The Local Marketing Lab

In this episode of The Local Marketing Lab, Justin Ulrich has an engaging discussion with Geoff Alexander, President and CEO of Wow Bao and Managing Partner at Lettuce Entertain You. With over 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Geoff provides powerful insights on how to surprise and delight your customers and why that’s the key to local marketing.Geoff Alexander focuses on the key to local marketing: surprise and delight. Here are some topics discussed in the episode:Local marketing is all about community engagement – make your brand a positive part of the neighborhood.Focus on “touchpoints” – interactions that foster personal connections with customers.Getting your product directly into people’s hands is powerful marketing.Create delightful surprises that drive word-of-mouth.Actively listen and adapt to customer feedback.ResourcesConnect with Geoff Alexander on LinkedIn.Check out Wow Bao, find a location near you, or buy some at Walmart!Learn more about Lettuce Entertain You.Listen to Geoff Alexander’s episode on the Turning the Table podcast.Learn more about the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation and how you can get involved.Find a sweetgreen location near you.

Want actionable ways to step up your restaurant’s local marketing game? Tune into this episode of The Local Marketing Lab featuring chef and marketing expert Adam Lamb.With over 30 years of experience, Adam provides authentic, engaging marketing advice to help restaurants better connect locally. Whether you’re a chef, restaurant operator, or marketer, you’ll come away with creative ideas to boost your local presence, attract talent and customers, and ultimately drive growth by better connecting with your neighborhood.Adam Lamb focuses on 7+ ways to step up your restaurant’s local game. Topics discussed during this episode include:Highly engaging video content for marketingAdapt your restaurant’s marketing strategies post-COVIDNiche down and do one thing extremely well rather than trying to be everything to everyoneFocus on creating authentic, high-quality contentSpice up your marketing with humor; don’t take yourself too seriously.

In this episode of The Local Marketing Lab, you’ll hear an engaging conversation between host Justin Ulrich and Betsy Hamm, the CEO of Duck Donuts. With over 22 years of experience in hospitality and restaurant marketing, Betsy shares insights on driving restaurant growth leveraging user-generated content, community partnerships, and consistent local outreach.Learn how to:Apply effective marketing strategies that attract and engage your community.Develop meaningful connections with your community.Leverage the power of local influencers and opinion leaders.Harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing.Focus on delivering exceptional experiences and personalized interactions.

In this episode of The Local Marketing Lab, you’ll join host Justin Ulrich as he sits down with Wade Allen, EVP of Strategic Growth at Costa Vida. Wade shares his insights and experiences on the power of local marketing. He provides 5 impactful community engagement tips businesses can use to effectively connect with their target audience.Learn how to:Stay relevant to your target audience’s interests and needsPersonalize your marketing messages and offers through CRM programsUse digital channels to communicate and engage with your customersSegment messaging and tailor offers to reach different segments of your audienceBuild brand presence through grassroots marketing and community engagement

Are you looking for effective ways to nurture potential customers, get more leads, and spread brand awareness? Learn how to use social media video to get more business!In this episode of the Local Marketing Lab, James Duncan, director of marketing at Thrive Mortgage, shares how to use social media video to get more business and help you achieve exponential growth. Everyone in the organization can play a part by sharing their own stories and creating videos. With authentic, engaging videos you can educate your audience and naturally drive social media engagement.In this episode, you’ll learn:The importance of establishing yourself as an expert on social mediaHow to create authentic and educational social media video to get more businessTips to boost social media engagement and drive business growthThe power of storytelling in your video content and social media posts to captivate your audienceInsights to stay ahead of the competition by embracing innovation and experimentation with new marketing techniques

Joining us on the Local Marketing Lab is the “godfather of restaurant marketing” and expert, Rev Ciancio — founder of Handcraft Burgers and Brews, Head of Revenue Marketing at Branded Hospitality Ventures, and founder of Yeah! Management. In this episode, Rev shares his innovative local marketing strategies to help drive ROI by focusing on the customer experience.Rev shares examples around 5 local marketing tips to drive growth for your business to thrive, including:Optimizing your online presenceCapturing customer emailsCrafting targeted promotionsBuilding customer personasCreating consistent valuable content

In the competitive world of real estate and mortgage marketing, building trust and engaging with customers is crucial. Join Justin Ulrich on the Local Marketing Lab podcast with Krish Dhokia, SVP of Marketing and Business Development at Kind Lending, as he reveals the secrets to local marketing success, the power of authenticity, and the importance of a strong online presence.In this episode, you'll learn: Tools for local marketing — specifically in the world of real estate and mortgageHow to add personal branding in local marketing to increase your marketing effectivenessThe balanced blend of traditional and digital marketing to boost local growthWhy incorporating strategy and consistent branding influences marketing successResourcesConnect with Krish Dhokia on LinkedInCheck out Kind Lending to explore their mortgage services and fun branding (also on TikTok)Listen to the Grit Happens podcast — hosted by Glenn and Mindy StearnsListen to the Del Talk podcast — hosted by Delfino AguilarListen to the OG Talk podcast — hosted by Orlando Gutierrez

Scot Turner, the Chief Ambassador at The Burnt Chef Project and the founder of Auden Hospitality, draws from his 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry within the hotel space to share insights on local marketing strategies to create raving fans in your local community.In this episode, you'll learn: Why tailoring marketing strategies to specific locations can revolutionize your outreach.The art of building and maintaining loyal fans in your local community.The potential of LinkedIn in your B2B marketing endeavors.Tips for using TikTok in personal branding and boosting audience interaction.How to take user-created content in your local marketing campaigns.Resources:Follow Scot Turner on LinkedIn or TikTok.Learn more about Auden Hospitality and how they help food and beverage entrepreneurs succeed.Check out The Burnt Chef Project — a community to burn away the stigma surrounding mental health within hospitality.Zack Oates from Ovation: check out his webinar “Leveraging the power of a local growth flywheel“.Shawn Walchef: Follow him on LinkedIn and watch his recent podcast episode.Follow Troy Hooper on LinkedIn.Consider following Rev Ciancio on LinkedIn.Follow all the great content of Dominique Ansel.

Nicky Lewenson, the Chief Revenue Officer at Final Offer, discusses three levers to build trust and local marketing success: transparency, education, and adding value. In this episode, you will be able to: Build trust and local marketing success.Learn how education can optimize your local marketing tactics.Get a clearer understanding of transparency’s benefits in the real estate market and other industries.Grasp how successful local marketing strategies are implemented with Final Offer.Understand the vital role of community engagement in local marketing initiatives.Discover how Atomic Habits can catalyze both personal and marketing growth.

In this episode of The Local Marketing Lab, Troy Hooper, CEO of Pepper Lunch USA, explores the marketing strategies that have contributed to the success of Pepper Lunch. He shares valuable insights on how building buzz can be accomplished through unforgettable customer experiences.In this episode, you will be able to: Learn about Troy Hooper’s path to success, highlighting his passion for the restaurant industry.Understand the strategy and vision behind Pepper Lunch’s focused expansion into North America, ensuring its seat in an uptrend growth trajectory.Attain valuable knowledge from triumphant Asian brands that influenced the strategic branding and messaging of Pepper Lunch for a US audience.Unravel the allure of Pepper Lunch’s DIY Teppanyaki model, building buzz by creating an unforgettable brand experience as the primary value proposition.Delve into the multi-channel marketing strategies of Pepper Lunch, incorporating direct email, social media, and user-generated content to foster audience engagement and a “building buzz” mindset.