RESTAURANT STRATEGY

#26: Internal Marketing Usually when we talk about Marketing we're talking about EXTERNAL marketing... SEO, paid advertising, e-mail marketing, social media... often forgetting about the equally valuable INTERNAL marketing. What is internal marketing? Give a listen as I walk you through it! ASSIGNMENT Just take stock, and make sure that everything in your restaurant is an opportunity to build regular customers. Don't even make changes yet; just start with an assessment. CONTINUING EDUCATION: Marketing Rebellion by Mark Schaefer  

#25: Social Media Trends 2019 I want to take this opportunity to talk all about the changing trends in Social Media Marketing for 2019. If you're marketing your restaurant online Facebook and Instagram are probably two places where you're putting a lot of energy. But is it the right energy? Are you doing the right things to move the needle? What are some of the best practices? And why does the algorithm keep changing. In this week's episode we're going to tackle all of these and more, plus I'll share 7 trends I'm seeing so far this year. TREND #1 - So Many New Features! TREND #2 - Organic Reach is Down TREND #3 - Everyone is going LIVE TREND #4 - Private Groups TREND #5 - Everyone Has Something to Sell TREND #6 - Transparency Wins TREND #7 - New Platforms ASSIGNMENT Start with TREND #1, pick one of the newer features on Facebook or Instagram and try it out this week. Stretch yourself. Experiment. For extra credit, try something different every single day this week. CONTINUING EDUCATION: 500 Social Media Marketing Tips  

#24: Process, Progress, and Secrets to Productivity I am endlessly fascinated by the subject of creativity... and not just what it means to artists, but in business as well. Think of in terms of "problem solving." Marketing problems require creative solutions, and so it's about cultivating a fresh perspective. It's about being able to look at a problem and solve it in a new way. The best inventions of the last 200 years came about this way. Henry Ford famously said, "If I'd asked people what they'd wanted, they would have said a faster horse." He broadened his thinking in terms of transportation. The PC, the iPhone, Online Dating, Seamless, and on and on. Creative solutions! This week I want to talk about ways to strengthen that muscle. TED TALK DISCUSSED: Elizabeth Gilbert's: "Your elusive creative genius" CONTINUING EDUCATION: The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert Grit by Angela Duckworth Creativity Inc by Ed Catmull Originals by Adam Grant The War of Art by Steven Pressfield  

#23: Strategic vs. Tactical Thousands of years ago the ancient Chinese military strategist, Sun Tzu, wrote this in The Art of War: "Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." In this week's episode I want to pause for a second to talk about the difference between strategic thinking and tactical thinking, and show you how they're really just two sides of the same coin.   CONTINUING EDUCATION: THIS IS MARKETING by Seth Godin  

#22: Capturing Great Food Photography This week's episode is all about photography... specifically Food Photography. It's a big part of how I make my living, and an important way to attract customers to your restaurant. It's a longer episode than normal, but we've also packed a ton of information into 42 minutes. There are three main segments to the episode. First, I'm sharing the basic principles of good photography... Next, I walk you through how I set up my food shots... Finally, I'm sharing the full list of all the gear I use. To help you navigate through, I've put together a Photo Guide with links to every single item I recommend in the episode. It took forever to pull it all together, but I'm hoping you guys get a lot out of it.   *** Download the Photo Guide by CLICKING HERE! ***   CONTINUING EDUCATION: VISIT: CreativeLive

#21: Learning How to Tell Great Stories I've been telling you week after week that the key to success... the key to your success... is to answer this one question: "What are the stories only you can tell?" You have to figure out what makes you unique, remarkable... and then highlight those differences to separate yourself from the competition. In this week's episode I'm going to tell you my story, and the story of my business to make a point. I'm going to use that story to make a point, to show you how storytelling can help you can stand out. CONTINUING EDUCATION: Andrew Stanton's TED Talk - The Clues to a Great Story 

#20: Use E-Mail Marketing to Drive Revenue This week’s episode is all about the importance of Permission Marketing. Perhaps you're asking: "What is permission marketing?" Seth Godin defines it as “the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal, and relevant messages to people who actually want them.” We are of course talking about building an e-mail strategy, but it goes beyond that I think. It’s about shifting your perspective to reconsider how we connect with our audience. Throughout the episode we'll talk about five key areas of building an effective e-mail strategy: Collecting E-Mail Addresses Building an E-Mail Strategy Segmenting the List Retargeting Customers Integrating the List with Facebook E-Mail Service Providers Mailchimp ConvertKit ZenReach CONTINUING EDUCATION: Permission Marketing by Seth Godin - a masterpiece written back in 1999 where he talks about the perspective shift in marketing... the move from "Interruption Marketing" to "Permission Marketing. Terrific book, well worth the investment of time and money. 

#19: The Do's and Don'ts of Building a Restaurant Website Think of your website as your digital home. At the very least, it should be an extension of the hospitality you provide in the restaurant; at best, it needs to entice diners to come try the experience for themselves. It should reflect the tone and aesthetic of your place, and be the centerpiece to your online presence. Articles, interviews, reviews, and all other forms of media (including social) will drive traffic here. This is where you will close the sale, so to speak. In this week's episode I'm going to talk all about what a restaurant website does and doesn't need to be. Do-It-Yourself Website Design Squarespace Wix Wordpress Restaurant Design Templates Bento Box Hire a Freelance Designer Fiverr Upwork CONTINUING EDUCATION: Building Business with Squarespace 7 - This book features 450 pages packed full of guides and insights, the best book out there if you're just starting out with Squarespace. It shortens the learning curve, and helps you launch your site quicker!

#18: Five Keys to Social Media Success Much of the work I do with my clients is Social Media Marketing, and yet I think a lot of small business owners can feel overwhelmed by it all. Just managing the three main platforms can sometimes feel like a hassle. So this week I'm going to share my five keys to success when it comes to social media. There's a ton of information in this episode so sit back, relax, and maybe even take some notes. CONTINUING EDUCATION: "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook" by Gary Vaynerchuk

#17: Menu Magic Think about the people who dined in your restaurant last night. Couples, families, businessmen, friends, whatever... all of them were there for different reasons. They ordered different things, and in the end had different experiences. But there's one thing they all shared about their dining experience. And that was the menu. Your menu was the one thing every single person in the restaurant got. I'm going to make the case that your menu is the most important piece of real estate in your place. It can be a drag to your finances or work hard to keep you profitable. Listen in as I walk you through the ins and outs of Menu Magic! CONTINUING EDUCATION: CANVA has a menu design template you can use right on their website… CLICK HERE ADOBE SPARK also offers templates… CLICK HERE 99 DESIGNS is a site where you can search hundreds of designers to help you build something fresh... SEARCH HERE