Chris Brogan: Can Social Media Save a Local Business?
Alvin Mullins
· 11 months ago
I wish you great success, wifey and I will be in MA in June for a wedding, if I can will stop by. Good service, good food will keep you in business.
Deb Brown
· 11 months ago
Okay, here's some ideas for John: start your own free newsletter published once or twice a week (hook up with a printer, give them free advertising in exchange for say, 100 copies) -- just a page or two is great. Write about what you provide, but also publish local events and the weather. Make it fun, put in jokes, funny stories. Highlight some of your customers. Be creative. Then put them out for people to read. Hire a high school kid to take them around to local companies (with lots of employees?).
Does it work? You betcha! I'm doing it right here in Iowa and my business partner (she owns a local bookstore, I set up memberships) have kept our businesses afloat - because people know of about us - and we stay in their face.
We also publish every day -- and have an email list for people who can't pick up the paper!
Just an idea ..... we local independents have to stick together!
@debworks
Adriel Hampton
· 11 months ago
While social media might save a large business or a chain, not so sure about this fellow. Unless everyone wants to send $.
graywolf
· 11 months ago
Why not use something like twitter to announce events, wine tastings, gourmet chocolate samplings, best baked tastings that kind of thing. Heck even have pre super appetizer party make samples of appetizers to give to people so people can place catering orders Mix it up with different food types things every week.
Lori
· 11 months ago
What about reaching out to some of the dining or foodie groups of meetup.com. I know many like to try new places and are looking to find a place that will accommodate them. It looks like an interesting place that would be good for conversation for a singles meetup too.
bob wan kim
· 11 months ago
@chris Looks like a lovely place!
I have a simple formula. Ship nationwide. Produce educational or entertaining content around the product for youtube. Make local customers youtube celebrities. Collect EVERYBODYS email. Never sell. Just provide value. - @journik
Danny Brown
· 11 months ago
The problem is that social media, for all we praise its strengths and connection benefits, still isn't accepted on a wide enough scale to make a difference.
Unless John can find a way that he can reach out beyond his local audience, and offer gourmet services (or similar) to people online, he and countless other small/local businesses are in the same boat.
Perhaps he can look for ex-denizens of Peabody and offer that "taste of home" that they miss. Yet then you're looking at shipping costs and admin overheads for an online shopping cart.
It's tough and I wish John the very best - we need more small businesses over larger faceless ones. But in a market that's as competitive as the leisure/food industry, that can be easier said than done, sadly.
Tracy Tran
· 11 months ago
This one is a little tricky because it's food. He could ship the food like some other restaurants have tried, but some would not pay for the additional S&H costs for the food. For abusiness like recruiting or clothing, that's easy, but the food is more local. Are he needs to hope for is find local people on the social media sites and do a search and try to become friends and promote his store. But, it is limited.
Coffee Talkee
· 11 months ago
Hi Chris! I'm no business expert but why not do deliveries. Use Twitter for orders. Nowadays, I think selling the products or services is just the other side of the coin. Convenience is the other side.
Just my cup of coffee.
Rob
Ed Callahan
· 11 months ago
I think the best short term SM option is to try to generate some buzz on Twitter and perhaps tie that back to his business page on Facebook. He should invent some remarkable (in all senses of that word) dish, drink, whatever and start the buzz in both SM vehicles. The goal has to be to raise awareness in Peabody and within 25 miles of Peabody. Those are the people who could come and eat. He should id peeps he knows on Twitter or get peeps he does know to register on Twitter and begin the effort. We all know it takes awhile to get a following but if he doesn't start asap then SM certainly can't help.
Ed (twitter:edcallahan)
Xanthe
· 11 months ago
With local businesses, the key might be to use social media to coordinate and co-market with complementary businesses in the area: coordinate purchasing coops (e.g., all pizza places in the area get together and buy organic tomato paste for a reasonable rate), co-market events or specials (e.g.,f you buy a bottle of fingerlakes wine at such and such store in Ithaca, get a discount on local cheese at the green grocer down the street)...
Marcel
· 11 months ago
I live nearby. So you've gotten one person to commit to stop by.
Small suggestion: wait for some positive review to flow in on Yelp! and pull those into the simply gourmet restaurant.
Stephen Smyth
· 11 months ago
Review him right now on :
Yelp Advisory And hIs local Google listing
Find a way to ask for feed back from his customers on how he can improve his service and offerings ... and if they love what he is doing ask them to review!
Herein lies the rub for most small business...they have to be passionate and truly have a great product and customer service ... if not they will shutter their doors after a few years of misery!
Here is one idea that could be adaopted very easily from @toddlucier blog
Social media is a great long term investment. An investment in relationships. Relationships take time to build. If he needs a quick save, social media probably won't do it. If he is in it for the long haul, I think social media will help him for years to come. That is if his food is great, his service is better, and he can genuinely connect with people with a honest concern for their needs.
Without knowing too much about this business I havea few ideas. Why not position John as an expert on how to make the ultimate sandwiches? I was searching online the other day for would you believe, the best toasted cheese sandwich recipe.
He could start a blog and put up photos of all of his sandwiches. People in the local area could be informed of these recipes so they could try to make them at home. Because everyone is so time poor these days they would probably end up buying them from John on a regular basis.
He could use twitter to post links to latest recipes and invite other people to suggest their own recipes. He could also start an online shop to sell his specialty gourmet oils and condiments, even setup affiliate links with amazon for good cookbooks? Maybe a Youtube channel on how to make the ultimate sandwiches also. I am just talking about sandwiches because thats all I can see on the menu board from the photos.
Any other ideas? I guess time is also an issue - social media strategies sometimes take a while to see a return and if he wants more sales this week I doubt a blog would do much for him short term. Any feedback on these ideas?
Grayson
· 11 months ago
Twitter a special deal-a-day... only for those following on Twitter. They'd have to show they had added Simply Gourmet/John to get the special. Make it a good special too! Everyone loves to get free food. Or free lunch if you bring a Twitter friend with you. Something like that. Of course that initial deal should be a limited-time offer. But would help build-up a Twitter network for other ways of getting people in.
Kris C
· 11 months ago
Chris, you just did do something, using social media. These pictures are amazing and they tell a story about the business that if I were local, I would love to see and hear about. I live in a very small town in Kansas, and cannot tell you the number of times my husband and I have logged on, looking for a phone number, menu or address and have an enormous amount of trouble finding the most basic business information.
John, ask Chris to use these pictures and start a blog and Twitter account of your own. Follow people in your area, including media folks. Go to every yellow pages type directory that does local listings you can find, and make sure your address, phone number and link to blog site (if they allow website url) are listed. Take more pics. Print up cards and takeout menu's. Spread the word online and off. The visuals of your actual atmosphere look awesome - never rest (initially) and get the word out online and offline in your area, and I have a good feeling about your business. I wish you much success!!
Paul Baiguerra
· 11 months ago
Host a Social Media event to get local twitterers talking about you, make it a weekly gathering place for tweetups. And ditto for Deb's comment above - I used to live in a saturated bar/restaurant area and was amazed at how few did intense Real Life Social Media. The ones that really reached out to the locals you noticed.
Cyndee Woolley
· 11 months ago
Social Media is NOT going to save this local business. A well thought out integrated marketing strategy would.
It is a common mistake to jump straight to the tools and forget all about the WHO you need to reach part. You need to identify your target market and the best channels to reach them.
What are the business that surround you (likely lunch crowd)? Is this a techie area? Or more price conscious? Would people be more interested in coupons or gourmet selection?
Is Peabody MA a hot tweet-spot? Can you specialize in hosting tweetups?
If Peabody is not a social media hot spot... Can you become the influencer by inviting informative speakers to teach local businesses about social media? about gourmet food preparation? about wine / coffee / chocolate tasting?
Another spot for suggestions... Submit your case study to Joan Stewart, http://twitter.com/publicityhound ... She has her 'hounds' submit ideas for free publicity.
Marcel
· 11 months ago
"Host a Social Media event to get local twitterers talking about you, make it a weekly gathering place for tweetups."
This is a great start.
john andrews
· 11 months ago
I am speechless guys, really thank you all for the advice I am not opposed to trying anything and a few of these things I have already implemented including a twitter page @simplygourmet . And publicly for chris to take his time out for me is just one of the nicest gestures imaginable. It has been a rough road but this is a momentum builder that couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you all once again and happy eating!!!! John
Bill
· 11 months ago
Sorry to post two comments, but another thought would be to search meetup.com for meet-ups in his area and offer to host them at his cafe - or maybe start his own meet-up and host it there.
Yemoonyah
· 11 months ago
He has Nutella? (see picture number four) I didn't know you guys have that in the States.Last time I checked it was nowhere to be found. It's originally from Germany (where I live) and I love that stuff! That should be reason enough to go and try his food. Trust me, it's addictive!
Jay Gaines
· 11 months ago
Here's a social media idea that might help his business:
He should give some small percentage of his profits (not revenue) to a local "cause." He can pick a new one each month. The "causes" can be anything from the local Little League, to the volunteer fire department, to a neighborhood family in need. The key is that the cause needs to be something that is, or could be important to some part of the community.
He should obviously promote that he does this each month, but the beauty of this idea is that the people involved in the cause, their families, friends, friends of friends, local media, etc. will promote it for him. They will spread the word, organize events, have parties, and invite everybody they know (some of whom will also invite people they know). Also, people will travel further for a cause they are connected to so his potential customer base will naturally expand. Over time he'll make a strong connection with people who will care about him and his business, end up with a powerful reputation/brand in the community, expose his great product/service to more people, do good, AND make money.
Some may argue that my idea isn't SM, but I think that's exactly what it is.
rampantheart
· 11 months ago
Social media has its own vices but then a few ideas should work out really well under the circumstances. First, he should start a website that has a blog, start networking in sites like http://bakespace.com or http://foodpals.com to name a few (thanks to the Big G). He might also ask an expert blogger to taste his food and write a review about it or ask the blogger for a testimonial. Then, there are microblogging sites for announcing stuff and interacting with people luring them into trying his place. Then, there are places like ning where John can create his own network and hold monthly meetings just for the fun of it. One cool idea would be to bring about the concept of something like a premium subscription and a free one and offer an affiliate program in his blog. Really, there are many ways. Social media alone isnt going to help. He needs to know marketing strategies to promote his stuff. I am afraid only that's going to help.
Devyl
· 11 months ago
When i went to the Boston area for a consulting job, I made sure to stop by Simply Gourmet to visit John and taste his wares. He'd made butternut ravs that day, and they were divinely scrumptious. I kept thinking after I'd left that I should have bought another portion to take back with me & eat later!
Good luck with everything John.
Nicky Jameson
· 11 months ago
Don't think Social Media on its own can do it. Pity there isn't anything like this http://www.orderit.ca/forms/Search.aspx (Orderit.ca) in his locality. If there was he could reach outside his immediate community and then use SM to spread the word or announce. Has he considered take-aways, sorry, take-outs, deliveries? Take orders over the phone, given incentive to order, take the food to diners. Businesses/catering? More of a long term business strategy though.
leanne
· 11 months ago
Looks like you've already started it up: http://www.yelp.com/biz/simply-gourmet-bistro-a... Yelp is the number one source I use to check out local restaurants. I'd keep spreading the word, and if I worked there, I'd ask customers to post reviews after eating there.
Additionally, have them create a simple website with an up-to-date online menu. Yelp lists a generic domain for their website, which is misleading and unhelpful.
Get the word out to local businesses - someone in my office orders out at least once a week. My co-workers go out to eat even more frequently. Have Simply Gourmet cater a networking event on social media (NorthShore Tech, Salem State Enterprise Center & NEDMA sometimes have them) and invite everyone to join the online group or post their opinions to yelp after. Practical application of social media for attendees to try as soon as they get back to the office!
I'm not sure what it takes to get an article in the local newspapers these days, but the Salem evening news has pretty decent online updates, and their site supports comments. If the article is engaging enough, maybe people will start taking notice and leaving feedback.
beckymccray
· 11 months ago
OK. Here's what online interaction can actually do for a small business. It can give you an edge. I use this myself, for my small business in a very rural small town in Oklahoma. It has brought me customers. My competition has zero online presence. Instant advantage.
The food business needs to be top of mind when you are deciding what and where to eat or shop. I think regular valuable updates to customers via the right channels can make a difference.
Chris Lugo
· 11 months ago
Save a local business? Not sure, but why not try?
A few ideas:
Twitter - Glimpse into the everyday characters, musings, events, etc.
Blog - Culture of Simply Gourmet; Retail Food Industry; Cooking/Buying how-to Videos; Personal Shopping Guides; Budget Gourmet ideas; Promotions (catered lunch giveaway); and the sky is the limit
Video - How-to cooking AND buying; Behind the Scenes; Customer Testimonials; Quiz Show; etc.
Networking - Great FB Fan page - Now find where your target customers are and Participate! Local food blogs/forums, industry food blogs/forums, and meetup groups can be worth the time commitment. Also, networking/partnering with other businesses (caterers, bakeries, schools, office buildings, delivery services, online food businesses, tech events and conferences, etc.)
Scope - Just because the business is local doesn't mean it can't extend its reach/presence beyond the current market. Strive to be the best Gourmet Bistro and Groceria in the county, state, US...Let us know what Simply Gourmet is doing better than everyone else. How-to videos, articles, guides and other media can be passed around easily. Maybe someone will recommend Simply Gourmet if a friend is in the area. Maybe another local business will read your blog and have Simply Gourmet cater an event.
Basically, social media (as Senior Brogan helps us all understand) won't solve your problems, but SM can enable you and your business/brand to better interact with your customers. Have the conversation. Facilitate the conversation. It's 2009 - Why Not Social Media?
@chris_lugo
Stefan Holt
· 11 months ago
Some of these ideas are social media related, some are not but hopefully will help....
He's got to think bigger. He's not just in the restaurant/groceria biz, he's in the food/relationship biz. People need/want food. People need/want relationships. He's going to have to get real social with area businesses, community groups, and organizations. Many of the ideas above are good -meetups are good -special event nights -catering with twitter/blog post discounts, (i would think niche, like catering for football parties/weddings/bachelor parties/even funerals..there's a story there but anyway) -ad trade and tweets to generate buzz -how about popping up a webcam when you have these events, mogulus, ustreamtv, now you're the hotspot for social media and you can promote w/social media and it's and SEO Hot Tamale -free wifi, can't tell you how many times i've gone in to a place and left because of no wifi, I would have even chipped in some $ for the usage. Advertise the heck out of it, especially the college crowd! I think we all know a few college dives that have survived decades because it's "the spot" to go when you're in town. Just my 2 cents, hope it helps and good luck. I'm a little surprised you didn't give him a little link love Chris...Simply Gourmet Bistro and Groceria...;) seriously, they need to get a website as of yesterday, wordpress=free and mucho SEO
Shari Voigt
· 11 months ago
Well, social media saved a local event, so why not a local business? I was involved on a very limited basis with a local community event, part of which was a battle of the bands. We were one month out from the event and had only one or two bands on the roster. I had no local traction on Facebook, but figured it was worth a try. We built a group and event page, and began reaching out to every local person we could find ... a very low key introduction, adding maybe 10 or so friends every day. In addition, I enlisted the help of a social media savvy friend of mine, who enlisted the help of her fans.
The key was not in what we could do to draw people to the event, but the community interaction once a few people got excited about it. All I did was reach out, and I do not have a huge social media presence. The fans took the event and ran with it. It was a highly successful event, by the way, with a full roster of bands, and it wouldn't have happened without social media.
My recommendation is to do all you can online with social media, but also to do what others have recommended here. Deb's newsletter idea is great, as is graywolf's suggestion to generate events and talk them up on Twitter, and Lori's suggestion for meetups. Also, make sure you're listed in Google Local, etc. Be sure to send out press releases whenever you have anything newsworthy to say.
Best wishes for a successful new year for John and his business!
Bob Potter
· 11 months ago
Wow, there are a lot of great ideas. Here are my votes:
1) Blog. Blog about everything local, how the business is going, the visitor that stopped by for a cup of coffee that you invited from Twitter/LinkedIn/Facebook/etc. The blog will help online awareness. 2) Newsletter. Print or email. People like humor. Use it to develop relationships. The newsletter will help develop and strengthen the relationships you've started. 3. Find out what business professionals are on Linkedin and are in/around your city. Invite them in for a coffee on you. Give them a special edition print newsletter that you only hand out to those you invite so they can take something away with them and pass on to friends. Give them another free coffee to give to their friend in the newsletter. 4. Have a cause? Join or start a Facebook group to help connect/build relationships.
Good luck!
Gary McElwain
· 11 months ago
I was in Peabody in November. I had a hard time geting around, because ofthier road layout. So I called for delivery most of the week. He should put menus in the hotels and offer delivery.
Gary McElwain
Mike Troiano
· 11 months ago
Is there a business in being the preferred bistro of Twitter users in and around Peabody, MA? Perhaps, the problem is that finding out will take an investment of time over weeks or even months before he gets to see. Starting down this path makes sense, but we all know what it takes to build a following (though the Brogan love will help a lot, I expect.)
For small businesses like this it's not about share-of-market, though, it's about share of customer. While the foundation is building above, how might he get a bigger share of the customers he has?
How about building a simple loyalty program over cellphones? CouponZap.com has a simple app, they'd just collect people's mobile numbers to send coupons with specials just for "club" members. Program details would depend on the needs of thier business... if they could convert more of their morning coffee business into lunch customers, for example, would that help? If so, collect numbers in the morning, and send out alerts at 11:00, with free soda or buy 1/get 1 type offers just for club members. Maybe specifics are different, but you get the idea.
Chris
· 11 months ago
A couple suggestions for you:
Others have mentioned this but if you have a local college, get involved! Sponsor athletic teams, events, athletic department lunch in exchange for P.A. announcements at games, in-game contests (winner gets a deli sandwich!), same goes for local HS. Greek system events, big weekends (mom's weekend, graduation, homecoming, etc.). Offer delivery to faculty.
Most grocery stores have coupons on the back of the receipt for local vendors, offer something if they bring in the coupon.
Kids eat free night (set menu), kids won't come alone & parents eat more!
Start a local 'tradition' for all of us creatures of habit, like 'Fajita Friday' or 'Taco Tuesday' and yes, I like Mexican food.
Good Luck!
Cynthia Trevino
· 11 months ago
What a wealth of ideas, Bob Wan Kim, graywolf, CoffeeTakee, @edcallahan, Josh Williams, Bill, @Chris_Lugo, Stefan Holt. Fabulous sharing!. The wisdom of crowds, or, a mini-MBA in Social Media.
My own humble contribution, a story from March 2008 about when the St. Paul Cookie Company in Minnesota was facing hard times. http://tinyurl.com/stpaulcookiecompany
Best of luck to all.
Karl Staib - Work Happy Now
· 11 months ago
Sure if it has the right people behind it. A new blogger or tweeter won't be able to do it, but someone like you chipping in anything is possible.
It all comes down to executing a brilliant plan. It might take months, but if the person has a little luck, persistence and enough cash in the bank to get over the low funds they have a great shot.
Abby
· 11 months ago
As a Dining Group Organizer, I always appreciate it when a restaurant and/or food shop contacts me to try and set up a special event with them or even encourage me to visit. I'd look into your local Meetup Dining Group, contact the main organizer and you can do one or two things. Offer to comp their meal if they set up an outing for their group to visit your place of business for lunch or dinner.
Or offer to do something like a tasting menu for a dining group. The main organizer would still be comped, but you would set up a per person price that the other members of the group could pre-pay to the organizer so that you have a guaranteed guest count. See a similar event below:
Working with dining groups will give you a guarantee that people will come in. Of course, once they're in the door, you just have to impress them enough to want to come back.
Gila
· 11 months ago
Best wishes for success. It's so frustrating to find a wonderful place only to see it shut down. It seems like it's happening all around me lately. I would recommend trying Valpak. It's measurable and in this economy, people are always looking for coupons and savings. check it out at www.valpak.com.
Ligia Buzan
· 11 months ago
What a fantastic post-- and what great responses! John-- good luck! I have a client in Beverly-- Just opened a great little burger place, wifi included, environmentally aware, North shore plaza, lots of shops and businesses around. They are also struggling--
For a food shop the target market is maximum fifty miles from the location of the shop. Was difficult to reach Twitterers in that particular radius, but Facebook worked well. For instance, we created an ambasador program for the businesses around where one ambasador who placed the order for the firm got free lunch.
One other thing that can be done even in a small shop -- market segmentation: For instance:
Fitness & Weight Loss= Healthy Sandwitches- people who are on fitness programs (not diets), exercise and need to eat accordingly (eat more to lose weight-- I am happy to explain John). Why not have these 'healthy' sandwitches available in the shop and properly labeled (Wholefoods is trying to have a similar corner). People may appreciate the convenience, order entire meals to make sure their workouts pay off. And of course, in connecting with some fitness facilities in the area this would work even better. Just one example-- but there are many.
I think that long term, social media may help build identlty and following, but to stay in business now, ingenuity and being creative on the 50 miles radius available is best.
Jared O'Toole
· 11 months ago
For small business social media needs to be used for innovation. Marketing won't work in small towns where people aren't connected or as Chris said everybody already knows you.
Use it to connect with small businesses in similar situations or your target audience (food lovers) not for new customers but for ideas. Or find that small deli in NYC that has leveraged social media to create tons of press and customers. Connect with them and see if they have some interesting techniques that could help you get some business over that other local deli.
Finaly use it to brand yourself as an expert in your field. If enough people follow you and respect you the opportunities for bigger and better things are endless.
Evelyn So
· 11 months ago
Chris, you just used SM to promote this biz. You knew that :)
Getting the words out is not the challenge here, SM or not. Lots of good suggestions above. But it is a local, brick-and-mortar biz, and marketing needs to be done accordingly.
Mike Hill
· 11 months ago
Try and experiment around 6 degrees of separation. give out coupons online for a free meal/cake or whatever. give out thousands. You obviously can't redeem them but the point is that you have to send the ticket to someone who might be able to use it. I'm based in Australia. I might send my coupon to my cousin in Miami (not very good i know!). he could then send it on. etc etc.
Hopefully thousands of people living in or around the area will start to get floods of tickets/coupons about the place. position it as a social experiment. just a thought....
Tamar Weinberg
· 11 months ago
Can social media save a local business?
Hell yeah! Have you ever seen the awesome writeup on the Caminito Steakhouse by Jason Falls? I think Jason really nails it -- involvement is key. Justin Levy of Caminito is doing a brilliant job.
David Spinks
· 11 months ago
Does your community have a website? Perhaps you could host a website where members of the community can talk, find out about events in the area etc. Create a place for your community to connect online and mix it in with your store. Have your brand image on the site. Have a poll for different foods or a food of the week. Open up a forum for feedback. Have the website url on your products, to go boxes, wrapping, and in your local newspaper. Your community will have a place to communicate online and they'll think of you every time they do.
Dave
Bridget Cavanaugh
· 11 months ago
I think we're going to see some new W2 apps in the next 3 months that will have an SM component of the product built in. I hope to send out a rather enthusiastic Tweet about the service when it launches. Wish I could say more. keep in touch @bcavanaugh
jasondtaylor
· 11 months ago
Make it impossible for people to ignore you. as SG would say, don't be boring at all, not even for a second. create buzz by doing something better than anybody else and making sure everyone knows about it. and...don't forget the overlooked stuff, tasting nights, freebies, great cust. service, poetry readings, wifi, wine clubs, become the place to be.
i live in central oregon and it's amazing to me in this great little town how all the shops close at 7-8pm - coffee shops people! i don't get it. this little tea place opened and they stay open until 11 or 12 during the week and it is always packed. all they've done is be the best (and only) tea place in town and made sure to attract the high school crowd. KEY.
jasondtaylor
· 11 months ago
my tweet - sorry @jasondtaylor
VIk Duggal
· 11 months ago
First you should name a sandwich, or drink, or combo meal after Chris Brogan!
I'm sure you do coupons right? Some on your website, some in the newspaper, some on the radio, or a partner company. Ask people from around the InterNETS to pay money to have a sandwich named after them (or the info on the coupon) that would include their URL, twitter handle, whatever for the day/week/month! The coupon they print, or have on their phone would have the information of the sponsor.
It give recognition to those that are helping your cause, showcases your use and understanding of social media, and bring business in. Not only that, but think of all the people that may come to your place in Peabody, MA to visit your place because they participated.
You have officially become a destination like Chrisbrogan.com and you will become the first social media-friendly restaurant established in 2009.
And if you use this idea, just for kicks, it would be cool to see an @vikdug sandwich! Let me know where to PayPal my $100!
Good luck!
Vik Duggal
Jeffrey Summers
· 11 months ago
As much as I love SM, Cyndee Woolley is right.
1. SM is a tactic and not a strategy. Also, 2. Restaurants and retail are two distinct animals which sell two distinct products.
No matter how small the biz (and especially restaurants) you need to think strategically about your marketing. Identifying your target market and connecting with them to support your efforts at building better relationships through channels that they utilize - if it's SM then great but if not you're throwing good money after bad.
MyLegalEdge
· 11 months ago
I wish you the best !
Dominick
· 11 months ago
Is there any way he can offer anything he sells as mail order? Mail order items, especially food, is hot commodity on the internet these days. People are always looking for items they can buy from decent grocers and it give small businesses a chance to expand to those not in their area.
Delivery is also an option or having an internet buy with scheduled pickup (for an added fee), where the items are all bagged and ready for local residents to just come pick things up. That would be something he could look into. This is attractive to busy people, especially those into PR, social media, blogging, etc. Just pop on the net, place an order, show up at the store 30 minutes later, grab the bag, and go. You can either pay online or pay at the store when you get there, to pick it up.
If he has an internet presence, then social media is going to be what can let the world know about all of the offerings he has. I.E. If his business goes mail order, what better way to spread such news than via twitter, facebook, etc.?
Dave Gardner
· 11 months ago
Social media by itself won't save a small business (and sometimes it's ludicrous that the large, corporate and monolithic businesses try it), but the small businesses can use it a lot more effectively for their advantage. Two out of many businesses (where the owners are also *friends* with their patrons) in our town who have created MySpace accounts are the Great Plate (http://www.myspace.com/thegreatplate) and Downtown Bakery (http://www.myspace.com/downtownbakeryncafe). Our local newspaper and some other companies have also done this as well. Most of the "friends" on their MySpace pages are local (within 50 miles). We know where these establishments are--and we patronize them frequently. Sometimes, they even post special coupons on their MySpace pages to entice more folks in or to reward their MySpace buddies. They get support, dialog, and participation with their customers through their MySpace pages. If you don't have a regular "website", a MySpace page can work just as well--maybe better. Because you can see the "participants", a MySpace page has some advantage over a regular website.
But they could take it a step further--by also having a Twitter account. Twitter is great for fast-breaking announcements. And to also keep a "pulse" on what's going on in the community and the world (usually in your same or close time-zone).
Folks need to "think outside the box"... there are ideas for paper "newsletters" (maybe printed on place-mats?), ideas for the "buy 9, get the 10th free" business cards, and other "Guerrilla Marketing" techniques. With today's economic mess, small businesses MUST be innovative--or they risk extinction.
I hope this helps... best of luck!
Rob Harris
· 11 months ago
Not sure how many employees he has but he should give them all social media training and have them leverage their social currency to make the success benefit all the stakeholders.
Albert Willis
· 11 months ago
Chris, it's a great question. I'm personally going to put it to the test. A friend of mine is the owner of Dot2Dot Cafe (www.dot2dotcafe.com;http://www.yelp.com/biz/dot2dot-cafe-dorchester on Yelp) in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood and I just started thinking about what I could do to help with what I know about applying social media tools and techniques.
Racheal Mack
· 11 months ago
Publish your own magazine "print on demand" and resell to your customers! Free to publish! You can buy for 20 cents a page and resell to your customers or give them out for free to customers who are on your mailing lists, then once you get all their emails and addresses you can send them coupon books to give out to their friends and family, call it the VIP club or something... www.magcloud.com
I hadn't read comments before I posted my comment, but I went back and did it. Danny Brown (I think it's Danny - if not sorry) is right when he said John and other local businesses in the same boat do have to find ways to reach out to a wider audience if they want to succeed. That's why I mentioned mail order. It opens up some of his products to a national (or international if he wants to ship outside the U.S.) audience.
Using social media while expanding his internet presence (through mail order, delivery services and/or pickup orders via web form) can be enhanced by social media, but for many struggling businesses without expanding the customer base beyond local, the struggles will continue.
Just a note on mail order: You can ship nearly anything these days thanks to dry ice shipping methods. I've received mail order cheese, meat (lamb, bacon, buffalo steaks, etc.), jams and jellies, Chicago deep dish pizza, cheesecakes, cookies, brownies, candy, etc. Even Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan sends out kits to make their world famous Ruben Sandwiches (and charges a fortune - but they are worth it - the best Ruben you will EVER eat - hand's down!). So, there should be something John's business could potentially mail out to customers across the U.S.
Ken Burgin
· 11 months ago
I'd be focusing strongly on building your contact list so you can start emailing etc. I'd also suggest upgrading the photos on your Facebook page - luscious food and product is much more appetising than equipment.
Can someone help you with the marketing side? I'm guessing your time is totally taken up with food preparation and service...and then sleep after a 16 hour day.
Good luck!
Stacy Lukas
· 11 months ago
It's my personal mission to introduce the small businesses in my little community to social media and I'm doing that thought my local chamber of commerce. There is a lot sm can do for them, but in order to do that, I believe, they need to be online and active en masse to support and promote each other. Luckily for me, they want to learn, and that will be giving me a lot of business soon!
The Traveling Saleswoman
· 11 months ago
Look for a local networking group to join. Have a sampling booth at a local fair. Collect people's email addresses and Twitter names. Do a monthly email newsletter. Friend those people on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. Then provide coupons, tastings and freebies just for them.
I plan to check you out next time I'm up on the North Shore!
LisaJohnson
· 11 months ago
As small biz owner with a very local market like yours. Join the local chamber of commerce and any local chamber groups. Get active with other local biz owners & treat them like gold. They'll refer their customers to you and you'll get tons of new customers in return. You might want to post a bulletin board in your restaurant so locals can post notices. That always go over well. It's simple but it will endear you with others. They'll be more loyal. Try bringing sandwiches over for free to a couple of busier stores & see if they'll talk to you. A local dessert store did that at my Pilates studio & boy did that work well! Good luck. Work hard. You'll be fine.
David Bruce
· 11 months ago
John could consider using Twitter to cater to the business crowd and other hurried clients. Announce daily specials and fresh items. Establish pre-paid accounts and use Twitter for incoming orders as well as outgoing "orders ready for pickup." Social media could also enable a "refer a friend" program that gives the referrer some reward for a specified number of referrals that become clients.
It's all about local relationships - social media is local as well as global.
John Tebeau
· 11 months ago
Dominick has a good point. John, check out the Zingerman's business model. There have been dozens of articles written about their phenomenal success, both as a local deli/bakery/restaurant in Ann Arbor and with their catalog/mail-order business. You might even consider attending one of their seminars if you get the chance: http://zingtrain.com/about_us.php
john b
· 11 months ago
Local coffee shop (@bluehouselife) here in Baltimore uses Twitter to announce soup specials for the day and anything that might be of interest.
intuitiv
· 11 months ago
Chris,
your post was the best social media thing that could happen to John. Easy, not pricey and an international reach. What a pitty, I cannot order directly some hot food from Germany.
Stefan
Dave Lutz
· 11 months ago
How about doing a contest to create a special sandwich and name it after a loyal customer or local well respected person? What kind of meat, cheese and condiments would a Chris Brogan have on it? What kind of chips would go well with it? Would it be good enough to be featured as the Wednesday special? Do you think Chris would tell his friends? Would he sign their sandwich wrapper or napkin? I think he'd even be a fan of the restaurant on Facebook.
Mary McRae
· 11 months ago
I feel for John - similar problem for us, but we're in a tourist town (Lincoln NH - Kancamagus Highway / Loon Mountain) so rely heavily on vacationers. We're just getting our social media act together with a goal of reaching people who might be traveling to the area and introducing them to us. That said, we meet lots of people from eastern MA and North Shore - I'll be sure to ask them if they know about the Simply Gourmet Bistro in Peabody and hopefully send some new business John's way. And just maybe John will know some folks heading to Loon or Cannon for a ski trip and will send them to King's Corner ;-)
An Kingman
· 11 months ago
What are your customer's "pain points"? Try to meet those. I have 2 First, the 4:30 pm "what am I going to cook for dinner?" moment. How I'd love a daily email, twitter, or RSS feed with your "take home" dinner specials. I have read that this is a sector that is particularly growing; people who are too busy to plan home cooked meals, but want to still have dinner at home with the family.
Secondly, as someone suggested above, healthy. It's January. Places like Weight Watchers have maximum enrollment numbers. They meet weekly, and what do they talk about at these meetings? Food! Where to eat out and stay on program, what to eat at home. Most restaurants have few if any healthy options that fit into the plan. If you can seed into that market, word of mouth will spread, both in person and online. You probably cannot use the official Weight Watchers 'points' system, but if you get hold of the parameters, you can post the required nutritional information so that members can figure it out for themselves. Make this available online as well -- in fact, if I were on WW, I would love a "WW only" daily email, so I wouldn't be tempted by the other offerings.
chrisbaggott
· 11 months ago
Six quick ideas:
1) LinkedIn and facebook as many customers as you can. Then ask them who handles booking lunch catering. Companies are looking to cut back so you may have to lowball, but it is great incremental business.
2) Email. Lots of great email ideas here, but think about weather based offers. There was a deli in California a few years ago that only emailed on rainy days. Her business died when the weather was bad...the email offset that. Forget about "newsletters"...focus on direct offers.
3) Blog. Blog early and often...as many times a day as possilble. Focus on the keywords that drive your business and use ShareThis to push your blog posts to your social networks like facebook and twitter. Your blogs posts can also be used for your emails
4) Drive time. What about a 4pm dinner idea email every day. I don't know about your life, but at 4 people start thinking about the commute...the swim team, the parent teacher meeting and soccer. so dinner is either Mac & Cheese, fast food or a pizza again. this is a great time to hit people up with a take out alternative
5) Neighbors. Get the addresses of your customers. Forget valpack and use whitepages.com which has a great feature called "find neighbors"
enter in the name and address of your customer and it will give you the names and addresses of up to 10 neighbors. Use your PC and printer to make postcards and mail to them offers to try you out. Remember frequency works here. It may sound old fashioned but three or 4 of these home made postcards mailed to a prospect over a couple of weeks will cost you about $2.50 including postage and it really works.
You definitely are the prime example of the KLT Factor! This was a super generous thing that you did for John in this post. I called John directly and here is his Twitter for the shop:
Maybe everyone posting would like to follow him. John seems pretty saavy and will be posting his upcoming ideas. If anyone was involved in the Motrin Moms issue back in November the you know the power of a retweet! Follow @simplygourmet and help John out with RT's.
Tweetups are a great idea especially if they are done around an already planned conference or event. John is 20 mins from Boston so if anyone is going to an event or conference in Boston, they may want to consider planning a Tweet Up or Meet Up at John's shop.
John--very best of luck to you! Tina @bestreflections
Craig
· 11 months ago
I think adding a weekly TV show could help drive some business. Explain making different types of sandwiches, differences between breads, etc. You will slowly gain a following, show your human side as well as talents, and the name will get out there more.
JR Moreau
· 11 months ago
I live in Massachusetts, so I'm going to go visit this place. I like a road trip and if I can give some business to people like this, all the better!
Robert Ford
· 11 months ago
Chris,
I love the way that you crowdsourced all of these great ideas. I'd been scratching my head on how to use social media to help one of my favorite restaurants (Joe Squared in Baltimore), and in addition to pointing him at all the gold in these comments, I've put a similar post on my blog (http://budurl.com/JoeSquared). Now if only I had your following!
All the best to John and the team at the Simply Gourmet Bistro and Groceria. I'll definitely look in and see them, if I get up to that part of the world.
justinrfrench
· 11 months ago
This is so funny- this is my second time running across this wonderful & informational blog discussing how important social media is for businesses. I would suggest every business get onto twitter now and start tweeting and see what it does for their business! The power of social networking in action again- so great! Which is why i am creating a new division of my IT Consulting business in San Diego of providing social networking 101 to small business in San Diego. check our blog here http://perfectintegration.com/blogfeed.html for details or call 760-929-2319 for packages
Ron Amundson
· 11 months ago
I took at look at the Peabody CoC, and I see you are already running some deals there.... what about some cross pollination with other chamber businesses. Perhaps come up with a combined package deal... share advertising cost, or even co coupon with each other. Community is the solution to economic downturns, leverage the resources right next door, and who knows what can happen.
Lastly, do you have menu's at local companies in town? Perhaps a specific menu tailored for noon lunch meetings, with a special business discount 1 day a week, or free delivery w a planned route? You could also use that menu to start to build a SM following in the business community, ie see twitter for deals etc. SM though is a longer term strategy, the local community is where you can leverage short and long term results.
Chad Schneider
· 11 months ago
Instead of trying to solve the problem WITH social media, I'd USE social media to solve the problem. Hosting a Twitter meetup might help, it might not, but John has an incredible opportunity to crowdsource for ideas with all of the marketing professionals reading this post that hail from all over the world. He should read through the comments, post his own comments & questions, and try to leverage the conversation to gather possible marketing solutions.
My idea - maybe he'd enjoy offering cooking classes that teach people how to use some of the delicious but uncommon ingredients he sells. The economy is definitely down, but people who used to order take-out 3 or 4 times a week can save money and eat better by cooking fine food at home. They just need help figuring out how.
Good luck to John and small business owners everywhere.
Dennis Murray
· 11 months ago
Engage with a local photographer to photograph some of the specialties of the place to and post results on the blog, twitpic, flickr, and Facebook fan page, the photographer's blog, and everywhere else.
Lindsay
· 11 months ago
I think small businesses have a huge opportunity to use the web to succeed. So many of them miss the basics - have a website that lists your phone number and hours and an email address, reply to emails, make sure your listings are correct and on the web (google maps, yelp). I also would love it if my favorite local places would post their menu online or send me an email.
David
· 11 months ago
A shot story. I lived across the street from a little sandwich shop for a year, and never went it... I stuck to what I knew, or what was recommended. Then one day, on a whim, I went in... guess what, best sandwich in the city. A little social media would of helped his situation... well that and some new signage... and maybe getting rid of those tacky posters in the window :)
okay, he needed an makeover, but he had a great sandwich, for a great price, and sharing that 411 is what social media is all about.
Croz from Oz
· 11 months ago
Hi Chris
You have answered your own question.
Where else could you get the assistance of almost a hundred people to give ideas freely to assist a total stranger.
The total secret of social media is this phenomenum of giving. In the real world people still have not adopted this strategy.
Abundance to All
Croz PS. I have a few extra special ideas that I am prepared to sell. lol
@crozfromoz
LisaNewton
· 11 months ago
Social media doesn't have to be online, but social could also be just up close and personal. Why not try to work with the local high school? How about offering field trips for the younger students and cooking classes for the older ones? 1st and 2nd graders love the idea of being able to walk into a refrigerator and taking home a small goodie bag. For the older students, to off set costs, maybe charge just the cost of the food. Students get a great meal, cook it themselves, learn, plus, he gets the opportunity to reach out to their parents.
Jean Ghalo
· 11 months ago
well it is nice from you chris to feature hometown super heroes and local businesses on your blog, at least your trying to help.
what I think for food business all what can be done, is held like a tweetup there bring more friends who might become regular new customers... am miles away to attend but duno if those near by can do...
good luck guys.
cheers! Jean
Penny Haynes
· 11 months ago
If they have Twitter, then search for other Twitterers in their local radius and subscribe to them, to build relationships locally. Also, consider helping other businesses in your area use social media - be the small business guru in your area, and create a social network in your area where local businesses and local people in general can communicate. By hosting such a site and using it as part of your marketing budget, you can create great online place where everyone in your community can come and participate, and you be front and center on the best advertising spots. Have contests for the best local video and post them online for voting.
JohnA
· 11 months ago
Oh my god!!! I am speechless, so many great ideas. Just an update on things I am trying desperately to get into place. (Money is a huge factor right now as we had a nasty break in before the holidays) For now I am aggresively trying to do the things I can afford. I have started an email list and am corraling every one that I can get for a bi-weekly mailing. (Have already gotten a few bites off of that) As many of you know i started a store specific twitter page http://www.twitter.com/simplygourmet where I am trying to push out daily specials and exclusive twitter offers. I have updated as many sites as I could find, yellow pages, yelp, facebook, etc. and I have started a blog with which I would like people to know more about my story and cuisine(there is a lot more than chris wrote about, believe me) http://www.simplygourmetbistroandcatering.wordp... I truly am amazed at the outpouring over this post and I feel blessed that chris reached out and blessed that you all took a little time out of your hectic lives to give me some advice. Now I will just continue to buckle down and see if we can make this work. Namaste j
Tina Mammoser
· 11 months ago
I think you've mentioned (if you haven't I'm sure you would) the importance of repeat customers and customer service in this economy. What about daily Twitter specials? A small discount or special offer, an announcement of the sandwich and/or coffee of the day. Keeping people coming will means holding on to that steady side of business. A newsletter, blog or Facebook page could have something a little less fleeting - perhaps weekly offers, "bring a friend" ideas, info about staff or a product feature.
Michael Hyde
· 11 months ago
Here's another article related to this topic on social media helping a business owner: "...created a Facebook account and sent out e-mails to his friends about what had happened to their neighbor. His idea was to organize a mass dine out, in which people would take turns eating at Zamiri’s Marlborough restaurant. He even created a Google calendar so friends and neighbors could see who was dining at Sorrento’s each night..."
Beth
· 11 months ago
Inbound leads, inbound leads. Go social media. It's great that you have a Facebook, but do more, invest more time not money. Twitter, blog, comment on other blogs to include inbound links. Make your brand, put yourself out there. Local Search for SMBs: Sign of the Times
john andrews
· 11 months ago
Oh my more competition in Google for "John Andrews".
Good to see the ideas flowing forth. @chris I was in the audience at Wordcamp and enjoyed your humor. Maybe you could so some stand up at Simply Gourmet? Or maybe John can settle for running some Meetup.com events and tweetups, making sure to invite you ;-)
Joi
· 11 months ago
To thrive on the local level, I'd say they should offer the friendliest service possible - to treat each customer as a family member. People will return again and again to a place that feels like home.
On the grand scale? They could develop a trademark cookie (or candy for that matter) and go after those of us who make up the online community. They could contact various bloggers in a wide variety of niches, and offer to send them a sample of their deliciousness (in exchange for them telling their readers about it).
Bloggers are consistent. If you send us coffee, chocolate, or cookies - we're instantly on your team! And, face it, no one makes more noise than we do.
Chris Moody
· 11 months ago
I'll volunteer some services if SimplyGourmet would like to move to a hosted solution. I posted on their blog, but I think a few easy changes could help their web presence match the desired perception [see suggestion here: http://simplygourmetbistroandcatering.wordpress....
For the sake of social media and what seems to be like a good group of people, I can donate some design services to do something like that if it is of any interest.
Karen Wylie
· 11 months ago
It's wonderful to look at all these great ideas that have been suggested, then go visit John's blog and see how many he's already trying out!
greg
· 10 months ago
Social media is just a novelty for all the social media navel-gazers. As the novelty wears thin, as will eventually happen, it will be no more valuable and earth-shattering for a business than having a Web site. And we all know how much Web sites and mailing lists have saved businesses that should have otherwise failed on the market. %^/
I'd focus on so many other aspects of customer service and interacting with the community in person before I'd send it into the ground because of the short attention spans of a few novelty-hounds.
JohnA
· 10 months ago
Just another quick update, I have really been trying to follow as much advice and implement as many suggestions as possible and I tell you I do see an increase in sales. I have tried to be the perfect blend of in house amazing customer service and an active social media participant and I am starting to see the hard work pay off. I will be writing a post on the new site shortly summarizing what I have learned and will let you all know when it goes up. For all of you that are curious, check out the new site. http://www.simplygourmetbistro.com and especially check out the customer of the day category, the feedback and reception to that concept have been amazing. Because of all of you my nose is still above water and I thank each of you for taking your time with your suggestions and advice.
Linda
· 10 months ago
We were going to take a drive to Gloucester this morning and thought to check your blog and see what restaurants you have raved about lately. I checked the site first and found out they have closed. Too bad that this one just closed its doors yesterday. My SIL lives in Lynn and that would have been a great place to meet. Things are tough out there and sad to see this happen.
Dexter Odonnell
· 9 months ago
i lovet his so much!
Marieke Hensel
· 1 month ago
It's unfortunate that I just stumble on this blog right now. The ideas in the comments are great, and I hope they help other restaurants that are trying to keep their head above water. It's a different way of using social media for local restaurants. As web traffic does not automatically convert into filled tables or local traffic to a store.
I do think local restaurants can get a lot of value from social media. You need to have a local focus, but people naturally have a local network in place (friends, neighbours, schools, work, etc) -> these are all local connections.
And while 'everyone' in Peabody might already know that John's business exists, social media is great to keep the awareness alive and increase the number of times people come in to his place. If everyone in Peabody knows he is there, then that should be his focus: increase customer loyalty.
Newsletters, tweetups/meetups, are great ways to keep that awareness alive, but what makes people come back if they know something new is going on. Are you sharing your newest menu items? Maybe you could even have a couple of new-menu-item-testers.
If your location is holding you back in growing your business, you have to get your food to the place where your customers are: options have been mentioned: delivery, take-out, catering, or sampling.
Unfortunately good food and good service aren't the only 2 things you need to stay in business. You have to get to a healthy customer base first, and that will only work, if people know you exist. Then second step is to increase customer loyalty. And there you have it, your existing customers love you & keep coming back and new customers are walking in the door.
Keep feeding your customers with new content (new menu items? new events?) and reach out, and you will be one of the success stories.
All Comments
start your own free newsletter published once or twice a week (hook up with a printer, give them free advertising in exchange for say, 100 copies) -- just a page or two is great. Write about what you provide, but also publish local events and the weather. Make it fun, put in jokes, funny stories. Highlight some of your customers. Be creative. Then put them out for people to read. Hire a high school kid to take them around to local companies (with lots of employees?).
Does it work? You betcha! I'm doing it right here in Iowa and my business partner (she owns a local bookstore, I set up memberships) have kept our businesses afloat - because people know of about us - and we stay in their face.
We also publish every day -- and have an email list for people who can't pick up the paper!
Just an idea ..... we local independents have to stick together!
@debworks
I have a simple formula.
Ship nationwide.
Produce educational or entertaining content around the product for youtube.
Make local customers youtube celebrities.
Collect EVERYBODYS email.
Never sell. Just provide value.
- @journik
Unless John can find a way that he can reach out beyond his local audience, and offer gourmet services (or similar) to people online, he and countless other small/local businesses are in the same boat.
Perhaps he can look for ex-denizens of Peabody and offer that "taste of home" that they miss. Yet then you're looking at shipping costs and admin overheads for an online shopping cart.
It's tough and I wish John the very best - we need more small businesses over larger faceless ones. But in a market that's as competitive as the leisure/food industry, that can be easier said than done, sadly.
Just my cup of coffee.
Rob
Ed (twitter:edcallahan)
Small suggestion: wait for some positive review to flow in on Yelp! and pull those into the simply gourmet restaurant.
Yelp
Advisory
And hIs local Google listing
Find a way to ask for feed back from his customers on how he can improve his service and offerings ... and if they love what he is doing ask them to review!
Herein lies the rub for most small business...they have to be passionate and truly have a great product and customer service ... if not they will shutter their doors after a few years of misery!
Here is one idea that could be adaopted very easily from @toddlucier blog
http://www.tourismkeys.ca/blog/2008/12/how-to-b...
Cheers
@StephenSmyth
Small suggestion: wait for some positive reviews to flow in on Yelp! and pull those into the simply gourmet restaurant website. **
Mr. Sting
Sting Investigations, Inc.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
http://www.stinginvestigations.com
He could start a blog and put up photos of all of his sandwiches. People in the local area could be informed of these recipes so they could try to make them at home. Because everyone is so time poor these days they would probably end up buying them from John on a regular basis.
He could use twitter to post links to latest recipes and invite other people to suggest their own recipes. He could also start an online shop to sell his specialty gourmet oils and condiments, even setup affiliate links with amazon for good cookbooks? Maybe a Youtube channel on how to make the ultimate sandwiches also. I am just talking about sandwiches because thats all I can see on the menu board from the photos.
Any other ideas? I guess time is also an issue - social media strategies sometimes take a while to see a return and if he wants more sales this week I doubt a blog would do much for him short term. Any feedback on these ideas?
John, ask Chris to use these pictures and start a blog and Twitter account of your own. Follow people in your area, including media folks. Go to every yellow pages type directory that does local listings you can find, and make sure your address, phone number and link to blog site (if they allow website url) are listed. Take more pics. Print up cards and takeout menu's. Spread the word online and off. The visuals of your actual atmosphere look awesome - never rest (initially) and get the word out online and offline in your area, and I have a good feeling about your business. I wish you much success!!
And ditto for Deb's comment above - I used to live in a saturated bar/restaurant area and was amazed at how few did intense Real Life Social Media. The ones that really reached out to the locals you noticed.
It is a common mistake to jump straight to the tools and forget all about the WHO you need to reach part. You need to identify your target market and the best channels to reach them.
What are the business that surround you (likely lunch crowd)? Is this a techie area? Or more price conscious? Would people be more interested in coupons or gourmet selection?
Is Peabody MA a hot tweet-spot? Can you specialize in hosting tweetups?
If Peabody is not a social media hot spot... Can you become the influencer by inviting informative speakers to teach local businesses about social media? about gourmet food preparation? about wine / coffee / chocolate tasting?
Another spot for suggestions... Submit your case study to Joan Stewart, http://twitter.com/publicityhound ... She has her 'hounds' submit ideas for free publicity.
This is a great start.
He should give some small percentage of his profits (not revenue) to a local "cause." He can pick a new one each month. The "causes" can be anything from the local Little League, to the volunteer fire department, to a neighborhood family in need. The key is that the cause needs to be something that is, or could be important to some part of the community.
He should obviously promote that he does this each month, but the beauty of this idea is that the people involved in the cause, their families, friends, friends of friends, local media, etc. will promote it for him. They will spread the word, organize events, have parties, and invite everybody they know (some of whom will also invite people they know). Also, people will travel further for a cause they are connected to so his potential customer base will naturally expand. Over time he'll make a strong connection with people who will care about him and his business, end up with a powerful reputation/brand in the community, expose his great product/service to more people, do good, AND make money.
Some may argue that my idea isn't SM, but I think that's exactly what it is.
Good luck with everything John.
http://www.orderit.ca/forms/Search.aspx (Orderit.ca) in his locality. If there was he could reach outside his immediate community and then use SM to spread the word or announce. Has he considered take-aways, sorry, take-outs, deliveries? Take orders over the phone, given incentive to order, take the food to diners. Businesses/catering? More of a long term business strategy though.
Additionally, have them create a simple website with an up-to-date online menu. Yelp lists a generic domain for their website, which is misleading and unhelpful.
Get the word out to local businesses - someone in my office orders out at least once a week. My co-workers go out to eat even more frequently. Have Simply Gourmet cater a networking event on social media (NorthShore Tech, Salem State Enterprise Center & NEDMA sometimes have them) and invite everyone to join the online group or post their opinions to yelp after. Practical application of social media for attendees to try as soon as they get back to the office!
I'm not sure what it takes to get an article in the local newspapers these days, but the Salem evening news has pretty decent online updates, and their site supports comments. If the article is engaging enough, maybe people will start taking notice and leaving feedback.
The food business needs to be top of mind when you are deciding what and where to eat or shop. I think regular valuable updates to customers via the right channels can make a difference.
A few ideas:
Twitter - Glimpse into the everyday characters, musings, events, etc.
Blog - Culture of Simply Gourmet; Retail Food Industry; Cooking/Buying how-to Videos; Personal Shopping Guides; Budget Gourmet ideas; Promotions (catered lunch giveaway); and the sky is the limit
Video - How-to cooking AND buying; Behind the Scenes; Customer Testimonials; Quiz Show; etc.
Networking - Great FB Fan page - Now find where your target customers are and Participate! Local food blogs/forums, industry food blogs/forums, and meetup groups can be worth the time commitment. Also, networking/partnering with other businesses (caterers, bakeries, schools, office buildings, delivery services, online food businesses, tech events and conferences, etc.)
Scope - Just because the business is local doesn't mean it can't extend its reach/presence beyond the current market. Strive to be the best Gourmet Bistro and Groceria in the county, state, US...Let us know what Simply Gourmet is doing better than everyone else. How-to videos, articles, guides and other media can be passed around easily. Maybe someone will recommend Simply Gourmet if a friend is in the area. Maybe another local business will read your blog and have Simply Gourmet cater an event.
Basically, social media (as Senior Brogan helps us all understand) won't solve your problems, but SM can enable you and your business/brand to better interact with your customers. Have the conversation. Facilitate the conversation. It's 2009 - Why Not Social Media?
@chris_lugo
He's got to think bigger. He's not just in the restaurant/groceria biz, he's in the food/relationship biz. People need/want food. People need/want relationships.
He's going to have to get real social with area businesses, community groups, and organizations.
Many of the ideas above are good
-meetups are good
-special event nights
-catering with twitter/blog post discounts,
(i would think niche, like catering for football parties/weddings/bachelor parties/even funerals..there's a story there but anyway)
-ad trade and tweets to generate buzz
-how about popping up a webcam when you have these events, mogulus, ustreamtv, now you're the hotspot for social media and you can promote w/social media and it's and SEO Hot Tamale
-free wifi, can't tell you how many times i've gone in to a place and left because of no wifi, I would have even chipped in some $ for the usage. Advertise the heck out of it, especially the college crowd! I think we all know a few college dives that have survived decades because it's "the spot" to go when you're in town.
Just my 2 cents, hope it helps and good luck. I'm a little surprised you didn't give him a little link love Chris...Simply Gourmet Bistro and Groceria...;) seriously, they need to get a website as of yesterday, wordpress=free and mucho SEO
The key was not in what we could do to draw people to the event, but the community interaction once a few people got excited about it. All I did was reach out, and I do not have a huge social media presence. The fans took the event and ran with it. It was a highly successful event, by the way, with a full roster of bands, and it wouldn't have happened without social media.
My recommendation is to do all you can online with social media, but also to do what others have recommended here. Deb's newsletter idea is great, as is graywolf's suggestion to generate events and talk them up on Twitter, and Lori's suggestion for meetups. Also, make sure you're listed in Google Local, etc. Be sure to send out press releases whenever you have anything newsworthy to say.
Best wishes for a successful new year for John and his business!
1) Blog. Blog about everything local, how the business is going, the visitor that stopped by for a cup of coffee that you invited from Twitter/LinkedIn/Facebook/etc. The blog will help online awareness.
2) Newsletter. Print or email. People like humor. Use it to develop relationships. The newsletter will help develop and strengthen the relationships you've started.
3. Find out what business professionals are on Linkedin and are in/around your city. Invite them in for a coffee on you. Give them a special edition print newsletter that you only hand out to those you invite so they can take something away with them and pass on to friends. Give them another free coffee to give to their friend in the newsletter.
4. Have a cause? Join or start a Facebook group to help connect/build relationships.
Good luck!
Gary McElwain
For small businesses like this it's not about share-of-market, though, it's about share of customer. While the foundation is building above, how might he get a bigger share of the customers he has?
How about building a simple loyalty program over cellphones? CouponZap.com has a simple app, they'd just collect people's mobile numbers to send coupons with specials just for "club" members. Program details would depend on the needs of thier business... if they could convert more of their morning coffee business into lunch customers, for example, would that help? If so, collect numbers in the morning, and send out alerts at 11:00, with free soda or buy 1/get 1 type offers just for club members. Maybe specifics are different, but you get the idea.
Others have mentioned this but if you have a local college, get involved! Sponsor athletic teams, events, athletic department lunch in exchange for P.A. announcements at games, in-game contests (winner gets a deli sandwich!), same goes for local HS. Greek system events, big weekends (mom's weekend, graduation, homecoming, etc.). Offer delivery to faculty.
Most grocery stores have coupons on the back of the receipt for local vendors, offer something if they bring in the coupon.
Kids eat free night (set menu), kids won't come alone & parents eat more!
Start a local 'tradition' for all of us creatures of habit, like 'Fajita Friday' or 'Taco Tuesday' and yes, I like Mexican food.
Good Luck!
My own humble contribution, a story from March 2008 about when the St. Paul Cookie Company in Minnesota was facing hard times. http://tinyurl.com/stpaulcookiecompany
Best of luck to all.
It all comes down to executing a brilliant plan. It might take months, but if the person has a little luck, persistence and enough cash in the bank to get over the low funds they have a great shot.
Or offer to do something like a tasting menu for a dining group. The main organizer would still be comped, but you would set up a per person price that the other members of the group could pre-pay to the organizer so that you have a guaranteed guest count. See a similar event below:
http://pleasurepalate.blogspot.com/2008/07/tast...
Working with dining groups will give you a guarantee that people will come in. Of course, once they're in the door, you just have to impress them enough to want to come back.
For a food shop the target market is maximum fifty miles from the location of the shop. Was difficult to reach Twitterers in that particular radius, but Facebook worked well. For instance, we created an ambasador program for the businesses around where one ambasador who placed the order for the firm got free lunch.
One other thing that can be done even in a small shop -- market segmentation: For instance:
Fitness & Weight Loss= Healthy Sandwitches- people who are on fitness programs (not diets), exercise and need to eat accordingly (eat more to lose weight-- I am happy to explain John). Why not have these 'healthy' sandwitches available in the shop and properly labeled (Wholefoods is trying to have a similar corner). People may appreciate the convenience, order entire meals to make sure their workouts pay off. And of course, in connecting with some fitness facilities in the area this would work even better. Just one example-- but there are many.
I think that long term, social media may help build identlty and following, but to stay in business now, ingenuity and being creative on the 50 miles radius available is best.
Use it to connect with small businesses in similar situations or your target audience (food lovers) not for new customers but for ideas. Or find that small deli in NYC that has leveraged social media to create tons of press and customers. Connect with them and see if they have some interesting techniques that could help you get some business over that other local deli.
Finaly use it to brand yourself as an expert in your field. If enough people follow you and respect you the opportunities for bigger and better things are endless.
Getting the words out is not the challenge here, SM or not. Lots of good suggestions above. But it is a local, brick-and-mortar biz, and marketing needs to be done accordingly.
Hopefully thousands of people living in or around the area will start to get floods of tickets/coupons about the place. position it as a social experiment.
just a thought....
Hell yeah! Have you ever seen the awesome writeup on the Caminito Steakhouse by Jason Falls? I think Jason really nails it -- involvement is key. Justin Levy of Caminito is doing a brilliant job.
Dave
i live in central oregon and it's amazing to me in this great little town how all the shops close at 7-8pm - coffee shops people! i don't get it. this little tea place opened and they stay open until 11 or 12 during the week and it is always packed. all they've done is be the best (and only) tea place in town and made sure to attract the high school crowd. KEY.
I'm sure you do coupons right? Some on your website, some in the newspaper, some on the radio, or a partner company. Ask people from around the InterNETS to pay money to have a sandwich named after them (or the info on the coupon) that would include their URL, twitter handle, whatever for the day/week/month! The coupon they print, or have on their phone would have the information of the sponsor.
It give recognition to those that are helping your cause, showcases your use and understanding of social media, and bring business in. Not only that, but think of all the people that may come to your place in Peabody, MA to visit your place because they participated.
You have officially become a destination like Chrisbrogan.com and you will become the first social media-friendly restaurant established in 2009.
And if you use this idea, just for kicks, it would be cool to see an @vikdug sandwich! Let me know where to PayPal my $100!
Good luck!
Vik Duggal
1. SM is a tactic and not a strategy. Also,
2. Restaurants and retail are two distinct animals which sell two distinct products.
No matter how small the biz (and especially restaurants) you need to think strategically about your marketing. Identifying your target market and connecting with them to support your efforts at building better relationships through channels that they utilize - if it's SM then great but if not you're throwing good money after bad.
Delivery is also an option or having an internet buy with scheduled pickup (for an added fee), where the items are all bagged and ready for local residents to just come pick things up. That would be something he could look into. This is attractive to busy people, especially those into PR, social media, blogging, etc. Just pop on the net, place an order, show up at the store 30 minutes later, grab the bag, and go. You can either pay online or pay at the store when you get there, to pick it up.
If he has an internet presence, then social media is going to be what can let the world know about all of the offerings he has. I.E. If his business goes mail order, what better way to spread such news than via twitter, facebook, etc.?
But they could take it a step further--by also having a Twitter account. Twitter is great for fast-breaking announcements. And to also keep a "pulse" on what's going on in the community and the world (usually in your same or close time-zone).
Folks need to "think outside the box"... there are ideas for paper "newsletters" (maybe printed on place-mats?), ideas for the "buy 9, get the 10th free" business cards, and other "Guerrilla Marketing" techniques. With today's economic mess, small businesses MUST be innovative--or they risk extinction.
I hope this helps... best of luck!
Free to publish! You can buy for 20 cents a page and resell to your customers or give them out for free to customers who are on your mailing lists, then once you get all their emails and addresses you can send them coupon books to give out to their friends and family, call it the VIP club or something...
www.magcloud.com
Good Luck
Racheal A. Mack
www.moveandshakemarketing.com
Using social media while expanding his internet presence (through mail order, delivery services and/or pickup orders via web form) can be enhanced by social media, but for many struggling businesses without expanding the customer base beyond local, the struggles will continue.
Just a note on mail order: You can ship nearly anything these days thanks to dry ice shipping methods. I've received mail order cheese, meat (lamb, bacon, buffalo steaks, etc.), jams and jellies, Chicago deep dish pizza, cheesecakes, cookies, brownies, candy, etc. Even Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan sends out kits to make their world famous Ruben Sandwiches (and charges a fortune - but they are worth it - the best Ruben you will EVER eat - hand's down!). So, there should be something John's business could potentially mail out to customers across the U.S.
Can someone help you with the marketing side? I'm guessing your time is totally taken up with food preparation and service...and then sleep after a 16 hour day.
Good luck!
I plan to check you out next time I'm up on the North Shore!
It's all about local relationships - social media is local as well as global.
your post was the best social media thing that could happen to John.
Easy, not pricey and an international reach.
What a pitty, I cannot order directly some hot food from Germany.
Stefan
I have 2
First, the 4:30 pm "what am I going to cook for dinner?" moment. How I'd love a daily email, twitter, or RSS feed with your "take home" dinner specials. I have read that this is a sector that is particularly growing; people who are too busy to plan home cooked meals, but want to still have dinner at home with the family.
Secondly, as someone suggested above, healthy. It's January. Places like Weight Watchers have maximum enrollment numbers. They meet weekly, and what do they talk about at these meetings? Food! Where to eat out and stay on program, what to eat at home. Most restaurants have few if any healthy options that fit into the plan. If you can seed into that market, word of mouth will spread, both in person and online. You probably cannot use the official Weight Watchers 'points' system, but if you get hold of the parameters, you can post the required nutritional information so that members can figure it out for themselves. Make this available online as well -- in fact, if I were on WW, I would love a "WW only" daily email, so I wouldn't be tempted by the other offerings.
1) LinkedIn and facebook as many customers as you can. Then ask them who handles booking lunch catering. Companies are looking to cut back so you may have to lowball, but it is great incremental business.
2) Email. Lots of great email ideas here, but think about weather based offers. There was a deli in California a few years ago that only emailed on rainy days. Her business died when the weather was bad...the email offset that. Forget about "newsletters"...focus on direct offers.
3) Blog. Blog early and often...as many times a day as possilble. Focus on the keywords that drive your business and use ShareThis to push your blog posts to your social networks like facebook and twitter. Your blogs posts can also be used for your emails
4) Drive time. What about a 4pm dinner idea email every day. I don't know about your life, but at 4 people start thinking about the commute...the swim team, the parent teacher meeting and soccer. so dinner is either Mac & Cheese, fast food or a pizza again. this is a great time to hit people up with a take out alternative
5) Neighbors. Get the addresses of your customers. Forget valpack and use whitepages.com which has a great feature called "find neighbors"
enter in the name and address of your customer and it will give you the names and addresses of up to 10 neighbors. Use your PC and printer to make postcards and mail to them offers to try you out. Remember frequency works here. It may sound old fashioned but three or 4 of these home made postcards mailed to a prospect over a couple of weeks will cost you about $2.50 including postage and it really works.
6) Do what Zingermans does! This is the most successful deli in America and have been rock star relationship marketers forever.
http://www.zingermansdeli.com/content/pages/hom...
Bookmark them and do what they do!
Chris Baggott
CEO
Compendium Blogware
www.compendiumblogware.com
You definitely are the prime example of the KLT Factor! This was a super generous thing that you did for John in this post. I called John directly and here is his Twitter for the shop:
http://twitter.com/simplygourmet
Maybe everyone posting would like to follow him. John seems pretty saavy and will be posting his upcoming ideas. If anyone was involved in the Motrin Moms issue back in November the you know the power of a retweet! Follow @simplygourmet and help John out with RT's.
Tweetups are a great idea especially if they are done around an already planned conference or event. John is 20 mins from Boston so if anyone is going to an event or conference in Boston, they may want to consider planning a Tweet Up or Meet Up at John's shop.
John--very best of luck to you!
Tina
@bestreflections
I love the way that you crowdsourced all of these great ideas. I'd been scratching my head on how to use social media to help one of my favorite restaurants (Joe Squared in Baltimore), and in addition to pointing him at all the gold in these comments, I've put a similar post on my blog (http://budurl.com/JoeSquared). Now if only I had your following!
All the best to John and the team at the Simply Gourmet Bistro and Groceria. I'll definitely look in and see them, if I get up to that part of the world.
Lastly, do you have menu's at local companies in town? Perhaps a specific menu tailored for noon lunch meetings, with a special business discount 1 day a week, or free delivery w a planned route? You could also use that menu to start to build a SM following in the business community, ie see twitter for deals etc. SM though is a longer term strategy, the local community is where you can leverage short and long term results.
My idea - maybe he'd enjoy offering cooking classes that teach people how to use some of the delicious but uncommon ingredients he sells. The economy is definitely down, but people who used to order take-out 3 or 4 times a week can save money and eat better by cooking fine food at home. They just need help figuring out how.
Good luck to John and small business owners everywhere.
okay, he needed an makeover, but he had a great sandwich, for a great price, and sharing that 411 is what social media is all about.
You have answered your own question.
Where else could you get the assistance of almost a hundred people to give ideas freely to assist a total stranger.
The total secret of social media is this phenomenum of giving. In the real world people still have not adopted this strategy.
Abundance to All
Croz
PS. I have a few extra special ideas that I am prepared to sell. lol
@crozfromoz
what I think for food business all what can be done, is held like a tweetup there bring more friends who might become regular new customers... am miles away to attend but duno if those near by can do...
good luck guys.
cheers!
Jean
j
Good to see the ideas flowing forth. @chris I was in the audience at Wordcamp and enjoyed your humor. Maybe you could so some stand up at Simply Gourmet? Or maybe John can settle for running some Meetup.com events and tweetups, making sure to invite you ;-)
On the grand scale? They could develop a trademark cookie (or candy for that matter) and go after those of us who make up the online community. They could contact various bloggers in a wide variety of niches, and offer to send them a sample of their deliciousness (in exchange for them telling their readers about it).
Bloggers are consistent. If you send us coffee, chocolate, or cookies - we're instantly on your team! And, face it, no one makes more noise than we do.
For the sake of social media and what seems to be like a good group of people, I can donate some design services to do something like that if it is of any interest.
I'd focus on so many other aspects of customer service and interacting with the community in person before I'd send it into the ground because of the short attention spans of a few novelty-hounds.
I do think local restaurants can get a lot of value from social media. You need to have a local focus, but people naturally have a local network in place (friends, neighbours, schools, work, etc) -> these are all local connections.
And while 'everyone' in Peabody might already know that John's business exists, social media is great to keep the awareness alive and increase the number of times people come in to his place. If everyone in Peabody knows he is there, then that should be his focus: increase customer loyalty.
Newsletters, tweetups/meetups, are great ways to keep that awareness alive, but what makes people come back if they know something new is going on. Are you sharing your newest menu items? Maybe you could even have a couple of new-menu-item-testers.
If your location is holding you back in growing your business, you have to get your food to the place where your customers are: options have been mentioned: delivery, take-out, catering, or sampling.
Unfortunately good food and good service aren't the only 2 things you need to stay in business. You have to get to a healthy customer base first, and that will only work, if people know you exist. Then second step is to increase customer loyalty. And there you have it, your existing customers love you & keep coming back and new customers are walking in the door.
Keep feeding your customers with new content (new menu items? new events?) and reach out, and you will be one of the success stories.