Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Having Other People Writing Content for Your Restaurant's Blog, Website or Newsletter

So you have a website and, since you have done your homework, you have also a subscription form where you capture your visitor's names and email on exchange from some freebies or discounts to try your restaurant (because you do this don't you?).

So now what can you do with all these names and emails?

Well, of course, you are going to send them newsletters, or emails or refer them to your blogs to keep your restaurant fresh in their minds.

But, who has the time to write all the content for the newsletter or blog?

You can write some of it, specially if you talk about your new staff, your offers, events or any other special celebration that happens at your place since this is your turf as the restaurant owner or manager.

So what can you do if you don't have any event or special celebration or any other interesting news to share with your clients?

Easy: you can borrow content.

Yes, that's right; there are hundreds if not thousands of bloggers out there who write regularly (unfortunately I am not one of them, I should dedicate some more time to write my blogs) and will be more than happy to share their content with you, on exchange for a link in your website or acknowledgment of their contribution

Whatever topic you can think of, there are somebody in the blogosphere writing about it.

So think about topics that you can include in your regular emails or newsletters, or if you have a blog yourself, in your blog.

For example do you have an ethnic restaurant? Then you can write about your country, or your specific region or about some interesting information about the foods and drinks that you sell in your restaurant.

What about if you have an all American restaurant or a fast food place? You can still write interesting facts about your area, recipes related with the food that you serve, etc.

So where can you find bloggers willing to share their stories with you?

Fortunately there are many resources available in the Web that can help you find the perfect blog for your content.

You may want to check out
http://www.blogcatalog.com/ it is one of the largest blog directories on the Internet.

If you want to use the king of search engines, Google also has a blog specific search engine. You can find it at:
http://blogsearch.google.com/

Another popular way to search the blogosphere is Technorati. In their directory at:
http://technorati.com/blogs/directory/ you can find a Food and Wine category that can help you out.

These are just a few examples, there are many more. Just do a search, browse the blogs and, when you find one that talks about topics that you think would be interesting for your clients, contact the blogger and offer to publish their blog in your site/newsletter/email/website on exchange for full credit and a link to their own blog. Most of them would be very happy to do so.

So here you have it. Keep in touch with your clients and get free content to share with them.

This is a win/win proposition.

Happy sailing,

Jose L Riesco
© Riesco Consulting Inc.
www.twitter.com/jlriesco
http://www.myrestaurantmarketing.com

Monday, February 2, 2009

Your Restaurant Marketing Needs to Be Creative in This Economy

In an economy where many people are trying to reduce spending, going out to eat is probably one of the first expenses to cut. Many restaurants are feeling the slowdown and seeing their revenues plummet these days.

So what can restaurateurs do to bring customers back?

First, let me tell you what you shouldn't do: You shouldn't reduce your marketing efforts to save money. Notice that I've said marking efforts, not marketing expenses.

Most restaurateurs are spending a lot in marketing without getting a good return of their investments. They are basically wasting their money.

So first thing that you need to do is sit down and look at all your marketing expenses. Make a list and eliminate the ones that you can't measure and test. If the results are not tangible, you shouldn't spend your money on them.

Next, categorize the rest starting with the ones that work the best and make sure that you keep on investing in these ones. Cutting down effective marketing campaigns is a big mistake in times of crisis, when customers need to hear from you more than ever.

Finally, try to come up with creative new marketing ideas that can bring you results and don't need big investments.

Think for example how can you motivate your current customers so that they come back to your place. What incentives can you give them to bring them over again and again? Most people think coupons but there are many other mechanisms to keep people coming to your place. Here you have a few ideas:

  • Create a wine club and offer discounts in selected wines to your best clients.
  • Offer to reserve their favorite table if they book the place right after they finish their meals and before they leave your restaurant. Many people really love to have dinner in a specific table.
  • Make easy for them to make reservations via your website, OpenTable, Twitter, etc.
  • Offer them a special dish and tell them that it is not available to the regular customers, only to select clients (just like them). You can have a special dish made just for your best clients. People love to feel special.
  • If they don't drink a whole bottle of wine, offer to give them a good wine by the glass that you normally don't serve. You can use the same bottle for your frequent clients. Pick a good quality wine and don't overcharge them for it. You can even charge them to just make a little profit. The idea is to attract them back so that they have a motivation to come to your place.
These are just a few ideas. As you can see, they don't cost much to implement and can motivate your best clients to come back to your place.

Do you have more ideas? Share them in the comments field.

Happy sailing,

Jose L Riesco
© Riesco Consulting Inc.
www.twitter.com/jlriesco
http://www.myrestaurantmarketing.com