Marketing Playbook

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MARKETING PLAYBOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Effective marketing is simple by design. ....................................................................................... 2

Finding Your Social Voice................................................................................................................. 30

Your Success: Page By Page................................................................................................................3

Customer Surveys: Their Opinion Matters...................................................................................31

Is DIY right for Y-O-U?......................................................................................................................... 4

Public Relations: Get The Word Out.............................................................................................. 32

Legend for Iconography...................................................................................................................... 4

Holding Hot Ticket Events................................................................................................................ 33

1 A Strategy Is Born............................................................................................................. 5

Outside Events Keep You Top Of Mind......................................................................................... 34

Your Story + A Customer’s Journey................................................................................................. 6

5 Kickstart Marketing with Entry-Level Tactics .......................................................... 35

Making Customers Your Best Friends..............................................................................................7

Facebook Really Boosts Your Business......................................................................................... 37

Get To Know Your Channel Categories.......................................................................................... 8

Instagram: More Than Just Pretty Pictures................................................................................. 38

An Up-Close Look At Channel Types............................................................................................ 10

Email Marketing That Delivers........................................................................................................ 39

share Your Story. Not Everyone Else’s............................................................................................ 11

Direct Mail With Direct Results....................................................................................................... 40

Put Yourself In Their Shoes (And They’ll Eventually Walk In The Door)..............................12

Events That Create Buzz And Content...........................................................................................41

A Content Calendar Keeps Time On Your Side...........................................................................13

Team Advocacy: Loyalty From Within...........................................................................................41

Measure, Analyze And Improve.......................................................................................................14

6 Advanced Tactics............................................................................................................ 42

2 Turning Strategy Into Reality .......................................................................................15

Advanced Ecosystem......................................................................................................................... 43

Set Goals..................................................................................................................................................16

Get Serious About Intriguing Content.......................................................................................... 44

Create Your Ecosystem.......................................................................................................................16

Build Loyalty Instead Of Bland Repeat Business....................................................................... 45

Create Content Pillars.........................................................................................................................18

Amplify Content. Attract Attention................................................................................................ 46

Schedule Your Calendar.....................................................................................................................19

Beyond Facebook: Sharing On Other Social Networks............................................................ 47

Time For Action....................................................................................................................................19

Old School Ads In The Digital Age................................................................................................. 48

3 Stake Your Claim Online ............................................................................................... 20

Get Out And Play At External Events............................................................................................. 48

Craft Your Story.....................................................................................................................................21

Giveaways: Useful To Customers And Your Brand .................................................................. 49

Own Your Local Search and Review Site Presence .................................................................. 22

Keep Thinking To Extend The Brand............................................................................................ 50

Live Where Your Customers Are Most: Social Media................................................................ 23

When Other Opportunities Knock................................................................................................. 50

Piece Together A Press Kit ............................................................................................................... 24

7 Appendix...........................................................................................................................51

Know Who’s Who… And Who Helps Build Your Brand............................................................ 25

1. Emerging Media............................................................................................................................... 52

Get Inside The Inbox: Email Marketing........................................................................................ 26

2. Suggested Tools............................................................................................................................... 52

Website Basics: Do What Works for You....................................................................................... 27

3. How to Hire Partners..................................................................................................................... 52

Climb To The Top Of Search Results ............................................................................................ 28

4. International Review and Citation Websites........................................................................... 53

4 Continue Your Efforts With Community Management & Engagement.................. 29

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

1

INTRODUCTION

EFFECTIVE MARKETING IS SIMPLE BY DESIGN. You don’t need a Super Bowl ad or a big-time budget to create effective marketing. This playbook will show you the marketing basics and help you apply them to your business. It may seem intimidating, but just remind yourself that the best strategies are usually the simplest ones. Start small and before you know it, you’ll understand all the whys and hows that get results. In order to keep customers coming back and spreading the word about your bar or restaurant, you’ll need to implement marketing strategies that tell a story and build a connection with your local audience. If you’re part of the community, you’ll be top-of-mind when it comes time for customers to make decisions. Luckily, social media has shifted the way traditional media (billboards, newspaper, radio, etc) works on a local level, making it much easier for restaurant brands to invest modest budgets across the board. You can craft these strategies over the course of a few days and start building the foundation of your entire marketing strategy. So let’s get started on saving you some time and giving you the right tools to be effective. The results are right outside your door. This playbook shows you how to bring them in.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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YOUR SUCCESS: PAGE BY PAGE

YOU’RE HOLDING QUICK WINS (AND LONG-TERM STRATEGY) IN YOUR HANDS. This easy-to-read playbook is packed with ideas, strategies and thoughtstarters meant to educate and inspire your team. Once you take it all in, you’ll be able to build your own marketing framework and even create new campaigns and initiatives. Inside, you’ll also find checklists, estimates (timing, budget and skill level), bullet points and longer-term strategies. Everything has been written so that you can find the info you need and dive as deep as you want. We may repeat ourselves a few times, but that just means those are topics or tips that you should really take to heart. Grab a highlighter, dig in and look for the parts that make the most sense for your business. After that, you’ll be ready to get started!

INTRODUCTION

You use current knowledge and online research. Lower chance of success rate due to less experience.

You use current knowledge and online research. Lower chance of success rate due to less experience.

ò

TIME INVESTMENT

Creating Content

Utilizing Strategy and Knowledge

Designing

OUTSIDE HELP

ò

Higher chance of quickly getting exactly what you want.

ò

LEGEND FOR ICONOGRAPHY

You have full control over your content calendars.

ò

Whether you choose to handle all your marketing efforts or pay for outside help from a specialist, there’s going to be some good, bad and annoying aspects of each. There are also a lot of advantages you’ll want to consider. DIY gives you greater control, but getting outside help means you’re constantly directing and reviewing to make sure your brand is being portrayed correctly. Check out these basic marketing elements and how they’re handled for both options.

DIY

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

They use your direction to design high quality advertising.

Time Investment

ò

ò

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY

They create content and work with you through rounds of reviews that can be time-consuming..

They provide expert guidance to create the most effective work possible.

BUDGET INVESTMENT You are responsible for managing your time as you create strategy, design the work and implement the creative.

You direct a team, review their work and give feedback.

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OUTSIDE HELP VS. DIY: PROS AND CONS

MARKETING COMPONENT

ò

IS DIY RIGHT FOR Y-O-U?

You create strategy, communicate it to the team, direct them throughout the process and finally approve it. They implement your strategy and work with you for as long as it takes to get what you want.

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1 A STRATEGY IS BORN Good strategies come from sound thinking. We’ll give you all the info you need concerning available media channels and strategy basics so you can build successful initiatives for your restaurant.

A STRATEGY IS BORN

YOUR STORY + A CUSTOMER’S JOURNEY WHY THEY’LL COME BACK FOR MORE

Before they become a customer, people probably have little to no knowledge of what your restaurant offers. The ultimate goal? Get them interested, have them decide to try your restaurant, visit repeatedly, then become an advocate for your brand. Advocates are the pinnacle of marketing. Creating them takes calculated efforts across all restaurant touchpoints and lots of patience. By then, they’ve fallen in love with everything about your restaurant. They’ll spread the word. They’ll defend it. And they’re not quick to abandon it.

The road from marketing efforts to customer trial is a long, winding and complicated one.

01

02 AWARE & UNIN TERESTED

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

When you’re creating a marketing strategy, use the following customer journey chart as a guide and idea generator. Plug in the right tactic at the most optimal moment and you’ll maximize the effectiveness of your marketing. It could be a chuckle at something you post, an exclusive invite or simply a genuine “thank you.”

ADVOCACY

AWARE & INTERESTED

UNAWARE

Like snowflakes, no two customer journeys are exactly the same. Outside your restaurant, everyone is focused on their own lives. Your marketing efforts can disappear in the swipe of a finger. But even without all that control, you’re still in charge or operations, customer service and your strategy. If those remain consistent, you can be sure that you’re reaching potential customers in the best way possible.

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04

BOTTOMLINE Stay true to your brand and guide people through the customer journey by using the most effective tactic at the most effective time.

NEW TRIAL / R EPEAT TR IAL

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A STRATEGY IS BORN

MAKING CUSTOMERS YOUR BEST FRIENDS KNOW THE ECOSYSTEM THEY LIVE IN

Now that you understand a customer’s journey, it’s time to really start thinking about your strategy for communicating with them. Your first instinct will be to sell the restaurant and get them to buy, buy, buy! Instead, you’ll actually need to treat them more like a friend. Speak to them like a real person. Make a lasting connection and do it by being naturally involved in their journey and providing value along the way. If you look at marketing strategies as an ecosystem (a community of interacting organisms and their physical environment), you begin to see a “community” of channels and elements. They ultimately form a big picture of how people can flow through your communications. Each element has a separate purpose, but they all work together to fuel each other like a well-oiled machine. All these elements can be divided into three types: Drivers, Destinations, and Amplifiers. With the right balance of channels feeding into and out of one another, you’ll be on your way to growing your customer base. BOTTOMLINE Balance how Drivers, Destinations and Amplifiers are working with one another in order to turn customers into advocates for your brand.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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A STRATEGY IS BORN

DRIVERS

DESTINATIONS

AMPLIFIERS WOM/Social Sharing

Influencers/WOM

Email Marketing

Activication-drivers digital footprint

Comminity Events & Partnerships

SMS & LBS Marketing

Urgency-based Search Marketing

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Traditional

.COM

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Digital Display

3rd Party Websites

Online reviews UGC

Content Marketing

RESTAURANT / BAR

MARKETING ECOSYSTEM EXAMPLE

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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A STRATEGY IS BORN

GET TO KNOW YOUR CHANNEL CATEGORIES DRIVERS, DESTINATIONS AND AMPLIFIERS

Let’s take a closer look at the channel categories that form an ecosystem: Drivers, Destinations, and Amplifiers. Each one has a sole purpose and they all work together to create advocacy. The more you know about each, the stronger your strategies will be.

DRIVERS

DRIVERS: These drive traffic to Destinations. They can be any kind of channel

meant to grab attention, usher people somewhere via a link or call to action (also known as a CTA), and build consistent traffic. DESTINATIONS: Places where traffic lands after being directed from a call to action

on Drivers and Amplifiers. Examples include the physical restaurant, a website or a social media page. The goal of a Destination is to provide a positive experience, convey information and convert the person to their next stage in the journey.

CHANNEL CATEGORIES

ECOSYSTEM

AMPLIFIERS: These are types of media focused on ramping up the power of Drivers

and Destinations. Like salt in a recipe, Amplifiers make the overall recipe better. One, two or all of these categories can be applied to a marketing channel making for a dynamic relationship within your ecosystem. Now you’re ready to think about individual channels you can use to craft your restaurant’s marketing ecosystem.

AMPLIFIERS

DESTINATIONS

BOTTOMLINE Understand when and how to use Drivers, Destinations and Amplifiers so that they can all work in unison.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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A STRATEGY IS BORN

AN UP-CLOSE LOOK AT CHANNEL TYPES Channels are a wide range of media outlets you can use to create successful initiatives. In order to form a strategy that fits your restaurant’s story, you’ll need to understand where they’re best used in your ecosystem. Here are some of the most common channels: PRO TIP

Discount marketing may provide a quick spike in sales, but it generally hurts in the long run. We didn’t include any deal apps or discount websites in our list because we find that they devalue what your restaurant offers, only bring in thrift seekers and don’t build advocacy.

BOTTOMLINE Know all the available channels and when to utilize an expert to use them correctly.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

CHANNEL

CATEGORY

SKILLS REQUIRED

AVERAGE COST

CONSUMER JOURNEY MOMENT

Print (Magazine, Newspaper, Journal)

Driver, Amplifier

Design, copywriting

Awareness, Interest

Billboard, Bus Station, Out of Home (OOH)

Driver, Amplifier

Design, copywriting

Awareness, Interest

Direct Mail

Driver, Amplifier

Design, copywriting

Awareness, Interest, Conversion

Television, Youtube/ Internet Video Ad

Driver, Destination, Amplifier

Copywriting, Video Production, Direction

Awareness, Interest

Radio, Internet Radio

Driver, Amplifier

Copywriting, Voice Talent, Direction

Awareness, Interest

Facebook

Driver, Amplifier

Design, copywriting, Community Management, Video production

Awareness, Interest, Conversion, Advocacy

Twitter

Driver, Destination, Amplifier

Copywriting, Community Management

Awareness, Advocacy

Instagram

Driver, Destination, Amplifier

Design, Copywriting, Community Management, Video production

Awareness, Interest, Conversion, Advocacy

Snapchat

Driver, Destination, Amplifier

Video, Design, Copywriting, Production, Community Management

Awareness, Interest, Conversion, Advocacy

Email Newsletter

Driver, Destination, Amplifier

Design, Copywriting, coding

Awareness, Interest, Conversion, Advocacy

Search/Local Listing

Driver

Copywriting

Conversion

Review Sites (Yelp, TripAdvisor)

Driver

Copywriting, Community Management

Awareness, Advocacy

Publicity

Driver

Copywriting, Communications

Awareness, Interest

Events

Driver, Destination

Event Management, Community Management

Awareness, Interest, Advocacy

Influencer Outreach

Driver, Amplifier

Communications

Awareness, Interest

Team Building

Driver, Amplifier

Communications, Leadership

Advocacy

Website

Destination, Amplifier

Design, Copywriting, Coding

Interest, Conversion, Advocacy

Blog

Destination, Amplifier

Copywriting

Interest, Advocacy

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A STRATEGY IS BORN

SHARE YOUR STORY. NOT EVERYONE ELSE’S. MAKING CONTENT MARKETING CONNECT

Pictures of your menu items and posts celebrating National Day are ok every once in awhile, but you’ll be doing exactly what most of your competitors are doing. In order to stand out, tell your story with thoughtful articles, videos and social posts no one else can own. Content marketing is your strategy to provide and promote this content on a regular basis. When you connect it to the right members of your network at the right time and place, they’ll learn about your story, your location and what connects you to the community. Every time you have a new piece of content, think about how it can be connected. For example, if you share a blog post on social media, link to it in your next email newsletter. Or if you create a YouTube video interview with a food supplier, share it on your site and with the supplier on social media. No good meal is complete without great conversation, so use the tools and audiences at your disposal to get people talking and interact with local audiences. PRO TIPS • Content marketing is a two way street. Find other brands and trusted people in your network that have great original content and share it with your audience. The smart ones will share your content in return. • Make it personal. Connect your content with key members of your audience. If you know a regular’s special is on the menu tonight, tag them in a picture of it. • Track and measure the success of your content. Then you can see what resonates best with your audience and adjust future tactics. • Don’t share every article and post you see. Quality beats quantity. • You can’t give up after a week. Content marketing is a process that slowly builds on itself. Consistency is key to success. • Every post (or any post, honestly) doesn’t need to go viral. Your target audience is normally a core group of local and loyal fans.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

BOTTOMLINE Content marketing never ends, but with the right plan and gradual adjustments based on results, people will welcome your brand messaging with open arms.

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A STRATEGY IS BORN

PUT YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES (AND THEY’LL EVENTUALLY WALK IN THE DOOR) STORYTELLING & CONTENT PILLARS

Telling a memorable story means ensuring the content you’re putting into the world builds your brand’s story and keeps the reader in mind. You’re a consumer too, so think about what you like and don’t like. Seeing repetitive deals and self-promotion would make you end a relationship with other brands. Keeping your relationship interesting and multifaceted means people will want to be around you.

Content comes in many forms - from writing to photography, aural to videography. No matter what, your content should have value. It can provide a laugh, insight or even a tear. You just have to make sure it also has a focus. By creating pillars, or “subjects,” your content will stay on track and tell a larger, balanced story across all communications. We suggest three pillars, with one being product-focused. BOTTOMLINE

FRESH FOOD/DRINK FRESH FACES

Closeup shots of weekly specials Show and tell story about sourcing from partners (farms, markets, etc) Share preparation tips and exclusive recipes Share drink receipts

weekly specials Show and tell story about sourcing from partners (farms, markets, etc) Share preparation tips and exclusive Show images of people having fun at the bar or tables

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Show team in the community working on nonprofit/charity causes Promote local events even if we’re not in them Promote events where we have a presence and/ or a booth Post info about special events happening at our location

Create content pillars and be sure that your content provides value to customers beyond just deals and discounts.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

12

A STRATEGY IS BORN

A CONTENT CALENDAR KEEPS TIME ON YOUR SIDE Once you’ve created all that super engaging content, it’s time to get it organized. By creating a content calendar schedule that leaks each individual piece into your channels at the most optimal time, you’ll keep telling your story while ushering people through their journey. Once again, keep your customers in mind when planning your calendar. A 2am Instagram post will probably miss everyone, but a 10:45am post about your food’s uniqueness could pique the interest of lunch planners. If you want to focus on beverage content, try 3pm on a Thursday or Friday while office workers are thinking about happy hours. Just because you’re organizing doesn’t mean you can’t think creatively. PRO TIP

 igital and social marketing is flexible. If you’re unsure, try different times for D various types of content to see what performs best. Keep note of results and further hone your strategy. Soon, you’ll have people asking for your secret social formula.

BOTTOMLINE SUGGESTED TOOLS

No special calendar applications or tools needed. Google Calendar, iCal, or other basic calendar software works perfectly fine if you take the time to schedule and implement your plan.

A content calendar is an absolute must in order to keep everything organized.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

13

A STRATEGY IS BORN

MEASURE, ANALYZE AND IMPROVE HOW TO PUT RESULTS TO WORK FOR YOU

Almost every marketing platform you’ll use has some type of analytics tool that keeps track of how things are performing. Measurement and reporting on the content you’ve shared provides a road map for the future of your marketing strategy. Use those results wisely and you’ll save time, money and effort. Before you can pick out which results to pay attention to, define realistic goals for your restaurant. Seeing increased revenue is ideal, but that’s going to take time. We’re looking for engagement that builds brand loyalty and keeps people coming back. It’s easiest to pick a few metrics for each marketing channel and track them regularly. More social followers, higher website traffic and increased positive conversation surrounding your brand are all good indicators of your strategy being on point. They lead to more buzz, which means more traffic and more revenue. Once the ball is rolling, consider adjusting your goals as you grow. When it comes to useful tools you can use to track your efforts, we’ve listed several in Appendix 2. PRO TIPS • Set specific goals for each marketing channel or the overall ecosystem. • Add time in your calendar for metrics and report reviews. • Survey restaurant-goers for specific feedback on marketing efforts. • Keep your reports simple and updated regularly. • Don’t spend too much time poring over intricate reports and metrics. It’s easy to get lost in data. The important thing is to find the most important data and use it to hone your efforts. • Avoid waiting until the end of the campaign to track performance. Start with a small test so you can set some benchmarks for success.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

BOTTOMLINE Create goals, pay attention to results and adjust your efforts accordingly.

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2 TURNING STRATEGY INTO REALITY

TURNING STRATEGY INTO REALITY

SET GOALS STEPS

• Set three overarching goals. As we’ve mentioned before, don’t tie your goals

directly to sales. If immediately driving revenue is your focus, you’ll lose the big picture. Instead, think about the things that engage customers and make them want to be part of your restaurant’s story. Focus on social follows, increasing repeat business, gaining coverage in key magazines, and/or increase in online engagements.

• Mark time on your schedule. Don’t just say you’ll create goals. Carve out time in

your schedule to create and work toward them. Then stick to it!

CREATE YOUR ECOSYSTEM A well-balanced ecosystem helps you focus your marketing efforts. With a good mix of Drivers and Amplifiers bringing people to your Destinations, you can move customers through their journey and on their way to advocacy.

STEPS • S  elect at least three key Drivers from the list of potential channels. These will carry your message and drive traffic. • P  ick the Destinations that traffic will be driven to. We suggest your restaurant and your website for starters. • C  hoose three to six Amplifiers to increase the reach of your messaging. These are usually social and digital channels. • P  rint out your ecosystem. Hang it on the wall. And most importantly, follow it as you fill it with content.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

16

TURNING STRATEGY INTO REALITY

DESTINATIONS

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

AMPLIFIERS

ò ò ò ò

ò ò ò ò

DRIVERS

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TURNING STRATEGY INTO REALITY

CREATE CONTENT PILLARS In the last section, we talked about organizing the content you want to create into content pillars. Again, think about how to tell your unique story, like Chipotle’s sustainability angle or how Apple always thinks differently. Showcase what makes you different and you’ll stand out from the crowd. Dig deep - what makes you unique?

PILLAR ONE

PILLAR TWO

PILLAR THREE

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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TURNING STRATEGY INTO REALITY

SCHEDULE YOUR CALENDAR Now that you’ve figured out what you want to say, when are you going to say it? You’ll save a lot of time by planning your content and marketing efforts across a couple of months in one sitting, rather than going day-by-day. It may seem daunting, but it will make things easier later. If you’re stuck, you can always fill in the holes later.

STEPS • Setup a new calendar just for your marketing. Make sure it’s not cluttered with

other tasks. If you’re feeling really organized, create sub-calendars for specifics tasks or channel categories.

• Plan content for 6-8 weeks out. Anything beyond that is a stretch because you

should be reviewing measurements and altering the strategy implementation as you go.

• Mark time at the beginning of every week for strategy assessment. We suggest 30-

45 minutes for review and adjustments to your plan.

• S  et push notification alerts in your calendar so you’re reminded to complete tasks. Don’t let the daily grind pull you away from the importance of ongoing

marketing.

TIME FOR ACTION Congrats! You now have the three major components of your marketing strategy: The Ecosystem, Content Pillars & Ideas, and your Calendar. Now, you just have to do it. Your strategy is only as good as your commitment to implementing it. Get pumped. You can do this!

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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3 STAKE YOUR CLAIM ONLINE Imagine always being able to be there to answer questions about your restaurant when someone brings it up. You pretty much can if you set up accurate, up-to-date info across different media outlets. You’ll only need to do a lot of what this section covers once. Some you’ll want to update occasionally if anything changes. If you do them right, they’ll live online forever for anyone looking to find out about your establishment.

STAKE YOUR CLAIM ONLINE

CRAFT YOUR STORY HOW OFTEN: ONE TIME

Get Visual With Eye-Catching Photography

By now, you should have a good idea about what your restaurant’s story is and should be able to convey it in a short, intriguing description. You’ll need to get the most important part down to 200 characters that you can use on any digital touch points that require it. If they allow for more space, feel free to use it, but the biggest impact will be made in those first few sentences. When you bring in new staff members or partners of any kind, have a quick chat about your restaurant’s story with them. Let them know that they’re about to become a touchpoint of your brand and could possibly have the biggest direct impact on customers. Incentivize their efforts to spark word of mouth and social posts to their friends and families. You want all your employees to be genuinely excited about what they’re a part of! Also consider conducting quick early-week staff meetings to discuss new marketing ideas you have and open up the floor to hear employee suggestions.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

BOTTOMLINE Craft written descriptions of your brand story in different lengths for use on social sites. Continue that brand story through the use of wellthought-out photography.

Now is a good time to think about how you’re going to tell your story visually. No one’s going to read a thousand words about your restaurant, but they might share one that’s worth that many. We can’t stress enough how important it is to not cut corners when it comes to your photography. Staging your restaurant, utilizing a food stylist and finding a photographer that knows how to style shots will be the difference between an image that’s scrolled by and one that’s posted on hundreds of newsfeeds. The right photography can be used for endless marketing opportunities, so make it count. We suggest revisiting photography when something changes on the menu or in the interior space. If you have events, you can also hire photography students for a little less and get a great social photo album out of it. If you want to push the boundaries further, getting professional, approachable images of key staff members is a good move. This will help add a personal touch and put faces to names for diners that might become advocates. PRO TIPS • You should have two styles of photography. Professional shots, and “real” photography. The professional photography is perfect for advertising and phone photography is great for shots that are in-the-moment. • Don’t use phone photos for official advertising. Have a professional guide shots of your food for use across platforms. This is an absolute must. • Lighting is everything. Study light and use natural textures created by light. Platforms like Instagram have lots of tools (like a grid for centering shots) that make photos look their best. • Look around the subject for things that would make the shot look bad (e.g. glowing exit signs, a messy table, stains, etc) Remove them for the composition. • Style food in a natural way, but get creative with cutting into food and showing the deliciousness.

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STAKE YOUR CLAIM ONLINE

OWN YOUR LOCAL SEARCH AND REVIEW SITE PRESENCE

HOW OFTEN: ONE TIME (WITH MONITORING) Before they even glance at a menu, people around the world grab their phones or computers to hit search engines and look up reviews. Unfortunately, where your restaurant appears in search results and user reviews are based on a lot of factors you can’t control. The good news? There’s a lot you can control. Provide consistent, accurate information across all your digital properties like your site, social media accounts, local directories and press releases. The same goes for anything you provide for local reviews, news articles and other social media accounts.

Use Review Sites To Your Advantage Review sites are unique because they add a lot to the local search mix and create engagement opportunities. Reviewers can be opinionated, but as long as you’re interacting with them positively as you monitor these sites, you can spin negative feedback and reward advocacy. The only way to do this is to claim properties on the most prominent review sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor, or the ones people near you use most (for a full list of international review sites, see Appendix 4). Once you have control of your review site properties, you can comment and message customers with honest dialogue about their experience. Not only will those reviewers appreciate it, but it makes the restaurant more approachable to others reading what you’ve written.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

STEPS • C  laim local search properties and make them yours by adding your unique story, plus the important facts like address, phone number and website. • C  laim your review site properties. Use them as an opportunity to tell your story further and make genuine connections with customers. • If general info changes, be sure to update it across all digital properties. It’s a good idea to set up quarterly calendar reminders to review all this info, just in case.

PRO TIPS • Be consistent across all sites. List the same name, phone number, address, and website. • Create separate directory listings, social media accounts and websites for your locations. • Don’t just focus on Google and ignore other search engines. The more information you can control, the better your results. • Lashing out at negative reviewers is a big no-no. Respond publicly and positively saying you’ll directly message them to discuss the situation. • You’ve done a lot of work to claim these sites, so don’t forget about them. Keep an eye on your listings and the information that’s out there to ensure there aren’t any inaccuracies.

BOTTOMLINE The majority of your new business could come from search results and review sites, so you need a consistent brand on all of them.

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STAKE YOUR CLAIM ONLINE

LIVE WHERE YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE MOST: SOCIAL MEDIA HOW OFTEN: SETUP IS ONE TIME

Let’s move on to one of your most powerful tools: social media. If you haven’t already, sign up for the platforms you plan on using now (and even ones you want to lock down for the future). Try to be consistent with the handle (or username), which should most likely be your restaurant’s name. Keep it short and simple so people can remember it when they’re looking for you, interacting with you and tagging you in their posts. If for some reason the handle you want is taken, get creative but stay simple. For instance, Wayward Bar & Kitchen in Maryland could be @WaywardBK or @WaywardM. Social media accounts will also offer the opportunity to inject your brand’s identity into the profile pages. Remember that story you created? Social media is a great place to showcase it. It’s always a good idea to update your profile picture with your logo. Most social profiles have a masthead or header where you can promote the brand’s experience, the food, a new promotion, or whatever you feel is important at the time.

PRO TIPS • You can, and should, update the design elements of your social sites to bring your marketing ecosystem to life. We know you’re not stale, so keep those sites fresh! • Remember the content pillars and schedules you worked so hard on? Your social media accounts are where it all really shines. • Use hashtags intelligently so people can find your content. Possibilities include your city’s official hashtag or a local festival you’re participating in.

BOTTOMLINE Use social media to engage people with your brand story and become engrained in the local community.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

23

STAKE YOUR CLAIM ONLINE

PIECE TOGETHER A PRESS KIT HOW OFTEN: ONE TIME

Your digital press kit is an essential component of telling your brand’s story. When you create one, think about how you want the press to write about your restaurant and the people who represent it. It’s not just another place to tell your story; it’s an opportunity to set your restaurant apart from others. Use it to reinforce your points of differentiation while building the case for being a local staple. Make sure it captures the vibe you want people to experience by using images and descriptive language. Your press kit should show what really makes you stand out.

It’s What’s On The Inside that Counts Your restaurant’s press kit should be a collection of documents, including photos of food, photos of your space, key staff headshots and bios, and logo files. All good press kits will have an overview of the restaurant’s offering, history, and passion. The story of the brand should be threaded throughout each piece. They should all be stored in an easy to access space like Dropbox or another server where you can link to download. PRO TIPS • Collect and organize all image files into descriptively named file folders. They should be in high resolution JPG and TIF file formats. • Any biographies and ‘About the Restaurant’ text should be in .DOC file formats. • Logo files should be available in PNG and EPS formats. • Load the files to Dropbox, Google Drive, or another easily linked and accessed server. • Create links on your restaurant’s website to download the press kit. • Adding an information block to the download where someone has to enter their name and email address lets you track and follow up with people who are accessing this information.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

BOTTOMLINE A press kit should contain everything the press needs to learn about your brand and create their own stories surrounding it.

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STAKE YOUR CLAIM ONLINE

KNOW WHO’S WHO… AND WHO HELPS BUILD YOUR BRAND

HOW OFTEN: ONE TIME (WITH INFREQUENT CHECK-INS) In our digital society, almost anyone can become a local influencer, from celebrities and media to mom bloggers and amateur restaurant critics. You can easily find them with a little research. Gather key info about the influencers you find in your area (email and social handles go a long way), then reach out, connect and build relationships.

PRO TIPS • Big following + Quality engagement = Good Influencer. • If you can, use direct messages to introduce yourself. Let them know your role and ask if you can contact them in the future. Keep it short and sweet. • Save email information for key influencers and reach out intermittently. • Even if someone has lots of followers, they may not be right for you. Make sure they’re active locally and would attract the type of attention your restaurant needs. • Tailor every communication to influencers’ personal social identities. Bulk blasts come across as cold and usually go unanswered.

BOTTOMLINE You need local influencers that are active in your community. Get to know them, inform your employees who they are and try to get influencers on board with your brand.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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STAKE YOUR CLAIM ONLINE

GET INSIDE THE INBOX: EMAIL MARKETING HOW OFTEN: ONE TIME FOR SET UP

Email marketing is a low-cost, high-return media that, when done right, builds awareness, interest and advocacy. Before you can tap the potential of email marketing, you have to figure out what emailing tool to use. All the options can be confusing and a little overwhelming, so we suggest MailChimp if you’re looking to be more advanced with your email marketing strategies. Iif you plan to be a little more hands off, Fishbowl might be a better system for you.

PRO TIPS • Factor in the amount of effort you can put into your email marketing when choosing a system. • Set up as much information and as many points of interaction as possible to ensure the highest deliverability. • Add a subscription form to your website and social media accounts so people can easily subscribe to your list. • Allow customers to sign up for your mailing list when they’re at your restaurant - You’ll have to type these into the system, but it’s worth it! • Steer clear of email address lists you don’t own or didn’t build for your restaurant. • Never use email addresses from business cards of people who didn’t ask to be on the list.

BOTTOMLINE Build an email list and use it to build awareness and interest over time.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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STAKE YOUR CLAIM ONLINE

WEBSITE BASICS: DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU HOW OFTEN: ONE TIME

Your website is a digital representation of your actual location. Remember, they’re both destinations. Just like restaurant-goers should walk out of your doors happy after a delicious meal, they should leave the site with a positive impression and a desire to come back for more. If you want to can go all out with a site that includes tons of specialized features, you’ll want to hire a web design pro. Conversely, a simple do-it-yourself, customizable website is something most people can create and customize themselves. Systems like SquareSpace are affordable, intuitive and ready-made for any restaurant. All you have to do is insert your imagery, text and a few special touches to make it your own. Best of all, systems like these adjust your site to the device your guests are viewing it on.

PRO TIPS • Even though you’re related to the hotel, you should have your own site that focuses on your story and makes it easy for search engines to find you. • Stay away from overly templated designs that you can’t customize. If you do, you’re losing your brand’s story in a big way! • Have a clear and easy to read PDF menu so you can update it as often as you want. • Put your location and contact info front and center in the top part of your site if possible. • Link to your social media (or pull in newsfeeds to your site) and have a way to sign up for your email list so everything is connected. • If you take reservations, make that process as simple as possible. • Pick a URL address that is easy to remember and aligns with your social media handles.

BOTTOMLINE Other than your restaurant, your website might the most important Destination in your portfolio. No matter how you choose to build it, make sure it’s informative and consistent with your overall story.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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STAKE YOUR CLAIM ONLINE

CLIMB TO THE TOP OF SEARCH RESULTS HOW OFTEN: ONE TIME

Earlier, we discussed search engines and how difficult it can be to force your way to the top of their results. One way to increase your visibility is through Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. Basically, search engines want to list your site if it’s relevant to what someone wants to find. If you have the most finger licking BBQ in Boise, your site should demonstrate that in text and a few other areas we’ll show you. If you hired someone to design and develop your site, they should handle SEO pretty easily. If you’re using a system like Squarespace, you’ll just have to find areas to input Title and Meta Descriptions text. That may sound a little daunting, but it just means that you’ll want to put keywords in those that people might be using to find what you do best. SEO is more than just titles and tags, though. It also relies on text found throughout your site. It’s always a good practice to make sure all text is visible by search engines. With SquareSpace this happens by default, but a developer may need it spelled out for them. Because text is so important, having someone who writes good copy (which is just a fancy word for advertising text) is pretty invaluable. Hiring a copywriter with solid SEO experience is a good investment here. Whether you hire someone or do it yourself, it’s a big relief to know that you really only need to update this info if anything major changes with your business that might affect how people are searching for you. We’ve thrown out several words and phrases that may seem foreign, so check out these key SEO components for a better understanding and a few quick steps to get your started:

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

Titles And Meta Descriptions Titles and Meta Descriptions are the text that’s seen in search engine results. The title is the clickable text, and the description is the text below it. They offer more than just search engine results, though. They can also act as a means to entice people to click through to your restaurant’s site. Heading Text Each page should have a heading. In the code, it should be marked with an “H1” tag, which denotes it as the header, as well as the most important element on the page. This tag should include adjectives, if possible.

STEPS • Identify a set of keywords you think your restaurant should own. • Use these keywords in a natural way throughout the text on your pages, and to write a short description sentence and title for each page of your site. • Be sure the text you write is relevant and reads in a smooth, unforced manner. Example: Menu Page Title: Dinner Menu: Best Barbecue in Phoenix, Arizona - Sunny’s BBQ Description: Sunny’s BBQ touts Phoenix’s best barbecue pork, chicken, and beef brisket.

View our menu of delicious BBQ options and visit us soon. Heading: Barbecue Dinner Menu BOTTOMLINE SUGGESTED TOOLS

Google Analytics MomentFeed

Moz Local MailChimp

SEO can be a beast. If you choose to go it alone, choose your keywords, take it piece by piece and you should start noticing an uptick in your placement in search results.

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4 CONTINUE YOUR EFFORTS WITH COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & ENGAGEMENT The power of social media goes way beyond simply posting and pushing your messages into the world. Social media’s power is in its two-way conversation capabilities and opportunities. Each media outlet has its nuances, but the need for interaction, engagement and conversation is common across the board. In this section, we’ll outline the best practices for conversing with your social media “friends” in a way that’s natural, authentic and effective.

CONTINUE YOUR EFFORTS WITH COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & ENGAGEMENT

FINDING YOUR SOCIAL VOICE Social media’s blessing and burden is that it is always on. It’s there even if you decide to ignore it. Therefore, monitoring the chatter on social media, and responding to people in real time is crucial for effectively building a connection in any market. There are a lot of tools to choose from when it comes to social media monitoring and community management. Although you don’t need any special software to communicate on the platforms, having a single source makes things a lot easier. Keep your tone conversational, like you’re chatting with friends, but still in line with your brand. Remember that it’s not the person posting that’s speaking, it’s your restaurant. The more you post, the more you’ll be able to easily write posts in your brand’s “voice.” PRO TIPS • Every culture has nuances to how they communicate with people in varying degrees of familiarity. Let your colloquial culture dictate how formal or informal you interact with people you converse with and interact. • Social moves fast. If something warrants a response, chime in or message back as soon as possible. • Engage in comments, tag people in response, and join the conversation naturally. • If things get negative, take the conversation out of the public eye with a polite direct message to the individual that has an issue. NEVER engage in a fight or try and delete comments. • If someone does have a complaint, offer an appropriate solution via private message. Discounts or freebies shouldn’t be your first way to appease the customers. Sometimes, all it takes is an honest conversation. • It isn’t worth it to tag brands or celebrities in any situation. It could get people talking, but you might run into legal headaches that you don’t need. • Don’t feel the need to always push your restaurant with a constant sales pitch. Stay natural, write conversationally and pretty soon your brand’s group of friends will start to grow.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

BOTTOMLINE Think of social media as your brand speaking to people one-on-one in a casual conversation. It should be a natural extension of your restaurant’s voice.

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CONTINUE YOUR EFFORTS WITH COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & ENGAGEMENT

CUSTOMER SURVEYS: THEIR OPINION MATTERS Yelp is great for reviews, but surveys are the way to go for almost instant feedback of what locals think of your restaurant. As with most things in life, asking the right questions will yield the kind of feedback you can use to build loyalty and hone the experience to be better for your audience. Surveys come in a number of forms. You can have written ones on location, getting feedback as a manager greets guests and digital surveys. If you’re willing to put in the effort, a combo of these three give you a bird’s eye view of issues that need addressing as well as opportunities worth exploring. You may be surprised by what people are saying. That’s a very good thing, because it should spark new ideas on improving marketing, customer service and your restaurant’s atmosphere. We suggest sharing the feedback with all partners and employees so everyone can develop ideas for constantly improving the restaurant’s brand.

BOTTOMLINE Customer surveys are a quick way to gather feedback and share it with your team.

PRO TIPS • Figure out three to five questions you want to know the answer to. Any more than that and you’ll get participation dropoff. • Encourage staff to point out the survey, then share the feedback with your whole team. • If someone completes a survey, it means they care. This is the perfect time to offer a value, like a contest entry or exclusive discount. • Share feedback with your team and partners. You’d be surprised what feedback can do to spark ideas on better serving customers. • Quarterly checkins or surveys sparked by a limited time offer are good. Less is more when it comes to asking for opinions

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

SUGGESTED TOOLS

SurveyMonkey and Google Forms are two excellent (and free!) services to use for collecting feedback digitally.

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CONTINUE YOUR EFFORTS WITH COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & ENGAGEMENT

PUBLIC RELATIONS: GET THE WORD OUT Public Relations, or PR for short, is way more than just garnering publicity for your restaurant. It all begins with getting media coverage for your restaurant’s events from influencers, critics, bloggers, journalists and other industry professionals. However, that’s only the beginning. Truly effective PR strategies include onboarding and aligning communications across your team, plus creation of new, timely events that get attention and attendance. It even spans into managing and interacting with the community in social outlets and in person. When seen from this perspective it’s easy to understand how important PR really is for a restaurant. Good buzz goes a long way and bleeds into what you can do with all your other outlets. Also, be sure to add any PR-related events or news to your content calendar. Reach out to your social media and influencer connections to get the ball rolling. And don’t forget to call your photographer so you’ll have even more content once an event is over. PRO TIPS • Effective PR requires an expert who already has relationships to leverage when it comes to publicity and events. It’s best to find someone local to your area that’s ingrained in the community for maximum impact and results. • Train all staff on talking points about the restaurant so they can put it into their own voice for communication. • If a journalist or influencer comes to your restaurant, give them a little special attention without being overbearing. • Only write press releases for things that should garner attention. You don’t want to be seen as the restaurant that cries wolf. • If you’re not getting the coverage you want, don’t blame the journalists. Keep thinking of new ways your restaurant is different and events that demand attention. Once you find those avenues, you’ll cut through the clutter of other PR pushes.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

BOTTOMLINE Good PR spreads across so many touchpoints, it can be hard to get a handle on. A PR expert will bring ideas to the table, guide you, and open you up to the wonderful world of public relations.

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CONTINUE YOUR EFFORTS WITH COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & ENGAGEMENT

HOLDING HOT TICKET EVENTS An event isn’t much of an event if people don’t want to be there. So how do you get influencers and other locals into the restaurant for something other than a meal out? You have to immerse them in your restaurant’s brand. Finding partners to help create and promote the events will increase attendance while building awareness around your restaurant. Local organizations like Chambers of Commerce, Young Professionals, and other clubs are a quick way to access new faces. Additionally, many spirits, wine and beer brands are looking for methods to increase their brand awareness. Retaining them as partners for events can further increase your restaurant’s reach. BOTTOMLINE Get creative with your events, while keeping them aligned with your brand and locals will take notice.

Most importantly, you have to do something different. The same old strategies will get overlooked and give people no reason to attend. Think outside the norm using your brand as a lens to create new ideas for fun events that people want to attend.

PRO TIPS • Create fresh event ideas that go beyond basic mixers and happy hours. Once you have your idea, design a unique look for that specific event. • Introduce small plates to offer attendees a taste of your menu. • Make VIP cards to hand out to loyal visitors and influencers. Offer special perks to these individuals and make sure staff knows to give these people special treatment. • You’ve worked hard to build your channels, so be sure to promote the events in all the right places. • Space out your events so there’s no attendee exhaustion. Anticipation is a very effective emotion!

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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CONTINUE YOUR EFFORTS WITH COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & ENGAGEMENT

OUTSIDE EVENTS KEEP YOU TOP OF MIND The beauty of your restaurant brand is that you can take it on-the-go to build awareness in your local market. Food and wine festivals. Art events. Outdoor concerts. They could all be outlets for your dishes, personality and story to shine. When you’re there, make sure you’ve planned out the best way for your brand to be represented. Find out the specifications of your area and have the right elements to stand out. The right branding materials, printouts with more information and even scheduling the right staff to work the event are all part of what will make for a memorable outing. Beyond that, you’ll need to think of ways to bring your restaurant to life in the space you have. Make people leave your area wanting to visit the physical location. And once again, capture the moments to utilize as content. You’re out there, people are enjoying it, so let people experience it any time they want.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

PRO TIPS • Create special elements to help your booth stand out and look “on brand.” A simple banner will get lost in the sea of other options. • Make sure everyone working the booth is trained on how to talk about the brand beyond just the food. If they’re living the brand, event attendees will be drawn to them. • Make special print materials to hand out that are specific to the event and the attendees.

BOTTOMLINE Outside events bring your brand to the masses. Treat the space you have there with the same care and attention to detail they’ll find inside your restaurant.

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5 KICKSTART MARKETING WITH ENTRY-LEVEL TACTICS You have everything from a brand strategy to your sites set up and ready to go. Now we can work on entry-level tactics that don’t involve a huge investment of time and money, but will certainly make a difference in your ongoing marketing. Let’s dive deeper into a few detailed tactics you can utilize.

KICKSTART MARKETING WITH ENTRY-LEVEL TACTICS

The eco-system looks something like this:

DRIVERS

DESTINATIONS

AMPLIFIERS WOM/Social Sharing

Instagram

Activication-drivers digital footprint

Email

.COM

ò

Facebook

ò

You have everything from a brand strategy to your sites set up and ready to go. Now we can work on entry-level tactics that don’t involve a huge investment of time and money, but will certainly make a difference in your ongoing marketing.

Direct Mail

Online reviews

Events

Team Advocacy

RESTAURANT / BAR

BASIC MARKETING ECOSYSTEM

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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KICKSTART MARKETING WITH ENTRY-LEVEL TACTICS

FACEBOOK REALLY BOOSTS YOUR BUSINESS HOW OFTEN: EVERY OTHER DAY FOR UNPAID, EVERY WEEK FOR PAID

Simply put, Facebook is an integral part of most people’s lives. That means it’s an extremely valuable tool for your restaurant. An informative and engaging Facebook page lets you become part of a potential customer’s daily routine while they learn about your brand story. But with millions of posts per minutes, a brand needs to provide visitors with true value to earn their “like”. Think about the type of customer you want to attract or retain, then tailor content to them that will make them stop and engage with your post. Exclusive interviews with chefs, articles on food partners, occasional discounts and special recipes can all inform and intrigue. Over time, you’ll have local and loyal advocates to your brand.

Facebook actually makes promoting posts easy, affordable and effective! Advertising costs on Facebook vary by location and audience, but generally $100$250 a month is all you need to boost your most important posts to reach fans and potential customers. Facebook makes the process very simple and you can even highly target who it reaches by where people live and what they like.

PRO TIPS • Use Facebook’s restaurant specific features to add a menu, price range and hours to your pages. • A recent Facebook algorithm change has caused normal posts by businesses to receive a very low number of views in fan’s newsfeeds. This change has forced businesses to pay for views, but advertising on Facebook is generally affordable and highly targeted. • Provide value for fans by posting useful, high-quality content on a consistent schedule. Don’t overpost, though. Quality over quantity, especially since a sponsored post might appear in a person’s feed many times. • It may seem beneficial to post only sales content, but that will drive fans away. You’ll get much more out of posts that give people the feeling that you’re a real member of their community. • Respond to all reviews and comments (positive and negative) in a respectful, timely and consistent manner. Feel free to private message the negative posters to create a helpful dialogue. • Use 3rd party tools to schedule posts to save time, but be sure to continuously monitor the page for engagement. • Support your post with paid promotion and test different amounts of ad spend to see what is most effective. • Create Facebook Events to promote your parties, tastings, and other special occasions. • Be patient! The following you want is one that’s built over time. Trust us on this one!

BOTTOMLINE Boosting Facebook posts is an essential and affordable tool in your local marketing.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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KICKSTART MARKETING WITH ENTRY-LEVEL TACTICS

INSTAGRAM: MORE THAN JUST PRETTY PICTURES HOW OFTEN: EVERY OTHER DAY

As a strictly visual medium, Instagram is a natural fit for restaurants to bring their tastiest looking food to people on their smartphones. But to succeed here, you’ll need to be a little more creative, especially against all the other brands out there trying to do the same thing. Sure, you’ll want to post some shots for the foodies out there, but there needs to be a more interesting mix to make people stop scrolling. When you’re creating your content calendar, cross-reference it with sporting events or cultural days of celebration you can put your own brand’s spin on. Events and food partners should be on the schedule. Your staff is an endless supply of content, as well, especially since they’re the ones interacting with the community the most. Other examples of content can include photos from the kitchen or bar that show what’s going on behind the scenes. Stay in the moment and share authentic content as it happens.. It’s ok to bump a scheduled post if something spontaneous happens that’s worthy of posting. PRO TIPS • If the photography isn’t coming from a professional, take the few extra minutes needed to frame, crop and adjust your pic. Don’t go crazy with the filters, though! Realism will benefit you more. • Go beyond images. Utilize video, slo-mo, Boomerang and slideshow apps to give your posts added variety. • A witty or thoughtful caption can add at least a few more “hearts” to any image. • Use hashtags of relevant terms - an average of 12 #s per post gets the most engagement. Make sure to keep some of them local so people nearby can find you. • Tag other instagrammers in your posts to give credit to photography or shoutout to frequent customers. • Set the post’s location as your restaurant or event you’re posting from.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

• Find like-minded accounts to follow and engage with. Post comments and interact frequently. • It bears repeating: Don’t just post food and beverage pictures. They may get a lot of engagement, but they also get redundant quickly. • Interaction is key to building community and engagement. If locals are commenting, start a conversation. Pretty soon, you’ll be having one with them directly as they’re dining in your restaurant.

BOTTOMLINE Instagram may be strictly visual, but there are endless ways your restaurant can use it. Looks are everything with this channel, so make sure the moments you’re sharing are eye-catching. #MoreHashtagHelp Hashtags are useful on more social networks than just Instagram. We covered some tips above, but here are a few more. PRO TIPS • Hashtags don’t use spaces. If you want to separate words, do it by capitalizing each new one. They also don’t work with punctuation. • Stay relevant. Avoid creating hashtags that no one would be searching for and don’t include topics just because they’re trending. You want quality followers and engagement. • Find relevant hashtags using tools like Hashtagify.me, RiteTag or Tagboard. • In general 2-3 hashtags are all you need to increase engagement, but there are recommendations for specific networks. • Twitter - 1-2 hashtags will increase engagement and keep your post within the limits. • Instagram - Interaction is highest with 11+ hashtags, but if you only have 5-10 that’s fine too. • Facebook - Most brands don’t use hashtags on Facebook. • Google+ - Automatically generates hashtags, but you can add and edit them as needed.

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KICKSTART MARKETING WITH ENTRY-LEVEL TACTICS

EMAIL MARKETING THAT DELIVERS HOW OFTEN: MONTHLY OR BI-MONTHLY

Forget “email blasting.” That’s just hammering people with deals or news that end up being noisy, annoying and off-putting. Instead, just like your social content, add value to your carefully thought-out emails. Reference your content pillars and brand strategy for ideas like: • Recipes from your bar or kitchen • Interviews with key staff members or food partners • Exclusive event invitations or early access for reservations at key events Include a good mix of image and text that has enough info to entice and inform, but not so little that you come across as vague. Your imagery should represent your restaurant perfectly, so we highly recommend professional photos shot at your restaurant. Start with monthly email messages directing people to one key transaction, then increase to twice a month if you have the content or event news to warrant it. Remember that every piece of marketing you create should work within the ecosystem. Have your destinations and amplifiers primed for the traffic your emails will deliver. The best times to send your message may vary. Start with a simple time, like Tuesday at 10am, to catch recipients after their morning email check, but before getting into their work. Once you have some performance stats, services like MailChimp have the ability to schedule the email to go out at optimal times based on previous performance. BOTTOMLINE Just like your social posts, your emails should provide value and further your brand’s story. The recipients are already interested. Use emails to give them more reasons to fall in love.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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KICKSTART MARKETING WITH ENTRY-LEVEL TACTICS

DIRECT MAIL WITH DIRECT RESULTS HOW OFTEN: QUARTERLY

Direct mail can get pricey, but it’s also a great way to build awareness around new things happening at the restaurant. Start with a quarterly direct mail piece that coincides with an event happening. That way you can play up exclusivity and make recipients feel like part of the inside crowd instead of using discounts to get onetime deal-searchers in the door. Some other content ideas include: • A password for a secret menu item prepared specially by the chef • Offer membership into a cocktail or craft beer club at your restaurant

BOTTOMLINE Focus direct mail on making recipients feel like they’re getting something new and exclusive.

There are a number of partners that can make your direct mail marketing easy to implement. The US Postal Service has upped their offering to be more helpful by teaming up with services like EveryDoorDirectMail (EDDM) that guide you through the process from beginning to end. It can still be time-consuming though, so utilizing a direct mail expert could be worth your while.

PRO TIPS • Customize the design and content to your restaurant. Stick to one key message instead of trying to pack too much into one direct mail piece. • Track the results when you can and adjust your strategy for the next piece.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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KICKSTART MARKETING WITH ENTRY-LEVEL TACTICS

EVENTS THAT CREATE BUZZ AND CONTENT

TEAM ADVOCACY: LOYALTY FROM WITHIN

We talked about holding hot ticket events in the community management section, but wanted to reinforce how valuable they are when it comes to meeting key local influencers and creating exclusive social content.

Your staff is on the front lines of customer interaction with your brand, so they have to be the biggest champions for it. It’s something that can’t be forced, but giving them general knowledge in the onboarding process is a great start. If you build your team right, loving the brand will come naturally and customers will see that shine through in their service.

HOW OFTEN: QUARTERLY

Events that will resonate most with your audience will be ones that are born from what makes your restaurant unique. Put your own spin on events like: • • • •

Wine, beer or cocktail tasting with a partner brand Announcing new seasonal menus with a special chef’s tasting Group cooking classes with your chef Local professionals’ group networking event

Events also keep your brand from appearing stale in the eyes of the community. Leverage partnerships with vendors and local organizations. Prep managers, chefs and staff on who’s coming and how to engage them to make the day or evening memorable. PRO TIPS • Leverage partnerships with beverage vendors to increase reach. • Contact local press and influencers to invite them to special parts of the event or exclusive features. • Keep your events focused. Don’t try to pack in too many features or sponsors. In the same vein, space out your events so people don’t get burnt out on them. • Tell the story of each event, from invites to photography, through your social media channels. Content like this can’t be owned by anyone else and you’ll need more of it once your Drivers start kicking in!

HOW OFTEN: QUARTERLY

Once a quarter, have a full team get-together to go over upcoming events and happenings with the restaurant. Take feedback and open up discussion about how they think the brand story can be told in interesting ways. The more your team feels like they’re part of something special, the better they’ll represent the restaurant. PRO TIPS • Keep an open-door policy for team members to bring ideas to the table. • Encourage them to bring social content ideas to you for posting. They’re living in the moments that make your brand special, so sharing them is a natural win.

BOTTOMLINE In many ways, your employees are the face of your brand. Keep them educated and bring them into the process of keeping things fresh.

BOTTOMLINE Get creative with your events while keeping them aligned with your brand and locals will take notice.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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6 ADVANCED TACTICS Once you have the basics down, or if you’re all in to go big from the beginning, you can tackle some more advanced tactics. They’ll take more time and skill, but your return on those investments will be extremely rewarding.

ADVANCED TACTICS

DRIVERS

DESTINATIONS

AMPLIFIERS WOM/Social Sharing

Influencers/WOM

Email Marketing

Activication-drivers digital footprint

Comminity Events & Partnerships

SMS & LBS Marketing

Urgency-based Search Marketing

ò

Traditional

.COM

ò

Digital Display

3rd Party Websites

Online reviews UGC

Content Marketing

RESTAURANT / BAR

ADVANCED MARKETING ECOSYSTEM MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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ADVANCED TACTICS

GET SERIOUS ABOUT INTRIGUING CONTENT Hang around with marketing folks long enough and you’ll hear the saying “Content is king.” Constantly creating on-brand, engaging content is a huge challenge, but it holds very powerful rewards. If you truly want to connect with people outside your restaurant, you have to get in the content mindset, which means going beyond blasting pictures of food and deals. Through articles, photos, video, live feeds, and more, you’ll develop a robust immersion into your brand’s experience. At your restaurant, you see customers on their own phones creating and sharing endless content. Shouldn’t you be part of that experience? When you’re ready to get more advanced with your content, think bigger. Your chef could make live recipe videos and answer questions that people post about your secret ingredients. Film cooking classes in your kitchen and share them. Your star bartender might make a series out of his latest concoctions or beer reviews. Other staff members live your brand, so share how their personalities fit in with your story. You have to go above and beyond what clutters up most newsfeeds.

BOTTOMLINE With enough practice, you’ll start seeing potential content ideas everywhere.

And don’t forget to post your content across channels and use Amplifier channels to drive traffic. Who knows...you could have the next video your whole community is sharing. PRO TIPS • Solid content marketing is all about the mix. Some unique food and drink images here. A GIF there. A video of key staff members sprinkled in. If it supports your brand’s distinct qualities, it works toward the greater good of building your brand. • Check back in the public relations section for info on bringing your creative content to local media outlets. With the right fit, their built-in audience could give your content a big boost. • Share content from other brands that makes sense coming from you, but don’t overdo it and definitely don’t repost other’s content as your own.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

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ADVANCED TACTICS

BUILD LOYALTY INSTEAD OF BLAND REPEAT BUSINESS Ask yourself why repeat customers are coming back. Is it because of a monthly deal or promotion? Or because they sincerely love what your establishment is all about? The second option is what you really need to survive, because it brings repeat business, plus word of mouth marketing and social promotion. Best of all, those last two are completely free and held in very high regard by locals. Advocates don’t waver in their support and are stick by you no matter what. When you give people reasons to love you, like a good friend would, they know they come first. And that will have them thinking of you first when it comes time to choose where to eat or drink. PRO TIPS • Know your regulars. It should be natural to treat them like friends because they are friends. This helps turn frequent visitors into loyal advocates. • Use “surprise and delight” giveaways other than food or discounts. Make promo items that fit your brand and can be used by customers after they leave. • Offer a special VIP card to your most loyal advocates. Keep it secret and exclusive to make them feel as special as they are.

BOTTOMLINE Repeat business can end at any moment. Advocates, however, will come back for more and tell all their friends.

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ADVANCED TACTICS

AMPLIFY CONTENT. ATTRACT ATTENTION. We talked earlier about Drivers, Destinations and Amplifiers in marketing strategies. Most media serves as Drivers, but can double as Amplifiers, taking your content to new levels of reach. In the social media space, “boosting” posts with paid advertising is a must if you want real impact. Once you’ve created amazing content, you absolutely have to push some of it beyond your followers so you can attract new ones. This includes: • P  aying to boost posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Setting up an account on the ad side of these platforms lets you hit local markets and day parts, while offering other ways to target your specific audience. • C  ontests are a great way to spark content sharing if done in moderation. Put a timeframe around the contest, say that a share is an entry, and promote it often. There are services you can use to track a contest campaign, but you can keep it old fashioned by randomly picking someone who shared your post. Showcase the winner so everyone gets a sense of closure and you have yourself a lot of content that goes a long way.

PRO TIPS • Facebook and Instagram are currently the most powerful outlets for paying to boost interesting content, but explore what works best for you and your audience. • Start by choosing the best posts every one or two weeks to boost. You don’t want to over promote. Soon you’ll be able to tell which kinds of paid posts perform better. • Track and review results from each channel’s advertising analytics to determine what’s effective and what’s not so you can adjust your strategy accordingly. • Too many contests devalue a brand. Use them sparingly and they’ll be much more interesting when you launch the next one.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

BOTTOMLINE Use Amplifiers when you have content you think would really resonate with your audience.

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BEYOND FACEBOOK: SHARING ON OTHER SOCIAL NETWORKS Just because Facebook is the largest social network in the world doesn’t mean your social portfolio ends there. Of the hundreds of viable social options out there, you should explore the ones your local market is on and decide which are right for your business. Only start accounts you intend on updating regularly. A social page that was last updated months ago actually makes your restaurant look boring, bland and possibly not even in business. Learn the requirements and best practices for posting on the platforms you’ve chosen. For instance, Twitter limits your character count and Qzone in China has instant messaging and micro-blog capabilities. Just like those platforms users have done, you should use their restrictions and features to your advantage by customizing the types of content you post on each. Once you’ve built a loyal following, look into the premium advertising features they offer. Understand your audience and which content works best, then put money where it will have the most impact. PRO TIPS • Customize each post for different social networks, if you post the same thing on each network there’s no reason a customer should following you on both accounts. • Have the tools and staff in place to respond to customer comments very quickly. Networks like Twitter and others with live chat capabilities have become the go to places for customers to provide feedback and report problems. You should be there to answer. • Create a standard set of responses (sometimes referred to as a “response matrix”) to common customer questions or problems. This makes it easier for your team or agency to manage your social networks.

MARKETING PLAYBOOK

BOTTOMLINE If you’ve mastered one network like Facebook and want to grow your social presence, pick the next most popular network, build an active following, then explore advertising on that network. Repeat the process until you have a healthy portfolio of platforms you can still manage.

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OLD SCHOOL ADS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

GET OUT AND PLAY AT EXTERNAL EVENTS

No, traditional advertising isn’t dead. It’s just not as cost-effective as it used to be. Radio, TV, billboards and print all build awareness, reach much wider audiences and boost traffic. You just have to be willing to invest up front with less ways to measure success.

You’ve perfected events inside your own restaurants. Now it’s time to tackle outside events like food and wine festivals or art showcases. Pinpoint 3-4 external events that align with your restaurant’s brand. You wouldn’t want your high-end tapas restaurant at a monster truck jam, right? Stay relevant and stay local.

Radio and TV are pricier than print and billboards because they require more elements. Scripts, talent and production all cost money, but they make a huge difference when done correctly. Skimping on any of these results in a low quality spot that damages the brand and hits you in more than the wallet. Where TV really comes in handy is its ability to fuel digital content that extends your campaign. Break it up into video snippets or animated GIFs for sharing. If the content is good (funny, emotional, or interesting), it could translate well to the digital medium. Big events or pivotal campaigns are perfect for traditional advertising. They can be used as part of a limited time blanket approach of no more than 3-4 months. Use your traditional ad budget wisely so you have plenty more to invest in more ongoing efforts. PRO TIPS

PRO TIPS • Create things to give away that push the brand and enable fans to promote on your behalf. Stickers, patches, and pins are inexpensive ways to get fans to fall in love. • Assign your most trusted, well-informed team members to work events on the restaurant’s behalf. The more loyal they are, the better they’ll represent the brand. • Design a booth that gives event attendees a taste of what your actual experience is like, while still informing them. This is another area where cutting corners will only hurt you. • It’s ok to say no to events if you don’t have time to do them right.

BOTTOMLINE Outside events bring your brand to the masses. Treat the space you have there with the same care and attention to detail they’ll find inside your restaurant.

• Invest in quality production, design and creative. More money up front will equal more positive reactions in the long run. • Think of ways for the content to be rearranged and reused as much as possible. Make sure you get the proper usage rights for talent (ask your producer about this before you shoot). • Use traditional advertising for short burst campaigns with multiple media channels that focus on frequency. Save your month-to-month budget for digital efforts.

BOTTOMLINE Traditional advertising should be done right or not done at all.

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GIVEAWAYS: USEFUL TO CUSTOMERS AND YOUR BRAND When people leave events, you’ll want them to take away more than just a lasting impression of your brand. One way to do that is through promotional items that can live on in the community. When people use your swag, they’re endorsing you and advertising for your restaurant. You don’t want to just slap a logo on cheap keychains or mugs. The key to lasting giveaways is that the product has to reflect what makes your brand unique. Just like your social posts, your giveaways should provide value, like whiskey tasting sets or herbs in a branded plant pot. You’ll save money by only making giveaway items in limited numbers. If they’re more rare and very useful, everyone will want one with your logo on it! PRO TIPS • Use the scarcity of items to your advantage and promote the giveaway to your most loyal customers first. • Match the perceived value of the giveaway with the event or promotion. • Partner with a local charity or nonprofit and help them raise money by including a giveaway with a donation to their cause. • Repeat your most popular giveaways annually to help create a growing buzz each year. • One example of all these tips we love is a unique, collectable giveaway from Trick Dog bar in San Francisco. Every year, they come up with a new menu design to get people talking. In 2016, they made a “dog and cocktail of the month” calendar to inform, delight and raise money for local dog rescues. A perfect promotion from every angle.

BOTTOMLINE Give away exclusive branded products your customers can use. Make them unique to your story.

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KEEP THINKING TO EXTEND THE BRAND

WHEN OTHER OPPORTUNITIES KNOCK

Think about the brand’s roots and what it aligns with beyond food. Music, the arts, farming, etc. They all offer unique ways to do more than just discount the product. A few quick ideas are:

You know firsthand how many calls restaurants get from vendors trying to push “the best new media ever” on you. A lot of those aren’t legit, but a little research will help you weigh the benefits against the investments.

Events outside of the brand that still share its essence. For instance, Yeah! Burger gives away tickets to concerts. The artists and venues all represent their brand in some way. A partnership with an art gallery. Your restaurant features their offerings from a local artist and you have a pop-up kitchen one night at their gallery.

Think about how your restaurant works and find ones that fit your ecosystem. Are you ok with a new food delivery service letting people try your food at home? Is a tech-heavy rewards network beneficial to your bottom line? Would Snapchat stories reach a new audience that could turn to advocates? They’re all possible extensions of your brand.

BOTTOMLINE There are a million ways to extend your brand behind what’s in this playbook. Know your market, know your brand, and be on the lookout.

Most importantly, stay true to the native media when you adopt it. For example, you wouldn’t want to post only links to longer articles on Twitter when it’s meant for short messages in real time. There’s always going to be something new. You just have to find the balance between early adopter and educated marketer. BOTTOMLINE The biggest tech in the world was once “emerging.” When you have new opportunities you’re unsure of, do your research, ask your peers and decide if it’s a good fit for the story your brand is telling.

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7 APPENDIX

APPENDIX

1. EMERGING MEDIA

2. SUGGESTED TOOLS

Local / Mobile Search - Mobile searches are growing 50% faster than web searches,

Google Analytics - The most popular web analytics tool is all free and simple to setup.

with mobile devices making up over 50% of web traffic. It’s essential to make sure your digital pages provide a stellar mobile browsing experience.

When building a website, make sure you have Google Analytics or another analytics tool installed to track how people are using your site.

Restaurant Booking Engines - As customers become increasingly connected on mobile

Google Search Console - This tool comes with Google Analytics and helps you

devices restaurant booking engines like Opentable, Yelp reservations and Eveve will become more popular. Booking engines make it convenient for customers to book a reservation at any time and most integrate with a restaurant’s existing systems.

understand what pages and terms people search for to find your website in Google. That info can help you write new content or make SEO decisions..

Voice Search and Navigation - This type of interaction goes beyond mobile into homes with so-called “internet-of-things devices.” Soon, individuals will book reservations seamlessly using digital assistants like “Siri” or “Alexa”.

Moz Local - Having trouble correcting your business info across the web? This tool

cleans it up and removes duplicate listings on Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook. Hootsuite - Monitors and posts on over 35 of the most popular social networks.

A basic account is free. Paid plans offer enhanced analytics and account management options. Sprout - A premium all-in-one social tool with all the features you need to track all

your accounts and become a social star. Buffer - A simple, free social media management platform. Buffer helps you create,

schedule and send posts. It has simple analytics and even helps you find the best times to post content automatically.

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APPENDIX

3. HOW TO HIRE PARTNERS For most places, finding a talented partner will be a better strategy than doing it yourself. Don’t jump to the misconception that once a partner is hired there’s nothing else you need to do. Your work will come in the form of reviewing, approving, and guiding the public relation firms, social experts, and advertising agencies that wave the flag of your restaurant. Most marketing partners require a monthly retainer over a certain amount of time that’s usually no less than three months. That investment covers the time spent on your account across their staff, including account management and creative. The size of your budget will dictate the size of the team and how much they can get done. Furthermore, production of materials, media, and other costs are extra. For this reason, hiring a partner can be quite expensive. It’s rare to find a full service agency that can do all things well. Specialization creates deeper expertise in a certain set of channels like digital, social, and traditional. This level of knowledge also comes at a price. For this reason, a smaller studio may be a good move for the restaurant. Most areas have small creative studios and agencies that have their finger on the pulse of the community. For public relations, a local partner is a mush. The argument can be made that social media should also come from a local partner. You’ll need to assess how much local market understanding the agency has and make a decision on the viability of their strategy and approach.

Warning: Beware of “full service solutions” that promise the world for a couple

hundred dollars a month. They will only do the bare minimum, and won’t create a strategy tailored to your specific restaurant brand. Most aren’t worth the money, and you’d be better off doing it yourself.

STEPS • F igure out your budget. Do you have the budget to afford the right partner? Retainers can range in size based on the amount of work that’s requested and required. • Study the work they’ve done to date. Do they have strong creative, or is it simply type slapped on images and holiday hopping? Do they get good engagement on social channels they manage? • Uncover their level of understanding. Do they understand the nuances of your brand and what makes it different? Did they do some research before coming to the meeting? • Request the team names and roles for the proposed account. Who will you be getting on a team for the monthly retainer and what exactly will they be doing? Any good team will consist of an account executive, art director/designer, copywriter, and a strategist. They will spend ¼ of their time on the account every month. • A ssess the cultural compatibility. Culture is everything when it comes to working with a partner. You need to like your team in order to work well together. Do you think they have the expertise you need? Does their culture fit your own? Could you see them in your restaurant?

No matter which way you go, you will have to play an active role in directing your partner agency on what’s wanted, needed, goals, and metrics/reporting review. This won’t require as much time as doing things yourself, but you should expect to spend a few hours a week guiding your team. Outsourcing your marketing won’t eliminate the need to be involved. You’ll get out what you put in.

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APPENDIX

4. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW AND CITATION WEBSITES Here are many of the main restaurant review websites around the world. This list will get you started before you research the specific sites your local community is using most. No matter which sites you choose, make sure all your restaurant info is correct and consistent.

Michelin - Well-respected guidebook that’s been published for over 100 years

Google My Business - Important in many markets such as the US, UK, India, Brazil

and apps, such as:

and Canada Facebook - Growing international business pages with reviews and business listings TripAdvisor - Important for travelers in almost all countries around the world to find

reviews

around the world. There is currently no way to change info, but it’s important to keep an eye here for any reviews or postings. Country Specific Directories - Many markets and even cities have their own websites

• • • •

Dianping - China Apontador - Brazil Yandex City - Russia OpenRice - Hong Kong

• Tabelog - Japan • Retty - Japan • Mangoplate - Korea

Yelp - Strong in the US, Europe, and internationally due to acquisitions of Qype (EU),

Restaurant-Kritik (DE), and CityVox (FR) Zomato - Started in India, but expanding internationally with purchase of

Urbanspoon (US), Lunchtime (CZ), Gastronauci (PL), Cibando (IT), Mekanist (TR) OpenTable - Strong in US and Canada and has expanded internationally with

acquisition of TopTable (UK) Yellow Pages - Especially strong in Canada and Australia Zagat - Globally recognized publication and website that lists and reviews

extensively that allows you to update info, but not interact with reviewers

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