MARKETING: 7 Reasons Why Email Marketing Crushes Facebook
There is a social media marketing secret that no one ever talks about and it’s time you took notice. It’s really more a lie than a secret: Facebook is a great place to start when marketing to your guests. So, here’s a truth for you: There is no better way to directly market your business to interested consumers than email marketing. Sure, it feels like a step backwards to be suddenly discussing email as a major part of marketing your operation. But review our seven reasons why it crushes social media and then take heed.
DID YOU KNOWS…
AAF Ratings Strong in Week 2
The Alliance of American Football had a solid debut week, but there was rumors of it dying before it even really got started as Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon invested $250 million in the league. It helped the AAF hit payroll and also made Dundon the de fact owner of the league. Still, the AAF had strong ratings in their second week, especially considering the games won’t see network TV again until the championship game. Here’s what the AAF can mean for your sports bar if you play your cards right.
What Smartphone Users Want
While smartphone manufacturers tend to show off the latest technological advancements cloaked in marketing jargon when presenting a new smartphone model, a recent survey by Morning Consult has revealed that something much more mundane and practical is at the top of smartphone users' wishlists. According to the survey, longer battery life is the most important feature for American smartphone owners, ahead of usability, storage and durability. We’re all for that!
Fentanyl the ‘New Brunch Special’?
Yuzu bar in Ohio has apologized after posting on an Instagram a baggie of Fentanyl as the “new brunch special.” The bar said the misunderstanding is a “generational gap in humor” because clearly everything is Millennials fault. It took the bar three days to apologize for stepping over the line. Anyways, this shows that while having edgy humor on social media can be good, it also can have its drawbacks if not done carefully.
IS THERE ANY LEFT?
Why it matters to you: Limited time offers can be great drivers of traffic.
Scarcity is one thing most humans understand. Something you like becomes more valuable to you when you perceive it may not be available. And that is great method for marketing your business. That’s the reason this primer on Limited Time Offers (LTO) is so potent. The big players do LTOs all the time (think McRib). Sure, your food is different than McDonald’s, but the idea is still the same. Finding a limited time item is the trick, but if you already have a winner, it’s a simple thing to only make it available seasonally for a short time. The key is finding the best options to feature as your LTO. And that’s also why rotating menus can be such a great traffic driver, too.
Sure, you can create things on your own, but where is the fun in that? As a restaurant professional, I rarely had an independent thought.Instead, I took ideas from other businesses and made it better. For example, in the early 2000s there were a lot of regular restaurants that included hand rolled sushi on their menus. We thought, “Can we do more with this item?” So, we dipped in tempura batter and flash fried it. The result was an item that for which we could hardly to meet the demand. When we removed it after three months, there was an outcry from guests which made its return even more valuable. Scarcity, it clearly makes things taste better, including the McRib. ;-)
[Source: Restaurant Business Online]
OUR LAND IS FILLED
Why it matters to you: The war against one time use plastic continues in California.
The debate regarding responsibility for our environment has been ongoing and pervasive over the past 20+ years. In California, they address this by passing laws they perceive will improve our stewardship of the natural world. Most recently the state passed a law banning one-time use plastic straws. However, they haven’t ended there. The ultimate aim is to eliminate all single-use plastics in California. Other measures the state has implemented include banning single-use plastic bags for retail stores. With the enormous recent emphasis in off-premise sales, this is even more complicated.
Let’s face it. As California goes, so do other likeminded states and, often times, the whole country. If you aren’t prepared to manage this now, at least familiarize yourself with the products you can purchase to replace the Styrofoam or plastic containers you currently use. But, maybe you want to change now, because you feel some interest in participating in conserving the environment. Then be smart and make a big deal out of it with your customers. Studies have shown that if a restaurant is known to be run with sustainability in mind, their brand perception improves. In that regard, it seems like doing something for Mother Nature can also be beneficial to any Mom & Pop (or chain operator, to be fair)!
[Source: LA Times]
