Posts Tagged ‘Internet Marketing’
Google Places: A techie’s phonebook, but better!
Last week, I decided I wanted to go roller skating. However, I wasn’t up to date with the rinks closest to my house. I went to Google, searched “Roller Skating Rinks” and instantly found the closest ones to my house. How? Google Places. This is a business listing that will put your restaurant into Google search and Google maps. By doing this, you can map where your restaurant is, what your specialties are, and even offer coupons to your customers.
However, this is not the best part of Google Places. One of the most emphasized portions of a campaign is the evaluation. Many times this important step gets looked over because it can be difficult to track. Google Places can give you this kind of information in an easy to understand interface.
For example, once you enlist your restaurant to Google Places, you can find out what terms people often search for to get to your restaurant, be it “Pizza” or “French Cuisine.” Another fabulous feature is the ability to see where people get directions from to come to your restaurant. If you see a trend of many people coming from the other side of town, you could potentially open a sister restaurant in a closer vicinity that you already know would have a strong customer base.
The best part of Google Places? It’s FREE! To learn more, check out the informative video below, or go to www.google.com/places.
The Social Media Craze of Foursquare
On Monday, July 10th, Foursquare, a location-based social networking site, crossed over the 2 million users mark. Compared to other social media sites, this may not seem like much of a landmark. However, Foursquare is different than a regular page where you keep a profile. On Foursquare, users can tell others where they are at that moment and rack up points for visiting locations. Users can collect virtual badges and become the mayor of their most frequent spots.
I think that Foursquare could prove itself to be a great opportunity for a restaurant. If you created a profile for your restaurant, people can then ‘check in’ at your place and show their friends where they love to eat. It’s a great way for restaurants to get their name out there without paying for a huge advertising campaign. It is possible that just by being on Foursquare and seeing that a friend had something from your favorite restaurant that you would want to do the same by ordering online through MenuDrive.
What do you think? Does Foursquare have staying power? Should restaurants create profiles so users can check in at their locations? We want to hear from you!
Cold Stone Creamery Utilizes Facebook
On hot summer days, there is nothing better than a cone of ice cream to cool you off. Popular ice cream restaurant Cold Stone Creamery is using their facebook page to reach new customers and regulars alike. On June 30th, Cold Stone Creamery announced a facebook contest for a creating a new flavor that will be released in 2011.
I think this is a great way for Cold Stone Creamery to really connect with their customers and involve them in the research process. It’s a win-win for them; they get a new flavor and create hype around their facebook page. Many companies have found success by using social media, specifically facebook, to involve their customers, get opinions and to hype the brand.
Recently, we have created a MenuDrive product facebook page. This can announce new partnerships that the popular online ordering software enters, help to promote restaurants who join the service and alert customers to updates coming to the software. The customers can also give feedback for the software, create discussion posts and create their own pages that others can ‘like.’
How do you feel about using social media for businesses? Is it an effective way to advertise and reach your customer base?
