Restaurant Marketing - 3 New Ideas for 2014

As an independent restaurant owner, figuring out how to effectively market your restaurant may be the most difficult part of your job. Just coming up with the time necessary to put together a workable strategy often prevents most independent restaurant owners from ever moving forward. Read on to uncover 3 ways to help you stand out from your competition.

Lease a New Website

Maybe you bought into the idea that building your own website was a great way to save money. Now that you've figured out there is a lot more to this than you have the skills for, it might be the perfect time to call a professional. Many web design company's are now offering payment plans that actually allow you to rent a website for a monthly charge. Just like leasing a new car you can have a brand new, professionally design website for as little as $100 per month.

So now instead of having to worry about trying to become a web designer and SEO specialist, you can have all the benefits of a custom designed website for a low monthly payment. Not only are you going to get a professional looking website but you will get the right search engine optimization that allows your customers to find you in their local searches.

Make Facebook Your Friend

Most restaurant owners are hard working do it yourselfers with not a lot of time for chit chat. So when you hear the word Facebook the first thought that probably comes into your mind is "what a waste of time that is." And for years I felt the same way. It wasn't until I learned the power Facebook has to affect my bottom line that I realized it was time to stop criticizing it and make it my friend.

When used correctly Facebook can turn out to be a powerful ally that not only helps you reconnect with potential customers, but becomes a 24/7 marketing machine that allows your best customers to sing your praises to their legions of friends.

Land Some Reviews

Just like a fisherman reeling in a big catch, landing great reviews should become the highlight of your day. And just like a savvy old fisherman getting those great reviews take planning, patience and plenty of persistence.

Contrary to popular opinion, great reviews usually don't just fall in your lap. Getting great reviews begins by developing a realistic strategy and getting all your employees on board. If you are not able to come up with something on your own there are plenty of professionals available to help you.

Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional marketer, it may take a while for you to see the results. Most customer review programs take anywhere for 90 to 120 days before you begin to see significant changes in your Yelp reviews.

Don't give up. You will need plenty of persistence to push through to get the number of reviews that you need to experience a significant breakthrough. But keep in mind that once you have them, you may see the benefits for years to come. Having the most reviews for your cuisine type in your area is like being "king of the hill." All your competitors now have to work twice as hard to simply catch up to where you already are.

To get your free, no-obligation review of your current marketing program, contact David Doty from One Tribe SBO by visiting our Get Started page. By setting aside just 1 hour you'll learn how many times it may be possible for you to double your returns on the marketing dollars you are already spending.

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5 Strategies for Keeping Team Members Engaged

It is critical to know that happy employees are the "lifeblood" of the practice. Before a patient meets the doctor, they make first contact with an employee through the phone or in person. If that first encounter is less than desirable you are at risk of the prospective patient choosing another provider or if they do decide to come, a negative review. Here are five strategies to keep your employees engaged and your patients happy.

1. Define Your Expectations of Employees

It is important to let your employees know exactly what your expectations are. Set the rules early on and you are less likely to have a problem with them. Document your expectations on paper so that everyone can keep track. If you expect your front desk assistant to arrive at the practice 30 minutes before opening to help set up for the day, make sure he or she knows to avoid conflicts down the road.

2. Say Thank You

There is no greater feeling for an employee who does a task than to receive a thank you from their employer. It does not matter if it was a daunting task or an easy one; it is the fact that you acknowledge them that is important. When you repay your employees with gratitude (verbal or monetary), they are more likely to stay engaged.

3. Set Goals

Every year, you probably set practice goals that include increasing patients. Are you setting goals for your employees too? It is highly important that you set time aside and discuss goals with them. When they have a goal, they will be motivated to achieve it.

4. Communicate with Employees

This is quite obvious but many practices lack in the communication department. A doctor should not make all the decisions. Your employees should take part in the decisions you make. Empower them to be part of the solution, not the problem. If you want to start a new rewards program, talk to your employees about it. Do they think it's a good idea? Do they think it will help with patient retention?

5. Develop Relationships with Employees

Every practice should aim to be a business that has employees that look forward to coming to work. Relationships with employees should be built over time by checking in on them regularly. By being involved with your employees, you can understand what it takes to keep them engaged.

Keeping employees engaged is not an easy task. Implementing these strategies is only the beginning and time must be invested to keep it going.

If you need any help implement this strategy, contact Mindstream Creative.

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Key Points To Consider Before Hiring Employees

The pros and cons of hiring employees for your company. The benefits of hiring a good one and the consequences of hiring the wrong one.

If you want to succeed in implementing your business plan and achieving business growth, it is critical that you hire the right employee. Like everything else you want to achieve in life preparation is the key. There isn't much point in hiring someone who doesn't believe in your brand or in your company's philosophy. Hiring the wrong person can damage your business. - Hiring the right one can be instrumental in growing your business.

Systemising your hiring process will make it much easier to employ the right people for this and future positions. Prior to hiring, do your preparatory work. Have absolute clarity about what the post offers, what it entails and the required criteria for the role. (Writing a Job Description/Person Specification/Job Application/Interview Questions, etc. will help with the process.)

Here are some questions you should consider before hiring:

• What type of person do I want to employ?
• Do I want a dynamic go-getter who is eager to progress and contribute to the success of the business? Or, do I just need someone who is happy with routine?
• Do I want someone with minimum qualifications or previous experience?
• What duties do I need to be performed in addition to achieving targets?
• Will I have to provide training?
• What personal qualities and attributes am I looking for?
• Do I need a team player to fit into my current work culture?
• Am looking for someone who will use their initiative?
• What level of communication skills am I looking for? E.g. verbal, written, face to face?
• What support do I need to put in place for them?

While the above questions are not inclusive of all criteria that you may require, they are indicative of the fundamentals necessary in hiring the right employee. However, one major element of hiring the right person is; it is absolutely essential that they share the vision, mission and values that you have for your company. If they don't share your vision, you will undoubtedly struggle to implement your business plan and/or marketing strategy for business growth.

Remember, just because someone has the 'right' qualifications doesn't always mean they are right for the job. Those who have enthusiasm, energy and a positive attitude, will often have much more to contribute towards the success of your business. Moreover, they will want to contribute to your business growth and profitability.

Principal Consultant of Business Reboot, Lorraine Garvie, has significant and comprehensive experience as a Business Consultant for small to medium sized businesses throughout Australia and the UK. Business Reboot is an Australian based advisory firm specialising in marketing strategy and business development and focuses on growing long lasting and dynamic businesses.http://www.businessreboot.com.au

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Why Perform Market Research Before Commencing Marketing Activities?

Market research is an important aspect of every business. It is not a one-time activity. Successful businesses conduct surveys on a regular basis to keep up and surpass its competitors. Irrespective of whether you intend to start a new business or planning to expand the existing one, market research is vital for understanding where your target segment lies and how sales can be increased.

Market research covers a wide range of tasks. It can be applied across a variety of challenges faced during marketing such as knowing target customer preferences, brand positioning and sales strategy. Managers in particular make use of this information to successfully introduce new products or services keeping in mind the needs of the target consumers. However, this perception is always subjective. This is because of the fact that what a consumer may consider valuable today may be quite different from what they may value the next year. Rather than just speculating, it is wise to collect data, analyze and make an informed decision. The goal of market research is to provide both facts and direction that is needed for making important marketing decision.

1. Understand your target consumers:

Why would your target consumers prefer to use your product over your competitors? What are their needs? What draws them? Is it the service that you provide, the uniqueness of your product or the prestige associated with usage of your product/service? Who influences their purchase decisions?

2. Set specific targets:

From the data that you have collected, you can set specific realistic targets concerning areas of sales, growth and introduction of new products and services.

3. Formulate effective strategies:

After conducting a thorough research, you would be able to make an informed decision about how to price your services, how to publicize and promote it, which mode of advertising could prove effectively such as radio, television or newspaper. It will allow you the opportunity to make an informed decision before initiating, building, establishing, diversifying or reducing business activity.

4. Examine and find solution to business issues:

Once you have narrowed down the problem, research will help you work out the root cause of the problem. For example, if you have noticed a fall in sales figures, you might have discovered that a new competitor has entered the scenario or a substitute has been discovered for your product.

5. Plan your business expansion

Market research will help you identify target consumers and test if they are receptive for a new product or service. For example, if you are looking to establish a new chain of clinics, you would have to survey the adjacent location in order to determine if your target consumer base resides there. If not, how do you plan to reach them?

6. Identify new business opportunities

Market research helps identify new venues of opportunity. You may find a completely unchallenged market to showcase your services. You can identify changing trends in the market such as change in preferences, increase or decrease in target population concentration, etc.

Medical writer at a Leading Healthcare and Medical Marketing Firm. Check out his blog a Medical Mantra, a pharma blog with a difference.

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5 Safety Checks for Your Marketing Effort

There are some important questions that managers and entrepreneurs should consider in order to understand if their teams make the most out of their company's marketing efforts. Here are some basic guiding questions for small companies for such a marketing self-assessment.

1. Are your marketing and sales activities out of sync? Sales and marketing must work well together. This is sometimes hard to achieve especially when the responsibilities are shared within/by a large or variable team. Keep in mind that sales and marketing have to reinforce each other within an integrated strategy resolutely centered on your customers.

2. Do you truly understand your clients and your market? The natural answer for an established business is "Yes" but sometimes it is not that easy to keep the pace with the ever-changing market. To answer objectively, break down this question to its relevant bits and pieces. Here are some guiding questions:

- How deep do I know the need of my clients?
- Is my company able to communicate internally and use this knowledge to adapt my products or/and services?
- To what extent is my team proactive and consistent in building long term customer loyalty?
- Can we anticipate the needs of our customers?
- Are we able to effectively influence their buying criteria?
- How can we be more relevant for our clients? How can my products or services create more value for them?

3. Do you truly know your competitors? Ensure that your team systematically gathers relevant data about your direct and indirect competitors. Their products, marketing budgets, sales initiatives, promoting channels, promotional activities and company structure should all be on your radar. Why? Because it helps you see where your market is going, what your customers really need, and which tactics used by your competitors have a positive impact.

4. Negative feedback could be a marketing opportunity or a perfect opportunity to lose a client! Your client-facing personnel should know how to deal with negative feedback in a constructive customer-oriented fashion. A good way to turn an unhappy customer into a fan is to instruct your sales or customer-service people to follow this three simple step-strategy:

- Emphatically understand and acknowledge your client's problem (it's a matter of empathy not about who is wrong or right)
- Give assurance that someone in your company deals without delay with his concern
- Offer a discount or another incentive to make up for your customer's trouble

5. Evaluate open-mindedly if you make the most out of the new marketing must-use tools. SEO, online marketing and social media marketing provide excellent opportunities for almost all businesses to get their products or services noticed.

If you want to try a more systematic assessment to your present marketing effort you can generate your marketing assessment report using Marketing Lens, the business-growth self-assessment available online on tooliers.com. This tool is especially designed for small and midsize companies to help them identify their main weaknesses in their marketing activity.

Try Marketing Lens for free and self-assess your marketing activity. You will receive a report with your main weaknesses. Use them in the process of improving your business!

http://www.tooliers.com/marketing-lens-questions/?utm_source=ezinearticles.com&utm_medium=contentmarketing&utm_campaign=SubmittingArticles

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