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Social Media for Restaurants

Posted by Patrick

Our 4 Favorite Downtown San Diego Brunch Spots

Local SEO, Social Media for Restaurants

Cafe 21

Located on the cute little corner of downtown’s Fifth Avenue, Cafe 21 is a quaint and delicious brunch spot that always welcomes a long, hungry line ready to devour. Do not let the quaint name fool you though, Cafe 21 has a wide variety assortment of heavenly dutch pancakes and crepes straight from the cast iron itself filled with organic and local ingredients.

From fluffy tiramisu pancakes smothered in espresso syrup and powdered sugar to food-filled crepes like the roasted chicken breast drenched in caramelized onions, feta, and mozzarella, Cafe 21 is guaranteed to be your next favorite brunch spot in San Diego.

Bottega Americano

Besides having one of the most distinctive and savory brunch menus in the city, Bottega Americano is the place to go for a “Sunday Funday” alcoholic brunch bash. As a classy Italian bistro, Bottega carries the essential selection of reds and whites, but its fabulous mimosa choices may just be too good to be true.

The lush brunch-inspired drinks can range from the typical champagne and orange juice combo that never fails to a grapefruit surprise full of flavor and fresh local ingredients. Other cocktails that we highly recommend are the Caffe Fresco, a vanilla-infused vodka mixed with refreshing cold brewed coffee and the Al Fresco Sour! Enjoy their power frittata or grilled ciabatta avocado toast sprinkled with zesty, cracked black pepper. It’s seriously all delicious at Bottega Americano!

Cafe Chloe

Before anything else is mentioned, we have to point out that out of all of San Diego’s French restaurants, downtown’s Cafe Chloe was awarded the best in the city. As that sets the tone for their insatiable brunch selection, let’s get into it, shall we? Starting with the cocktails (as the French do) Chloe supplies the finest wines, Bloody Mary’s, and sorbet mimosas San Diego has ever seen.

If you aren’t feeling the Sunday Funday drinking vibe, sip on their insanely delicious lavender lemonade that is guaranteed to carry you off into another dimension. As for what you should savor the rest of your stay, the absolutely fabulous and authentic brioche french toast may even have you speaking French. If that doesn’t get you talking, check out their delicious Hand Chopped Steak Tartare or the signature Chloe Burger! Everything Chloe has to offer will exceed your prior brunch expectations tenfold. Guaranteed.

 

Kettner Exchange

One major reason to check our Kettner Exchange’s epic brunch is the odd selection that they offer compared to most other places. The menu includes things like 3Big-Eye Tuna Tacos, Drunken Noodles, Spicy Shrimp, Brussel Sprouts mixed in with delicious tender pig ear and their pork steam bun covered in crushed peanuts, this brunch is definitely not one to miss.

Although they have a few of the typical brunch choices like the bennie and french toast, Kettner’s fresh take on lunch portion of brunch is well-received absolutely divine. Not to mention their selection of wines, craft beers and signature hair of the dog drinks is pretty impressive too!

Posted by Patrick

Hottest Social Media Trends for Summer 2016

Business Tips, Marketing Campaigns, Mobile, Social Good, Social Media, Social Media for Consumer Products, Social Media for Hospitality, Social Media for Party Planners, Social Media for Restaurants, Social Media For Retail Businesses, Social Media predictions, Socially Connected, Strategic Planning, Strategy 0

Summer has arrived, and warm temps don’t mean that it’s time to take a break from your marketing campaign. Quite the opposite. As more and more folks take some much-needed time off from work, you can bet that they’ll be sharing their joy on social media. This is where you want to be as well. Here are the latest trends in the social media universe that you can leverage for your business marketing efforts this summer.

Not Your Grandma’s Video

We’ve been told for years that video is essential for marketing. Now with over a billion users worldwide, Live StreamYouTube has revolutionized video marketing to the masses. Yet, a new phenomenon is sweeping the planet and is pushing internet surfers and marketers alike to up their video game, so to speak: live video streaming. We’re no longer satisfied with simply watching recorded videos but crave the authentic live experience that is broadcast through Apps like Periscope and Meerkat – one of the hottest social media trends today. Periscope, owned by Twitter, is now broadcasting over 40 years worth of video daily. Before you start ambushing customers and live streaming, you may wish to strategize with some social media experts.

Snapchat for Business

Snapchat Snapchat, as much as you want it to be, is no longer just for teenagers. However, if your customer base is on the younger side, this is a marketing channel to example closely. According to Snapchat stats, 71% of users are under the age of 34, and there are over 100 million active users of the App. This is an App that can be leveraged for video marketing and short messages to reach untapped markets, particularly if your target market fits these demographics.

Social Commerce

Consumers are becoming less and less patient, and would prefer not to click through three separate screens to buy your product if it’s appealing. Fortunately, many of the social media platforms have heard the call, and various commerce-focused features have been implemented to allow the consumer to hit that “Buy” button sooner, rather than later. Facebook and Pinterest introduced these features in 2015, Twitter has been testing a “buy” button, and Instagram is expected to follow suit shortly.

Influencer Marketing

What used to be called word-of-mouth marketing is now termed “influencer marketing.” Same thing. Not only has the name changed, but its importance has gone through the roof. In fact, Nielson estimates that Social Media Trendsover 90% of consumers trust recommendations of friends and family over an advertising message. So, not only do those Yelp reviews and social media comments about your company matter, but your immediate response to them and prompt resolution of issues matters just as much.

Mobile Rules

It’s no longer “a plus” that your website, blog, and social media buttons are mobile friendly. Today, this is a must if you wish to survive in business. In 2016, it’s estimated that 2 billion consumers worldwide own smartphones, and mobile traffic overtook desktop traffic over a year ago. As content on a website is generally linked to social media, be sure that all of your web properties are mobile-friendly.

Social media platforms and their popularity change frequently and often those changes don’t make sense on the surface. Yet, social media marketing and staying on top of social media trends, is an essential element of connecting with customers and reaching untapped markets. Contact us if you’d like to learn more about social media trends and how My Social Marketing Network’s specialized marketing services can help your business get noticed.

Posted by Patrick

Keeping Your Fingers on the Pulse: Ways to Stay Ahead of the Game and Predict Social Media Trends Like a Psychic

Business Tips, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Marketing Campaigns, Social Good, Social Media, Social Media for Consumer Products, Social Media for Hospitality, Social Media for Party Planners, Social Media for Restaurants, Social Media For Retail Businesses, Social Media predictions, Socially Connected, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Twitter, Yelp, YouTube 0

Keeping up with social media trends can be confusing, especially when they seem to change every few months. As Entrepreneur contributor Aaron Agius puts it, “the savvy use of social media” is one of the best methods for building your brand’s authority. Being aware of the latest trends on social media platforms is essential to any business hoping to remain competitive in their market.

Becoming a Social Media Marketing PsychicPredict Social Media Trends

Unless you’re a social media marketing consultant, psychic (or both), you probably aren’t keeping up with the hottest trends across the various platforms. If you’re a business owner or marketer, your top priority is likely your own business and industry daily logistics – so how do you stay ahead of the game and still have time to focus on the many other aspects of running your business? One way is to learn how to predict the social media trends before they happen (or predict which ones will continue to be hot). While this may seem like an impossible task, it really can be as simple as paying attention to what has worked recently and developing your marketing strategy from there.

One of the predictions mentioned at Inc.com – regarding which social media platforms would prove to be viable for marketers in 2015 – was based on the success of certain platforms in the prior year. No one could deny that Facebook continued to be a leading choice for both users and marketers in 2015. LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube were the next obvious contenders, based on the percentage of marketers who used them in 2014. Instagram has already surpassed Twitter in terms of growth and popularity since the marketing research from 2014, as it grew to over 400 million users in 2015. The next big social media platform gaining momentum in 2016 in Snapchat, which is currently rivaling Facebook with 4 billion video views on any given day from 200 million active users. 

Social Media TrendsLooking at Social Media Trends for 2015

Clearly, one of the best indications of the social media trends that will be hot in 2016 is the direction in which marketing practices developed in 2015 across popular platforms. Just as SEO practices experienced significant change in 2015, Facebook also implemented changes that affected marketers. The rules for posting marketing content changed considerably, and this will continue to change the way marketers do business on Facebook in 2016.

Social Media Week contributor Nicole Brown agrees that looking at the past is the secret to success in the future. Social marketing trends in lead generation that worked well in the latter part of 2015 are likely to be just as effective throughout 2016.

Keeping Track of Trending Topics

Another way to remain ahead of the game is to follow the trending topics on social media sites. This is not only a wise practice for journalists; it’s also a great way for marketers to learn what subject matter is of most interest to current platform users. Once you know which topics are trending, you can integrate that information with your marketing campaigns – from your social media posts to your email marketing ads.  

As it happens, you don’t really need to be a psychic to remain competitive in your marketing efforts. However, you may need to take a look at the most recent social media trends to predict which ones will be viable in the future. If you don’t feel equipped to do this, or simply don’t have the time, you may want to consult a professional whose job is navigating social media platforms for marketers and small business owners.   

Posted by Patrick

Social Media Case Study: The Smoking Goat Restaurant

Social Media for Restaurants, Strategic Planning, Uncategorized 0

MySMN has a lot of interesting clients, and we want to show them off. As a social media marketing firm, we want to not only showcase our clients, but show you what we do as far as creativity, graphic design, content and promotion.

The Smoking Goat is a rustic French bistro located in the heart of North Park. The experience is simple and delicious, the way food should be. They have an extensive wine list that any wine-o would flip over, and the food is some of the best in town. Fred Piehl, Owner and Executive Chef, is a Cordon Bleu graduate, and, needless to say, knows what he is doing in the kitchen.

Now, since Fred is busy cooking award winning gourmet meals, we were the lucky chosen ones to take over their online marketing strategy.

The Smoking Goat became a MySMN client about 4 months ago. When we first started with the Smoking Goat, they had a Facebook page, and that was about it. MySMN set up and completely customized their Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, Google+ and Yelp!.

Each and every social media site you have acts as an online billboard and place to showcase what you got. Restaurants are typically big on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and Pinterest, so we knew that was where our focus would be.

As far as customization goes, we pimped out their Facebook page with custom tabs, graphics, logos, and cover photos. We wanted to the look of their Facebook page to match the look of the website.

We worked with both their website designer as well as Fred, the executive Chef, to come up with a look that spoke to their theme.

The same sort of customization was done for their Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest pages. MySMN designed and uploaded custom backgrounds and logos for each social site we set up for them.

Customization is key, but being creative with social media promotions and content ideas are going to set your social media strategy apart from the rest. The Smoking Goat has a very specific voice, and one that was very important to keep consistent. We wanted to showcase their fantastic food and wine in a humble voice. MySMN spent hours picking Frend’s brain to hone in on his voice and what type of content would come from a Chef like himself.

The Smoking Goat Facebook business page gets more engagement everyday. “We wanted to educate the Smoking Goat’s fans and followers without seeming pretentious,” explains one of MySMN’s account managers, Jessica Morgan. “Because the Smoking Goat has such a following, we wanted to reward their fans and followers with a social media only promotion.” Whenever Chef calles it MySMN works with the Smoking Goat to come up with a special Social Media promotion to thank all of those that follow them online, as well as enticing others to ‘Like’ or follow the restaurant, so they too can reap the benefits. Last Wednesday, the Smoking Goat offered a bottle of Domaine De La Chevalerie Galichets and 2 Cassoulet dishes, a mixture of beans, lamb, duck, and sausage, originally $95, for only $65.

Posted by Patrick

Put It In the Fan’s Hands

Advertising, Business Tips, Social Media for Hospitality, Social Media for Restaurants, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Uncategorized 0

In today’s day and age, people look for restaurants on Yelp, Facebook, Smart phone applications, and so on. Social media and online marketing is everywhere, and key, if you want to be able to rise above the rest.

Twitter and Facebook have opened two-way avenues for the restaurant and customer to connect on a level that wasn’t feasible in the past.

Here are just a few ways that restaurants can use their Facebook and Twitter pages to increase business:

–       Promote specials during slow hours: Post up on Facebook and Twitter a special promotion during the restaurant’s slowest hours. This puts “butts in seats” when people normally would not come in. By only posting on Facebook and Twitter, it entices the customers to “Like” the Facebook page or follow the Twitter handle because they can find exclusive information via those portals.

–       Enable people to make reservations through the restaurant’s Facebook page. Yes, OpenTable is great, but isn’t it better to be able to go directly to the source? Terra Restaurant in San Diego lets their customers make a reservation online, which increases convenience and therefore customer service and satisfaction.

–       Promote weekly events on all social media channels. El Vitral Restaurant and Tequila Lounge offers a weekly tequila tasting, where one can pair great tequilas and fabulous food. With almost 1,000 fans, El Vitral has a solid fan base to work with, but does not take advantage of it. With a creative strategy put in place, they can push out their weekly Tequila Series and stir up word of mouth with their online social media campaign. Also, promoting an event online is great because the fan or follower feels like they are getting the inside scoop on everything that the restaurant has to offer.

–       Let fans decide what to put on the menu! Terra Restaurant San Diego puts the menu in the fan’s hands. They list ingredients on Facebook and then let the competition begin! Many fans post their suggestions and the winner receives a free dinner from the restaurant. A strategy like this promotes engagement, gives fans incentive to respond, as well as spread the word. It is a fun and creative way to reward the fans and make their experience at the restaurant a bit more personal.

A restaurant is only as good as its customers. If the customers are passionate and loyal to the restaurant, they will give more rave reviews. I know that if I come across a rave review about a place, or if a restaurant has an online exclusive, I am all about it. Who doesn’t want to be part of the club?

 

 

 

Posted by Patrick

SM Tips for Restaurants: The Sky is the Limit

Social Media for Hospitality, Social Media for Restaurants 0

By Alessandra Ceresa

You can’t just make a Facebook page or Twitter account and expect people to latch on and engage. It takes a lot more to reel people in. Restaurants, and the hospitality industry in general, can find great success via social media.  There are many ways that a restaurant can use social media to enhance their online presence and keep loyal customers engaged and loyal to the brand.

Just because a restaurant has 2,000 Facebook fans doesn’t mean those fans are reading what is on the Wall or other sections.  Engagement is what counts! Read through the following points to get an idea of different things restaurants can do to keep their audiences engaged and loving it!

Social Media for Restaurants is Mmm Mmm Good! Artwork by Kristian Zaspel (c) My SMN

 

–       Make use of location–based technologies. Recently I had lunch with my sister and checked-in to our lunch spot using Facebook places. Once I checked in, the restaurant offered us a free gourmet popcorn basket to start. What a perk. From then on, I started checking in to a lot of the places I frequented most, hoping to come across some more specials or promotions! This is a great way to not only keep people coming back and lure customers in. People love getting rewards and free stuff. Offering clientele a little something extra for checking in, whether on Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, etc. is a fantastic method to build a loyal fan base. Plus, after I received my free popcorn basket, I immediately told everyone about it…word of mouth ;).

–       Get creative with contests. Social media contests are fun and engaging.  It not only gets people to the Facebook page, but once they are there, they will be more likely to peruse around it. If the restaurant has the right content pushed out, this could be a home run. Perhaps a hamburger eating competition where one can only sign up online, or maybe the restaurant gives away a gift certificate for the best recount of an experience at the restaurant. There are so many different ways to approach a contest, but the fact is, is that they work, and can attract A LOT of people. Again, people enjoy competition and the hope that they can win something awesome.

–       Make use of pictures and videos. Videotape people enjoying food at your establishment. Perhaps take videos of the staff, the Chef, events being held at the restaurant. People are incredibly visual, and having something that is more than just words on a screen can help captivate an audience. Plus, if you make them funny or worthwhile people will want to see more from the restaurant, maybe even resulting in a web mini-series of videos all about the restaurants, its patrons, and events.

That last point brings me to my next:

–       Become a resource in your industry. Publish recipes, chef interviews, tastings, events, pairings and more on the restaurant’s Facebook page and blog. Give people a reason to keep coming back for more. Provide the customer with added value. If fans know they can get a recipe of their favorite dish or cocktail from the restaurant or bar, they are more likely to come back over and over again to the page.

These are just a few ways to start engaging and interacting with an audience. Stay tuned for more blog posts on examples of how restaurants use these, and some more creative ideas on how to get the customer, and keep them.

We love comments, so please leave some for us!  If you own or manage a restaurant, please give us a call or send us an email info@mysmn.com for a free quote for a My SMN social media package.  Thanks!

 

 

Posted by Patrick

Talking Twitter – Part 1

Business Tips, Social Media for Hospitality, Social Media for Party Planners, Social Media for Restaurants, Social Media For Retail Businesses, Twitter 0

by Kristian Zaspel

Is making random tweets about your business and services on Twitter not helping you get the results you want?  This is because relationships do not start with self promotion and business plugs.  Like any relationship, it takes time to get to know someone, and just like in the real world, you have to actually ask questions and listen to truly engage with a person and build trust.  Casual conversation in social media is easy to do, but it does take some patience and investment on your part.  Next time you are using Twitter to search for hashtags and conversations related to your product or business, try exercising the following techniques to build new relationships, get more followers and make brand advocates out of complete strangers.

  • Ask people questions.  Believe it or not, people like talking, especially about themselves.  This works the same online.  If you find someone on Twitter that you would like to target to share information about your business, ask them about something they recently posted and see where that conversation leads you.
  • Do not be afraid to start the conversation, but also remember to use proper etiquette.  Just because you are hiding behind a computer does not mean you can ask personal or inappropriate questions.
  • People who “tweet” and use hashtags do so because they WANT to be found and interacted with.  This is why so many people ask open ended questions because they’re looking for answers and responses.  Here is an example of someone looking for engagement:  @RunnerGeek Why do my feet hurt after every run??? #pain #runner

Remember to take the time to find questions and answer honestly.  It does not hurt to use a little humor sometimes. 🙂

  • Keep track of who are interacting with.  You might not get a reply or Tweet back from someone for a couple days, so use an open document to copy/paste the other user’s handle and maybe what you were talking about.  This is helpful if you want to touch base with them later once the conversation is over and it keeps you organized.
  • If you are tweeting from a company or product handle, there is no need to plug your product right off the bat, especially if it already says something about it in your profile.  For example, if you are a beverage company and someone say’s “It’s so hot right now, wish I had something to drink!” you do not need to reply with, “Try my new drink ACME brand, it’s delicious!”.  Instead try something like, “I would direct message you a tall glass of deliciousness if that feature existed!”
  • Give good advice.  You want people to see you and your brand as experts.  This will also help after the relationship is made and if people have questions.  They might also ask you a question months down the line when they actually need your services or product and they remembered that you gave them good advice way back when.
  • Keep it light!  Most people do not want to talk business right from the get-go.  The opportunity to talk about your product or services might not come for a bit, or ever for that matter, but engaging with others in casual conversation let’s people know of your company’s presence and if you make a lasting impression, chances are they will remember you when they need you.

Life is good at My SMN, especially if you want to learn more about social media and about what we do!  Make sure to subscribe to our blog to get updates on our posts!

@MySMNChannel Have a great day and enjoy our #socialmedia tips for all your #online marketing needs