of ordering.)"
That's it. Nice and simple. Is there any reason why any retailer, restaurant or bar can't do the same thing and even better? Use your imagination and you'll find many ways to excite and reward your followers (and move product) with any variety of offers; tickets, discounts, free cover-charges and more.
But...and this is a big BUT....Bruno's is also making several mistakes. A check of their Twitter page shows that they ONLY have 22 followers! How is this even possible? It would appear that some serious effort needs to go into making customers aware of the program and twitter-only specials. Additionally, a different approach needs to be taken on Bruno's Facebook page when announcing their Friends & Followers deals. There's confusion to be found as the Facebook postings fail to make clear the duration and specifics of the freebies. Without that precision, an establishment runs the risk of alienating customers rather than rewarding them. And, we're all here to be social and make friends, right?
Friday, July 17, 2009
Brain Food: 137 Twitter Tips for Small Business
Much thanks to our new, best tweeps at Small Business Trends (@SmallBizTrends). Anita Campbell and the gang released a nice piece compiled from the collective wisdom of their readership. "137 Small Business Twitter Tips" rolls out some basic reminders and gems of thought.
One nifty nugget comes from @LoriBourne at Montessori for Everyone. "Promote others more than yourself," she says. "The goodwill you accrue is amazing."
Download the pdf file and check it out for some Social Media brain food.
http://smallbiztrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/smbiz-twitter-tips-2.pdf
One nifty nugget comes from @LoriBourne at Montessori for Everyone. "Promote others more than yourself," she says. "The goodwill you accrue is amazing."
Download the pdf file and check it out for some Social Media brain food.
http://smallbiztrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/smbiz-twitter-tips-2.pdf
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