Category: Advice

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Retail Marketing Communications Digital Media Advice Trends

Using SMS Marketing to Get Return Customers to a Retail Shop

Using SMS Marketing

Despite recent events sky rocketing the success of retail SMS marketing, text strategy has steadily grown in the last decade. From time pressing promos to lapsing coupons, retail SMS marketing campaigns have proven to be a more effective marketing channel than email campaigns. You’re able to send short, to-the-point, high priority messages straight to the consumer’s preferred channel of communication. When it comes down to it, 78% of shoppers say SMS is the fastest way to reach them and they are six to eight times more likely to engage with text messages than emails.

In fact, 99% of SMS marketing campaigns are read and email marketing has failed to meet the same metrics, dropping 47% in open rate performance over the last 5 years. Through open lines of communication, like text messaging, you can make your retail shop more accessible. Social media platforms and SMS marketing allow shoppers to interact with your brand on a personal level. Sharing feedback and coming face to face with your brand’s voice in casual settings are just a couple of reasons shoppers are able to build a relationship and trust with your store.

Retail SMS marketing technique wins engagement over shoppers at every level of the marketing funnel. Whether they are prospects or existing customers, shoppers signed up for your store’s SMS marketing builds customer loyalty and fosters repeat purchases. Once you have their information, you can send new discounts or products available your shoppers might be interested in.

You can make your retail SMS marketing campaigns more successful by sending personalized and pertinent messages. Bulk text blasts are a thing of the past and are not viable in the retail industry. One-to-one messages deliver content shoppers truly want to read and have the potential to communicate your brand’s voice, values and image on a completely different level. To see how Push has helped retail stores seize their potential, check out our case studies.

So how can you push retail SMS marketing messages to drive sales? Here are four tips get shoppers back in-store.

1. Deliver discount details:

When shoppers know a sale is starting, and more importantly ending, it will drive more traffic to your store and website to purchase before the promotion is over.

2. Send can’t miss coupons:

More often than not, coupons are extremely timely. They are a simple marketing strategy to attract shoppers for saving on regular prices. But it also positively impacts your customer loyalty, therefore increasing repeat purchases.

3. Enrolled loyalty program messages:

If you don’t already have a loyalty program, you should consider setting one up for your loyal shoppers. Personalized messages are important to this audience because you are making their shopping experience quicker, easier and personal. Loyalty programs not only measure repeat purchases but connects your brand to shoppers.

4. Seasonal sale reminders:

These promos bring in big bucks and helps sustain stores during slow periods. You can also build off of these sales to increase loyalty among shoppers.

For more strategies on how to drive traffic to your retail store, check out our previous blog titled 5 Strategies to Bring Customers Back to Your Retail Shop.

Email marketing may not be completely out of the picture, but shoppers are 40% more likely to convert when they receive text marketing. If your goal is to drive in-store traffic and increase repeat purchases, retail SMS marketing is a useful resource. Short, concise and personalized text marketing, according to the voice and tone of your brand, has shown statistical success and can help your store grow in more than one aspect. 

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Restaurant Branding Digital Media Advice Trends

When is the Best Time For Restaurants to Bring on a Branding Agency?

When is the Best Time For Restaurants to Bring on a Branding Agency?

Have you ever sat back and wondered, “Why are guests choosing my restaurant?” When it comes down to it, there are a multitude of options for eating out, and guests are looking for great taste and an even better experience. Details like restaurant design style, staff attitude, menu marketing and brand image work together to deliver a unique story and selling point for your consumers.

Maintaining your restaurant’s brand is as important as laying the foundation that solidifies and stimulates the growth of your customer base. Keeping a close watch on quickly evolving trends and aesthetics will help you identify when your brand is due for an update. Timing is everything. Hiring a restaurants branding agency could be a game changer for your business strategy. But what most leaders don’t know is the time to hire is now. Here’s why:

Bringing on a restaurants branding agency earlier in the game will win you more in the long run.

Designing a brand from scratch when you don’t know where to start is a tall order. Especially if you don’t know what questions to ask or how to put your mission on display for the world. That’s why it’s important to understand the value of investing in a restaurants branding agency. Hiring outside help may seem intimidating, but in actuality, the uneasiness is temporary and the pay off is epic. Some of the most eminent leaders in the restaurant industry knew having a well-defined, and relevant brand, would give them the space to run their business more efficiently and effectively. And they wouldn’t have to worry about rebranding down the line because they already have an established partnership with professionals who know how to monitor, maintain and refresh their restaurant brand.

Laying a solid foundation builds up your brand’s future

Restaurant guests want to invest in brands they know align with their own values. In fact, 64% of consumers say that this allows them to trust and build relationships with businesses. Giving your brand a personality also gives it a place to live in the market. That’s one of the benefits of partnering with Push, we have restaurants rebranding down to a science and can help you create an identity your customers can connect with.

Establishing a brand that is flexible enough to stay relevant and consistent allows it to evolve

Remaining stagnant does not foster growth or development in any aspect of the industry. We live in an ever-evolving era that dips, twists and turns at the share of one social media post. It’s important to stay aware of the changes happening around you so you can shift quickly. If you witness new trends appearing among your audience, you should trust your customers’ judgment and follow their lead.

The content of this document/layout will be officially proofread prior to the final approval of the art or copy document.

Bringing on a restaurants branding agency to update and maintain your brand allows you to increase your bottom line by attracting like-minded franchise partners, employees dedicated to and passionate about your mission and values and developing trusted relationships with your guests.

Interested in seeing how Push put restaurant brands on the map? Restaurant store design, marketing strategy and brand positioning are just a few ways we help restaurants build off of a relevant, strong foundation for their future. Check out our work here.

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Marketing Communications Advice Education

5 Lessons From Successful University Marketing Campaigns

5 Lessons From Successful University Marketing Campaigns

Colleges and universities looking to stay relevant with today’s potential students are presented with a unique challenge to create and share content that entertains and inspires. And, as new student enrollment continues to decline  year over year it’s becoming increasingly important to implement marketing strategies that have a proven track record. So, here are 5 lessons your institution can implement into your next campaign to help engage potential students.

Lesson 1: Get Emotional

According to several studies, appealing to your prospective student’s emotions with a positive spin can help make your message resonate. In fact, a  Nielson study  found that individuals are 8.4x more likely to trust a company and 7.1x more likely to make a purchase when they feel a positive emotion from that brand.

What’s more, showcasing real and shared experiences with photography and video can help invite your prospective students in, such as an inspiring story of an alumni’s financial life after getting their degree, or showing how networking through school helped change a life. For example, a Harvard University campaign showed how two graduates with disabilities connected and worked together to form a resource that empowered other students. Whichever stories you choose to highlight, as WordStream notes, it is import to “think outside the box and pull together some compelling story lines to draw new leads in.”

Lesson 2: Emphasize Career Outcomes 

In a  2019 survey  of American college freshmen administered by  the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute, the most popular reason cited for attending college is to get a good job.  While that may come as no surprise to some, it emphasizes the fact that alumni careers are an effective strategy to showcasing the possibilities with a degree-seeking students. One great way to do this is to highlight outstanding alumni and work with them to become brand ambassadors off campus. Another, is to take Boston College’s approach with a webpage dedicated to listing the career outcomes for their previous students.

Lesson 3: Know Your Audience

When it comes to reaching prospective students, instead of a general and wide approach, aim for narrow and niche. Is your university known for environmental science? Or an outstanding business school? Personalizing your message to prospective students with interests in the programs your University is known for is more likely to resonate and engage those prospective students. This is especially true in targeted social campaigns across age, gender, detailed targeting and interests for current high school students. Justing as we’ve covered in  5 Post-COVID Branding Trends for Universities, “If you try to appeal to every possible student looking to go to college, you might not be speaking as directly as you could be to those students who would be the perfect match for your school and who are more likely to enroll if you’re able to connect with them in the right way.”

Lesson 4: Pivot to Video

It’s a phrase popularized by the rise of short-form content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, Snapchat and TikTok. But it couldn’t be more true when it comes to getting your university in front of prospective students. Video content is digestible, visually stimulating, has the power to convey a powerful message effectively and is suited to the mobile experience. And seeing as how 8 in 10 students visit college websites on mobile, this is an incredibly  important factor. Furthermore, marketers who use video  grow revenue 49% faster  than marketers who don’t. It’s also no secret in the higher education industry, with  86% of universities  and colleges having a presence on YouTube. 

One great example is a Leeds University campaign ‘Student Life at Leeds’ which  “not only speaks the language of existing and prospective students, but puts people in the shoes of someone studying at the university in a way that is visually inspiring.”

Lesson 5:  Showcase UGC

A study from Digital Marketing Institute found that “brand engagement improves by  28%  when consumers are exposed to both professional and user-generated content.”  Plus, the same study found that 9 out of 10 students  consult a college search review site when researching where to study. From this, it’s clear that prospective students trust the insights and opinions of their peers, which is all the more reason to leverage user-generated content (UGC) in your next campaign. This could take the form of student social media takeover days, student-led Q&A sessions via Facebook or Instagram live and even guest blog posts on your institution’s website written by existing students or alumni. Any of these UGC strategies can help your prospective students to connect with existing students on a personal level, which shows transparency and builds trust with your brand.

For more on how Push can help with your education marketing efforts, contact us or here or call 407-841-2299.

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Marketing Communications Digital Media Advice

7 Ways To Bring More Customers With a Google My Business Listing

7 Ways To Bring More Customers With a Google My Business Listing

When it comes to search, Google is the undisputed heavyweight champ of the world, getting an average of 40,000 search queries per second or roughly a whopping 3.5 billion searches a day. This makes Google an incredibly powerful tool for businesses to gain brand awareness, improve website traffic, acquire new leads and more. 

Below we discuss seven ways to use Google My Business to increase customers. If you haven’t already set up your Google My Business account, we suggest you do so now. It’s free, so why not?

1. Become more visible online, aka rank better in search results.

Google likes business that are trustworthy and offer high quality goods or services. By setting up a Google My Business account, you are letting the search engine know that you are a legit business that has disclosed accurate information about your company. Your unique information helps you stand out from your competitors and can help you rank higher. 

2. Increase trust and credibility with customers.

There are many Google My Business features that can make your listing more appealing to viewers and credible to potential customers. You can upload different types of photos to show off your physical space, your products or services and more. There’s even an option to publish an indoor Street View as a virtual tour of your business. Is it worth the effort to enhance your Google My Business listing? Yes!  Listings with photos and a virtual tour are twice as likely to generate interest. As far as increasing your online credibility, customers are 70% more likely to visit businesses with a Google My Business listing and 29% more likely to buy something. 

3. Show customer reviews.

These days, online customer reviews can make or break a business. In fact, 87% of potential customers won’t even consider businesses with low customer ratings. Google My Business not only allows you to display customer ratings, it allows you to respond to customer feedback and reviews, which gives you the opportunity to resolve problems and demonstrate great customer service. 

4. Improve discoverability/visibility.

Almost everyone starts with search to find your business or products. Make it easier for them to do that. A Google My Business account ensures that when someone searches for your company or product online, your company shows up on Google Search and Google Maps. Once it does, your listing has all the information they are after, like website, location, contact info, how to visit, etc. 

5. Keep customers quickly and easily informed.

Having your company’s information clearly displayed on your Google My Business listing helps customers get important information instantly. But beyond listing helpful things like your address, hours of operation and contact info, Google My Business allows you inform customers of updates, like that you’ve expanded your services, temporarily closed or fully reopened. This is a valuable feature, as updates like these can help avoid customer confusion and build trust.

6. Be discoverable on local searches.

When someone searches for a restaurant using search terms like, “restaurants near me” or “restaurants in…” Google displays local listings. These local listings have seen an increase in visibility over or organic search results. So having your accurate info in Google My Business is the best way for your company to be discovered when people are looking for products or services in your area. 

7. Customize your listing to perform best.

We’ve discussed how you can use Google My Business to increase sales, boost traffic and elevate your search rankings, but you can customize your listing to make it do even more. Add your business phone number to enable people to contact you in a click. Or consider adding buttons like “Share,” “Make a Reservation” and “Call Now” to allow people to take immediate action. 

Google My Business is a powerful resource to put to work for your company. It’s free and takes just a few minutes to set up, which makes it a no brainer. Ready to step up your search game? This is a good place to start.

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Marketing Communications Advice

Increase Revenue and Reduce Costs with Employee Communication

Increase Revenue and Reduce Costs with Employee Communication

We all know the importance of good communication in our personal relationships and the positive impact it has on our lives. So it’s important to remember that open, clear and ongoing communication in a business setting has just as many benefits that leads to better profits. In fact, it’s been reported that companies with effective communication strategies see 47% higher total returns to shareholders. Here, we’ll take a closer look at the very real cost of poor communication with employees and offer a few ways to improve your internal communication strategy, and in turn, the health of your business.

How Does Employee Communication Affect Your Bottom Line?

employee frustrated at work

Poor communication can have several adverse effects on your business, and all of these issues result in one common thing—less profit.  Here are just a few of the issues that can arise and end up impacting your bottom line.

Weakened culture

A breakdown of communication can cause a collapse of company culture when employees don’t feel engaged. The Gallup State of the American Workplace report put it succinctly: “Actively

disengaged employees aren’t just unhappy at work—they are resentful that their needs aren’t being met and are acting out their unhappiness. Every day, these workers potentially undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish.” These disengaged employees can be a drag on productivity, morale and profit. Inversely, a Gallup study of nearly 200 organizations reported that companies with the highest levels of employee engagement were 22% more profitable and 21% more productive than those with low levels of engagement.

Decreased employee productivity

Even when your employees are engaged and striving to do their best, if you don’t have the proper communication channels set up, productivity can still suffer as they’ll waste time looking for vital information or have to take the time to redo something if they weren’t clear on a process or protocol to begin with.

Higher employee turnover

When employees don’t feel like they’re connected to company culture or are confused about their role and what’s expected of them, turnover is likely to follow. Employee retention and profitability go hand-in-hand because employee turnover is costly. As studies have shown, it costs employers 33% of a worker’s annual salary to hire a replacement, while other research suggests that it costs as much as three times their salary. So eliminating poor communication as a reason for employee discontent can certainly save you money in the long run.

How You Can Improve Your Communication and Your Profits

person talking with coworker on a video call

Now that we’ve discussed the importance of employee communication, let’s take a look at some ways you can better internal communication in your business.

Utilize communication channels and techniques

The first step to clear communication is establishing the foundation for how you will communicate with employees. Take advantage of technology resources that can make it easier to connect and establish a clear flow of how information is disseminated within your business. Additionally, make sure there’s an emphasis put on communication in your company culture. Expert Laquita Clear advises to “create a culture of communication within your organization” and to “establish new processes that focus on effective communication education and commit to maintaining awareness for the long-term.”

Ensure your employees have a voice

Making sure your employees are heard can go a long way in improving your culture of communication. This is vitally important given that as many as 78% of employees say they’d work harder if their contributions were recognized. And as we previously noted, employees feel more connected to and invested in your business when they feel listened to and heard. Setting up an ongoing way to collect their feedback and ideas can be as simple as an old-fashioned suggestion box, dedicated email address or a Slack channel where people can easily collaborate.

Create consistent training

Finally, getting everybody on the same page when it comes to communication starts with training. As we discussed in an earlier post, proper training ensures they feel connected to your business from day one and they can better communicate your brand story and make customers feel even more connected.

There are more ways to increase revenue with improved employee communication, but we hope these ideas are a good jumping off point for your business. For more on how Push can help with your education marketing efforts, contact us here or call 407-841-2299.

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Restaurant Advice

Bringing Diners Back To Your Tables

Bringing Diners Back To Your Tables

As diner confidence continues to grow across the country, it is imperative that restaurants turn their focus to recreating the wonderful benefits only an authentic dine-in experience can offer. Diners are hungry for restaurants with safe, approachable, and efficient operations. So here are a few ways you can get their attention and gain their trust in a post-pandemic world. 

KEEP IT CLEAN

Since the beginning of the pandemic, diners have become increasingly aware of cleanliness. In fact, according to a Medallia study, 79% of consumers say that going forward, they will seek out the health and safety standards that businesses have in place before visiting.  With this in mind, it’s important to communicate and clearly show your sanitation measures so that customers trust in the care you are taking to keep them safe—especially the protocols that have already become routine, from wiping down seating areas between guests to spacing out your waiting areas, and making masks and gloves part of your team’s attire. As we’ve covered in the past, keeping visual cues around for your guests can help put them at ease to better enjoy the in-restaurant experience.

CONVENIENCE IS KEY

man paying at restaurant with mobile phone

Making diners feel welcome by making their experience as seamless as possible can help your restaurant stand out. According to a Vixxo survey on what diners value most about their favorite restaurants prior to the pandemic, 38% said that it’s the overall experience of an establishment—including atmosphere, employees and convenience. Consider conveniences like an online waitlist, an option to pre-order, and contactless payment options that can help increase the chances of even the most cautious customers choosing you.

KEEP THE FAVORITES & KEEP THEM FRESH

chicken sandwich

The pandemic may have forced you to re-evaluate your menu. And it appears that those adjustments may be a good idea to maintain as your restaurant returns to 100% dine-in capacity. In fact, according to Mintel’s research on US restaurant marketing strategies, removing foods that are not takeout-friendly or those that are low margin will continue to serve restaurants well even after the pandemic. But still, history shows that diners enjoy and appreciate menu innovation, so don’t be afraid to keep menu items on that continue to perform while trying seasonal, monthly, or limited-time menu recipes. 

SPEEDY DOES IT

two people eating mussels at a restaurant

Just as restaurants were quick to turn into pop-up grocery stores and set up curbside pickup operations seemingly overnight, staying flexible and in touch with the needs of your diners will be critical for your restaurant’s long-term success. As Medallia put it, since the pandemic, “customers expect more from brands today and they expect it faster.” Sending your diners short, quick feedback via SMS  or asking for open-ended feedback tied to a bounce-back offer may help you better navigate what makes or breaks a memorable dine-in experience and what your diners expect at the moment.

Ultimately, diners will return to the restaurants that they believe provide them with the best value and experience. While the capacities and seating arrangements may change, food quality, consistency, conveniences, and cleanliness will continue to be the defining factors for welcoming your diners back for more.

 

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Restaurant Marketing Communications Advice

The Diner Spending Surge

The Diner Spending Surge

With  half of all US adults fully vaccinated as of June 2021, the restaurant industry is seeing encouraging signs that customers are ready to spend their money on the  meaningful culinary experiences  they’ve missed over the last year. In fact, according to a  MasterCard  press release, spending at US restaurants is even up from pre-pandemic levels, increasing 6 percent over 2019. And as restaurants begin to transition back to full capacity, here are four ways you can make the most of the diner spending surge.

CREATE EXCLUSIVE DINE-IN EXPERIENCES

A May 2020 Rewards Network Survey found that 60% of diners are eager to dine out once they feel safe doing so. And welcoming them back with experiences that can’t be replicated at home may bring even more to dine in. This could include exclusive menu items that don’t travel well, to-go being prioritized on the menu, table-side menu item experiences that bring the cooks to the table, live entertainment or even rewarding your most loyal guests who supported your restaurant during the pandemic with a free app or dessert for dining in.

REVISIT YOUR DINE-IN MENU

As we’ve covered in the past about streamlining menus for to-go orders, now is a great time to re-evaluate your menu for in-restaurant dining. This doesn’t necessarily mean investing in new hardcopy menus either, as customers have grown accustom to viewing menus on their phone with apps like The Paperless Menu.  But it does mean focusing on menu items that are best enjoyed fresh from the kitchen, such as old favorites removed during the pandemic, re-evaluating or introducing high-margin menu items that didn’t travel well as to-go orders, or even introducing new comfort food recipes that have been trending since the pandemic. 

GET THE TABLES READY

According to restaurant.org, restaurants in almost all US states will be returning to full capacity by mid-June (if they haven’t already). Which means it’s also a great time to reevaluate your seating arrangement. This could mean introducing larger tables for group seating as diners are eager to get out to eat with those they’ve missed, or changing up the layout of your restaurant with more tables spaced closer than 6 feet apart. And if you’re one of the many restaurants with an outdoor seating space, don’t forget to make adjustments for capacity there as well.

KEEP TAKE OUT ON THE MENU

According to The Wall Street Journal, the pandemic has rapidly accelerated the growth for food delivery companies like DoorDash, UberEats and GrubHub. But it’s not just delivery. According to the same LendingTree survey, spending on food away from home, including at restaurants and on takeout, increased by 23.1% between April 2020 and January 2021. And that’s outpaced even the rise consumers are spending on groceries. With to-go and delivery here to stay for many consumers, now is a great time to evaluate how your restaurant handles orders for efficiency. Whether that means a dedicated to-go menu, a streamlined mobile ordering and pick up experience, a separate to-go kitchen, dedicated to-go only parking or creating a drive through for your restaurant. 

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Restaurant Marketing Communications Advice

The Struggle to Hire is Real. Here’s What You Can Do About it.

The Diner Spending Surge

As vaccines continue to roll out and the country opens back up, restaurants are struggling to do the same. Sticking to take-out and curbside nowadays has less to do with safety and much more to do with the lack of staff. In fact, this time last year the industry had laid off or furloughed roughly 5.5 million workers nationally. And bringing them back has become a challenge. 

One of the main reasons experts believe it’s become so hard to hire is the $300-a-week boost to unemployment benefits from the new $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Economists calculate that roughly half of unemployed Americans are temporarily making more from unemployment than they did from their jobs. Still, this boost is only for a short time (through September) and with health concerns lowering, we expect to see a large increase in available workers through the summer and fall. As a restaurant owner, here are a few things you can do to attract new employees. 

START WITH REFERRALS

From Silicon Valley to Wall Street, referral programs are a major way corporate America hires. The foodservice industry should be doing the same. Owners and GMs shouldn’t just encourage, but reward employees who bring in new hires. These rewards can be anything from straightforward cash bonuses to paid time off for hourly workers to tickets to sporting events, etc. Owners can tier their incentives by offering higher rewards for harder-to-fill positions and even greater rewards if the new hire stays with the store for 6 months or a year. Using your current workforce to bring in new hires is one of the most effective ways a restaurant can recruit. 

RECRUIT LOCALLY

Most restaurants serve a community, and most communities have a pool to pull from. Local universities and community colleges should be large recruiting grounds for nearby restaurants. A recent Snagajob survey showed that flexible hours and scheduling were in the top three benefits a job can offer at 89% of responses. This benefit directly impacts students who need to schedule around classes, tests and breaks. Owners and GMs should be reaching out to campus recruiters with job openings. Additionally, finding employees who live close by is crucial. Studies show that restaurant workers who live within 10 miles of their job are 50% more likely to stay past six months. Finally, once you get a foot in the door with students at a university, it should make the referral program mentioned above a breeze. 

REWARD THE EFFORT

Employee discounts have always been a major way to attract and retain employees. That same Snagajob survey also listed discounts in its top three benefits at 76% of responses. Still, there are scales to these discounts and ways to out-offer your competitors. Some restaurants only offer employee discounts during shifts, while others offer discounts at any time. To know that your employers value you when you’re not on the clock is huge for potential new workers. GMs and owners also know that for employees who rely on tips, not every shift is built equally. Offering free shift meals, even with a limited menu, shows employees that their time and effort are valued. Even on the slowest days, workers still leave feeling full.

WORK HERE, WORK ANYWHERE

As hard as restaurants try to retain their employees, we know sometimes people have to leave. Whether it’s because a spouse was offered a job elsewhere or a student is heading home for the summer, churn is inevitable. Yet, there is the potential that your restaurant chain has another location where that employee is relocating. Creating a relocation program with open communication between corporate and local restaurants will help employees on the move find new jobs wherever they’re settling. Larger corporations like Yum! Brands, who own several different restaurant chains such as KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, can help relocate employees between their different brands. You’ve spent the time and effort to train quality staff—this is one of the more effective ways to keep them in your system. 

While the struggle to hire restaurant workers is ongoing, we know it won’t last. As more vaccines roll out and unemployment benefits dwindle, experts expect a large wave of available workers in the near future. Following the steps we laid out will put any restaurant ahead of the pack when it comes to recruiting the best talent.

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Social Branding Advice

Six Ways to Succeed with Community Management

Six Ways to Succeed with Community Management

Even though social media algorithms are constantly changing, the overall purpose of social has remained the same—to make connections and share your authentic self, as a person or as a brand. Planning, creating and sharing content is a large piece of social media development, but community management is just as important. It helps to foster relationships with your followers and lets you connect with them one-to-one. It also lets them know you’re listening and that their voice matters as you respond to both positive and negative feedback. Here are six community management tips that can help grow your engagement and further your success on social. 

  1. Don’t just be a brand on social. Have a voice and a personality that makes you stand out from the rest. Create a persona and imagine you are responding to followers in person vs from behind a screen.
  1. Use captions on content that encourages engagement. Ask people to tag friends, caption posts for the brand, respond to favorites with emojis, choose between different options via comment responses and more. There are so many fun, interactive and creative ways to pull your followers in and make them want to stop scrolling and start paying attention to your content.
  1. Develop content that people want to save and come back to later, share with their friends or ask questions about it. Cooking recipes, fun experiments, interactive quizzes, children’s activities and how-to’s are all perfect for this type of content development.
  1. Acknowledge positive interactions when your followers engage with your posts. Responding to and liking comments is a great way to connect with others. Keep in mind that many social media users feel the ultimate compliment is for a brand is to share their content to the brand’s page. This is called user-generated content (or UGC for short). Brands can go even further by re-sharing Instagram Stories that others have tagged them into their own Stories.
  1. Try to address any negative feedback as quickly as possible. Imagine the customer is face-to-face vs. online. Each person on your social media team is part of the brand’s customer service team. If someone was standing right in front of you, you’d want to respond as quickly and calmly as possible. The same goes for interacting on social media. Don’t let the comment or negative feedback linger for too long. Always apologize first and foremost, then provide a solution in a polite, even-keeled and kind tone.
  1. Respond to negative feedback or concerns publicly and then move the conversation private. If you don’t respond to negative comments and feedback, it makes the brand look unresponsive. Analyze the problem via a private message to determine how to solve the issue. Keep in mind, freebies aren’t always the answer as this can encourage more negative responses. Sometimes, customers just want to be heard and acknowledged.

Overall, don’t overanalyze your interactions. Just remember to be a brand steward and keep the conversation lighthearted and fun as often as possible. There is a reason your followers are engaging with your brand or a reason they’ve reached out. The worst thing you can do is not be responsive at all. Keep the conversation going, stay friendly and at the end of the day, have fun with it!

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COVID Restaurant Marketing Communications Advice

Is 100% Capacity Right for Your Restaurant?

Is 100% Capacity Right for Your Restaurant?

As states begin to loosen COVID-19 restrictions, some restaurants are cautiously considering the same move. In Florida, which allowed restaurants to return to total capacity in September 2020, several chain owners reported a bump in sales. However, according to OpenTable, statewide restaurant reservations remain 20% lower than last year. So while local restrictions ease, the demand may take time to catch up. If you’re still deciding whether or not reopening to total capacity is right for your restaurant, here are a few important things to consider.

SLOW & STEADY

Researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that counties that allowed on-site restaurant dining had a rise in COVID-19 cases in the weeks afterward. Federal officials have also warned against removing coronavirus-related precautions too quickly as virus variants continue to circulate. If you see a similar trend in your area and local mandates currently allow 100% capacity, it may be wise to consider a few alternatives to attract diners safely.

INDOOR VS. OUTDOOR

With vaccinations on the rise throughout the U.S., diners are growing more comfortable with dining out—especially outdoors. According to an April 2021 Morning Consult survey, as much as much 68% of respondents said they feel safe sitting for a meal outside. Which is good news if you’re one of the many restaurant owners who’ve invested in an outdoor dining area. Utilizing this space as allowed by local mandates is a great place to start—especially during spring and summer. If your restaurant is limited to indoor dining, consumer comfortability continues to look promising. According to the same survey, 60% of respondents reported feeling comfortable dining out as of April 2021, and 73% of respondents said they think they’ll be comfortable dining out within six months.

ASK YOUR LOYAL GUESTS

Go straight to the source—it’s the easiest way to know for sure how many of your customers would consider dining with your restaurant again. We’ve covered the importance of loyalty programs in the past, and now is a perfect time to ask how many would consider an indoor dining experience. A simple survey and dine-in offer is a great way to gauge how many of your guests want to be in the dining room. Not only will this help you plan for seating arrangements and ideal capacity, but it can also inform how much you’ll need to order from your suppliers.

OFF-PREMISE & TO-GO REMAIN PROMISING

According to the Morning Consult survey, takeout continues to be the most popular dining option with 42% of respondents reporting ordering takeout at least once a week. If your restaurant has adjusted well to off-premise dining, consider sticking with the trend by offering menu items that travel well, along with a few others. Curbside pickup boomed during the beginning of the pandemic and demand continues to show no signs of slowing down.

MAINTAIN NEW REVENUE STREAMS

Over the last year, many restaurants found success in setting up and promoting new revenue streams. And even as restrictions ease, it’s still a good idea to maintain the ones that worked best for your restaurants, from the ever-popular family bundles around holidays and special occasions to extra helpings of heat-and-eat meals.

REMAIN FLEXIBLE

Few industries have felt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic more than the restaurant industry. And while many are anxious to return to normal, no one knows for sure what that new normal will look like. In the meantime, it’s important to listen to your guests and staff, plan ahead and make adjustments day by day to gauge when returning to 100% capacity is right for your restaurant.