RESTAURANT STRATEGY

#12: Brand Marketing vs. Direct Marketing These are two totally different things that unfortunately get confused all the time. In today’s episode I walk you through both of them, show you the different ways they can be effective, and explain when to use each one. Yes, it is ultimately about driving sales, but before that we need to raise awareness, build trust, and communicate effectively to our audience that we know how to solve their problems. Direct Marketing is about inspiring action (Call this number, click here, buy now), while Brand Marketing is more nuanced... it's about communicating the brand's aesthetic, about reaching a specific audience. When I talk about the differences in these two kinds of marketing I'll often use 80's TV Commercials as examples. They're easy because technology was starting to appear, but we weren't nearly as connected as we are now. Meaning: it wasn't always about moving a viewer to action. People don't watch car commercials and suddenly jump up and say, "I need to buy that car." It's about building trust, cultivating a relationship with a prospective customer. So in the 80's we had Infomercials (Direct) and regular commercials (Brand)... take a walk down memory lane and see the differences for yourself: DIRECT These are about driving sales... an extended spot meant to seal the deal by the end. They identify the pain point, present a solution (the product), and then sweeten the deal until you call the number.  Original ShamWOW - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3lrhPeK6gU Bacon Bowl - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG2krftM2eQ&list=PLxxZ3u734ghpIteJ4_ed7_SmYeHccsptX&index=8 BRAND These are much more nuanced... notice that in all 3 the product itself kind of takes a backseat. It's about evoking a feeling, communicating an energy, an aesthetic. If you like this sort of thing, then this is your kind of product. McDonald's - the original "I'm Lovin' It" commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI-xHMM8wXE Kit Kat - 1988 "Give me a break" commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nkcVz1mad0 "Share a Coke" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-ahnFYzMp8 OTHER LINKS: "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook" - GET THE BOOK CONTINUING EDUCATION: Seth Godin explains the pitfalls in misunderstand the differences between Brand and Direct Marketing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHht5-8jtgI  

#11: Starting With Why This episode was inspired by two things... Simon Sinek's book "Start With Why" and an episode of the Tim Ferriss Show where he interviewed restauranteur, Nick Kokonas. The question WHY is at the core of both of them, but used in very different ways. I've fused the two lessons together into this week's episode. This one is a bit of a departure... a series of stories and thought experiments to try to get you to think differently about your business. I want you to start questioning the status quo, and pulling at threads. Below are links to some of the things I talk about in the episode... I hope they inspire you in the same ways they continue to inspire me. Simon Sinek's TED Talk - "How great leaders inspire action" Simon Sinek's book, "Start With Why" - CLICK HERE TO BUY Simon Sinek on INSIDE QUEST - WATCH HERE CONTINUING EDUCATION: The Tim Ferriss Show Ep. #341 - Nick Kokonas - https://tim.blog/2018/10/18/nick-kokonas/ 

#10: The Digital Marketing Toolkit In this week's episode we're talking all about the Digital Marketing Toolkit, the variety of tools available to us as marketers to help us reach our target audience. For my money it all comes down to five different areas: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Permission Marketing Social Media Content Strategy Paid Advertising Everything we do online will fall into one of these five areas, and so it makes sense to try to understand what each one is all about, so we can figure out if it's worth our precious resources. CONTINUING EDUCATION: I'm sharing a link to a YouTube video I shared a few months back where I discussed the same topic. If you want to see my shining face, it may be worth watching... or if you're a visual learner, it may be helpful to see some of the examples I share. It's a bit shorter (just about 10 minutes), and pretty straightforward. You can also poke around and see some of my other videos as well. LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y89ppUdLxv0&t=297s Finally, I want to hear from you. Reach out to me - chip@chipklose.com - and tell me what you're struggling with. Got a question? Working on something in your restaurant? Ask away... I'll try to answer it in one of the upcoming episodes, and maybe even devote an entire episode to the topic if it warrants it.

#9. What is a Customer Journey Map? What exactly is a Customer Journey Map? It’s a visual representation of the process a customer or prospect goes through to achieve a specific goal with your company. Simply put, it’s a way of identifying all the steps it took to turn a regular person into a customer, and big companies are constantly trying to understand the path people take to get to them. Usually, you'll see the map broken into six different stages, but for restaurants I use seven: Stage 1 - Discovery Stage 2 - Research Stage 3 - Hovering Stage 4 - Commitment Stage 5 - Sale Stage 6 - Experience Stage 7 - Sharing In this episode I explain how to build a Customer Journey Map, and the best ways to analyze the results. CONTINUING EDUCATION: https://moz.com/blog/customer-journey-maps-whiteboard-friday 

#8: Why Do You Want to Open a Restaurant? To be totally transparent... I think a lot of people go into business for the wrong reasons. They open restaurants because they think it'll be fun (which it sometimes is), or because they think it'll be easy (which it rarely is). But I think it's just too hard these days unless you're ready for the challenge... too hard to succeed unless you really know what you're doing. I think people go into business for themselves for one of six reasons. In this episode I lay out those six reasons, and explain how to use them as a sort of barometer -- a tool to diagnose the situation. I hope you listen with an open mind and use the advice as a way for navigating through choppy waters. As always, it's a pleasure having you each week. Thanks for tuning in. CONTINUING EDUCATION: This week I wanted to recommend the documentary SPINNING PLATES. If you haven't seen it, it's well worth the 90 minutes it takes to watch. Grant Achatz (Chef/Owner of Alinea in Chicago) is the centerpiece to the film, but the filmmaker weaves Grant's story in with two other stories that are just as compelling. It is a beautiful film, one that deals with many of the themes we're discussing in this week's episode. Enjoy! LEARN MORE ABOUT SPINNING PLATES

#7: How to Build a Comprehensive Marketing Strategy What does your marketing strategy look like? Do you even have a marketing strategy? If you're like a lot of restaurant owners out there, it's non-existent. Often times it ends up being more of a seat-of-your-pants kind of thing. Mother's Day is coming up... well, we should do something for Mother's Day. Beverage sales are down... let's come up with a drink special this weekend. But that's not a strategy. Far from it, in fact. In this week's episode I show you an easy way to start building a comprehensive marketing strategy, and a way to start executing that plan. CONTINUING EDUCATION: I began the episode talking about productivity, and so I thought it might be useful to link to someone who has helped me stay organize and focused. Peter Voogd is an entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker. He's a productivity coach who's made a career helping people find their way. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO GET THE BOOK

Fourth Marketing Pillar - DIFFERENTIATION We're starting to turn the corner now as we come to the fourth episode in a 5-show arc. We've been breaking down the Five Pillars of Marketing as a way of giving ourselves a strong foundation to work upon. Because before we can begin building a true marketing strategy for your business, we first have to understand the business we're in. What's our product and who is it for? Today we're discussing the Fourth Marketing Pillar which is DIFFERENTIATION. This is all about finding ways to separate ourselves from the competition, being able to articulate exactly how we're different from the rest of the competition. It is the key to success for any business. As always this episode ends with a short assignment. If you want to download the Marketing Pillars Workbook you can do that by CLICKING HERE. Gramercy Tavern Gramercy Tavern Website - https://www.gramercytavern.com 1994 NY Times Review by Ruth Reichl - https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/14/arts/restaurants-527327.html 2007 NY Times Review by Frank Bruni - https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/dining/reviews/06rest.html 2016 NY Times Review by Pete Wells - https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/dining/gramercy-tavern-review.html CONTINUING EDUCATION: This week I'm linking to an episode of the podcast HOW I BUILT THIS, where Guy Raz sits down with Jennifer Hyman (founder of Rent the Runway). There are some key insights they stumble upon here, apropos to the conversation we're having this week about identifying your audience, figuring out who else is trying to serve that audience, and then finding ways to separate yourself from the competition. LISTEN HERE

Fifth Marketing Pillar - OPPORTUNITIES We've finally made it. We are at the end of this little five episode arc where we've been discussing the Five Pillars of Marketing. We started with IDENTITY, finding ways to talk about the product. Then we identified our AUDIENCE, or ICA. We figured out who they were and what their pain points were. We're figuring out what problems they have that we might be able to solve. Next we discussed ways to identify our COMPETITION, and then in the last episode we talked about DIFFERENTIATION... figuring our ways to separate ourselves from the competition. Finally today we're talking all about OPPORTUNITIES. What exactly do I mean by Opportunities? Everything about your restaurant... from the location, decor, music, staff, menus, signage, website, etc... everything is an opportunity for you to communicate something to your potential customers. So today's episode is about figuring out all the different channels available to you... all the ways you might be able to tell your story to the people that matter: your customers! We've put together a workbook if you'd like, a place to keep all your assignments together. If you want to download the Marketing Pillars Workbook you can do that by CLICKING HERE. CONTINUING EDUCATION: This week I'm linking to Daniel Pink's book, TO SELL IS HUMAN. BUY THE BOOK

Third Marketing Pillar - Competition Welcome to the third in a 5-episode arc where we're talking about the Five Pillars of Marketing. Before we can begin building a comprehensive marketing strategy for your business, we first have to understand your business. These five episodes are a version of an exercise I do with my consulting clients. They're assignments, really, that help us begin to understand what the product is and who it's for. Today we're discussing the Third Marketing Pillar which is COMPETITION. In the last episode we identified our Target Audience (our ICA), and this week it's about identifying other businesses that are also serving that same Audience. If marketing is about solving problems, then who else out there is trying to solve the same problem we are. Once we understand who our competition is, we can start to separate ourselves in the eyes of the consumer. But we're getting ahead of ourselves... because that's what the next episode is all about. As always this episode ends with a short assignment. If you want to download the Marketing Pillars Workbook you can do that by CLICKING HERE. CONTINUING EDUCATION: This week I'm linking to a recent episode of the Project Distinct Podcast with Scott McKain. Short and sweet (like 8 minutes), but packed with some valuable insights... it's all about the difference between being DISTINCT and ICONIC. LISTEN HERE

Second Marketing Pillar - AUDIENCE Welcome to the second in a 5-episode arc where we're talking about the Five Pillars of Marketing. This is our opportunity to give ourselves a strong foundation before we begin building a complex marketing strategy. These five episodes are a version of an exercise I do with my consulting clients. They are a series of questions... assignments, really... that help us begin to understand what the product is and who it's for. Today we're discussing the Second Marketing Pillar which is AUDIENCE. It's all about figuring out who your restaurant is for. This week we're going to identify your Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA), and learn how to use that to attract more customers. If you want to download the Marketing Pillars Workbook you can do that by CLICKING HERE. CONTINUING EDUCATION: This week I'm linking to an article written by Justin Bariso that first appeared in Inc.com. It's all about the different types of empathy, and ways to cultivate it in your personal and professional life. It ties back in directly to what we're discussing here, and will factor in heavily to our work in the future. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE