Restaurant Informer highlights Sherpa! on Search Engine Marketing

Sherpa! Web Studios recently appeared in Restaurant Informer -- a trade publication focused on Georgia's restaurant industry. The reporter Joye Hopkins sought expert opinion on how restaurant businesses can best leverage online marketing such as search engine marketing, blogs, and social media.

In the article, Sherpa! Chief Experience Officer David Felfoldi discusses simple changes small businesses or restaurants in Atlanta can make to their online website presence to improve search engine optimization results.

The full article -- Connecting with the Customer: Marketing with Technolog -- can be found online.

Connecting with the Customer: Marketing With Technology
May/June 2008
By Joye Hopkins

For business owners, connecting to customers is a top priority. The ongoing evolution of internet technology makes it easier and cheaper for restaurateurs to reach their target customers. More and more owners and chefs are learning to put email marketing, the internet, customer databases, blogs and social media to work for them. The ultimate goal of marketing with technology is to maximize customer information while minimizing inconvenience and intrusion for loyal customers.

BUILDING A BASE

“Deciding how you will use customer information and building a foundation for collecting and storing that data is the first step to any database-driven marketing program,” explains Stacie Hanna, an independent marketing and public relations consultant. While Hanna was the Director of Marketing for Buckhead Life Restaurant Group (BLRG) launching an e-mail marketing program was one of her first major projects.

“First, we analyzed our objectives and how the program could help us accomplish them. One important goal was to build our customer database for regular e-mail communications and for other direct marketing programs. Then, we found a technology partner to help us build the back-end functionality,” says Hanna. “It’s important to consider a program like as a part of an overall marketing strategy - especially in the context of what else you are doing to boost your presence with customers online.”

Starting with a relatively small list of customer e-mail addresses collected in various ways, Buckhead Life Restaurant Group sent an e-mail offering a $25 Ultimate Card as incentive for joining the company’s new e-mail program. Signing up for the program and receiving the incentive required guests to input information about themselves into an online database. It also encouraged viral growth by allowing recipients to forward the invitation to friends and families. Within a week, more than 20,000 people had signed up for the e-mail program - an astounding response by any measure. “The key to the long-term success of the program was to use the customer information respectfully, with relevance,” says Hanna. The program launched in 2001 and still remains a powerful marketing resource for the restaurant group.

Restaurant owners want to collect information not only from a la carte diners but also from patrons at private parties and special events. Customer comment cards are another option from directing individuals to your website. Whenever possible, secure a second piece of identity information, such as a birthday or anniversary. And clearly, in this internet age, obtaining a customer’s email address is key. Once this information is obtained, the restaurant employee can enter the details and preferences into the database. ”Ask for contact information in whatever ways are appropriate for your business whether offering a card at the table, providing the ability to sign up online or when a guest calls for reservations,” adds Hanna. “It’s important to respect the customer’s privacy and priorities. Some will eagerly offer a few minutes to share information but others may be turned off. It’s best to offer multiple avenues to suit a variety of preferences.” Tell your customers that you appreciate their loyalty and would like to add them to your database. Ask customers to fill out “keep in touch” cards, so that you will be able to keep them informed.

More and more restaurants are using mutually beneficial online reservation companies such as Open Table (www.opentable.com). From the customer’s standpoint, Open Table is an easy way to check on current availability and reserve a table. And a booking automatically provides the restaurant with the customer’s name and email address.

IMPROVING THE SEARCH

Like it or not, the internet has become a vital part of doing business. In order to maximize opportunities via the web, restaurants must focus on designing and updating their web presence, ensuring search engine optimization. Chief Experience Officer of Sherpa Web Studios (www.sherpawebstudios.com) David Felfoldi explains, “there are a number of tricks to improve your web presence. Most restaurant websites are in a flash format, which allows for fancy visuals and multimedia. That may create an appealing atmosphere, but it is bad for search engines and your website might be overlooked during a search, in favor of another non-flash option. Also, whenever possible, the restaurant name should match the domain name. Finally, content is king. If your key phrase isn’t in the website content, then your site won’t be listed.”

MAKING IT WORK FOR YOU

Once customer information is gathered, it needs to be used in ways that are most beneficial to your restaurant. “Obtaining the customer’s name and email is important for general communication but when possible figure out how else you can serve them,” says Hanna. “Find out if a weekend a la carte customer is also the person who organizes the monthly luncheon or dinner events for his firm.”

The use of gift cards has increased dramatically in the last few years. Consider sending out promotional gift cards specifically to people who have employees of their own. Look for ways to tie promotions and events into opportunities for collecting information, such as offering gift cards that require activation, typically entering the user’s name and email, before being used. Ned Barker is the General Manager and Partner of My Panini, an Atlanta restaurant focused on lunchtime catering and office delivery in addition to serving their eat-in breakfast and lunch crowds. Barker explains “we promote our gift cards on the website. People then use the website to order a card, and activate them online. Once we have their email address, we send them a monthly newsletter with events and promos. Sometimes we add more credit to the gift cards, like on their birthday.”

BACK TO THE CUSTOMERS

The final, and most important stage of the marketing cycle is effectively communicating back to the customers. Once the database is established, customized emails are a good way to let customers know about any particular off-the-menu specials, events or other features.

Hanna also mentions the power of partners, “it is wise to form partnerships with other businesses who have a similar customer base. For example, a high-end restaurant and a high-end boutique located next to each other can cross-market by inviting customers to events, such as a shopping event at the boutique, catered by the restaurant. “ My Panini puts this into practice by working with Atlanta’s Eon Condominiums. For their Earth Day promotion they are handing out My Panini gift cards. Positive publicity and exposure increases for everyone involved.

Personal recognition also can have a very positive effect in the restaurant industry. Customers enjoy getting to know the staff and management, and vice versa. “People like to be recognized and they are more willing to part with their information if it ultimately gives them a better dining experience,” adds Hanna. Recognition often leads to a more personal touch from the restaurant’s staff, perhaps a better table and better service. However, it is important to strike a balance between what is appropriate and what quickly becomes too much. In this fast-paced information age, people can be a bit guarded with their personal information. And the type of restaurant plays a factor as well. Blanket marketing, especially at the fine dining level, can have a negative effect. Respectful subtlety is key.