Monthly Archives: June 2020

Are You Doing Webinars? You Should Be

Digital Marketing, Webinar

 

COVID-19 has opened our eyes to many ideas including the use of webinars. For business owners, the coronavirus has forced a new way of organizational thinking both internally and externally. Internally, employers must learn to communicate with employees remotely, making sure that workflow is kept stable and thriving. Externally, entrepreneurs must learn to communicate with customers and prospects effectively and regularly.

Small businesses, in particular, have been hit hard by the pandemic. They have been forced to find innovative ways to combat the massive changes that have come so unexpectedly. Those changes mean business owners must adopt new methods of conducting business, engaging clients, and generating leads. Naturally, the doors have opened for technologically to truly shine. Digital efforts have been relied upon heavily over the last several months.

So, what’s the best move for you and your business? How can you remain competitive and keep sales steady in a world where face-to-face contact rarely happens? The first step is to get really comfortable with webinars.

What is a webinar?

A webinar is a wonderful way to connect with clients and prospects. Either a live video or recorded video, a webinar allows for companies to educate viewers, promote their brand, and initiate a “soft sell” of their products and/or services. In addition, it is often an opportunity for a business owner to get in front of a ton of prospects, a rare opportunity in an in-person setting.

Now, it is important to keep in mind that simply recording a webinar is not enough. In order to produce a webinar that adds value to your company, you must properly promote it, collect data, and follow-up accordingly. Far too many companies launch a webinar and then cross their fingers that leads will appear. Like any marketing initiative, there are a number of critical steps to take to get it right.

Steps to Creating a Webinar

First and foremost, it is important to recognize that virtually every business across every industry can benefit from hosting a webinar. If you would like more eyeballs on your company’s brand, you want to sell a product/service, and you want to humanize your company in a time when human interaction is minimal, then a webinar is the right move for you.

The steps to creating a webinar are pretty simple:

  1. Choose a topic and emphasize the “why”. It’s not enough to simply educate an audience on your company’s value proposition, you need to give them a reason open their wallets. That means educating them on the industry, the product/service, the unique value of your particular brand, and point to a case study that showcases real results.
  2. Pick a platform. There are a ton of options when it comes to hosting a webinar. Once you plan out the details of what you would like to communicate, find a webinar platform that will meet your specific needs. Look for things like integration capabilities with your website and CRM program (customer relationship management), online and offline features, and any other relevant technical needs.
  3. Promote your webinar before This is a critical piece of the puzzle. Far too many people start promoting their webinar once it is already available. The key to creating a successful webinar lies in garnering buzz and excitement prior to launch.
  4. Collect customer/prospect data. Your webinar signup is one of the most crucial elements of the entire process. Make sure that you are collecting data that is important to your sales team.
  5. Follow-up. Once the webinar is over, it is vital to reach out to attendees to schedule meetings, sales pitches, and the like. The ability to now communicate with qualified leads is paramount to turning attendees into clients.
  6. Whether you host your webinar live or not is irrelevant, you must plan to reuse the content. You worked hard on creating an impressive presentation and the real value comes in promoting the webinar again and again via email marketing campaigns, social media ads, and beyond.

No matter what industry your business falls into, a webinar is a powerful untapped tool. People have grown more and more accustomed to consuming media digitally. The savviest entrepreneurs will take advantage of this new normal and launch a stellar webinar.

Are you looking to create a webinar that engages clients and attracts new leads? Don’t know where to start? We are here to help. Big Customer Network has mastered the art of digital communication. Contact us today to learn more.

Digital Marketing Strategies for Restaurants

Digital Marketing,

 

It’s no secret that the restaurant industry is a highly competitive, cutthroat market to be in. Knowing that 60 percent of restaurants fail within the first year and 80 percent fail within 5 years means that it takes a special type of person to be bold enough to enter the restaurant industry. That said, owning and running a successful restaurant is one of the most rewarding experiences for an entrepreneur.  Digital marketing can be the difference-maker in the restaurant industry

Restaurants are only as successful as their most recent customer and their most recent online review. While much of the restaurant industry has stayed the same over the years, one thing has indisputably changed and that is marketing. The ability to get customers through the door means promoting with meticulous strategy. Billboards and flyers just won’t cut it anymore. Restauranteurs who outlast their competition understand that digital marketing is the key to winning big in 2020 and beyond.

The COVID-19 pandemic has unearthed a number of changes in how people conduct business and how consumers react to societal changes. Those restaurants lucky enough to survive coronavirus will likely tell you that it had nothing to do with luck at all. That’s right, the savviest restaurant owners have mastered the art of digital marketing.

Let’s break down some of the specifics.

A Plate Best Served Online

Unless you’re living under a rock, you know that most people consult their smartphone before making a decision about…well, anything. With this knowledge, it seems logical for a restaurant to invest in digital marketing. If so many people are relying on the internet for decision-making, why is restaurant marketing still a tough sell?

The pushback can be attributed to a range of issues, but the main holdup seems to be a hesitation in abandoning marketing tactics that used to work. The key here is to recognize that old marketing methods simply don’t cut it anymore. To stay competitive, restaurants must rely on digital outlets to push their brands and promote their food. From social media marketing to website optimization, staying ahead (in pandemics and normal life), means setting aside budget to digital marketing.

The following are some of the most notable ways that restaurants are taking advantage of digital marketing today:

Make Your Website Beautiful, User-Friendly, and Optimized for Search

A website used to be no more than a brochure. Today, a website is a lead generation tool, a data capturing giant, and a connection to your customer base. To be successful, restaurants need a website that not only looks great and functions perfectly, but it needs to be optimized to appear in Google search results. Your menu should be easy to read, your photos should be optimized, and your social media links should be prominent.

Get Social

Running a restaurant promotion is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Doing so on social media means having the ability to target people based on location, interests, and user behavior. This means that you can talk to an audience who is ready to engage. Be sure to dedicate a lot of time and effort to crafting a social media marketing strategy that works for your location and target demographic.

Seek Out Influencers

Foodie bloggers are everywhere nowadays. With a quick search on Instagram you can instantly find out who loves food and who has a following of people who love food. Invite these people into your restaurant and pull out all of the stops. There is truly no better way to showcase your best dishes than with a nod of approval from someone who consumers already trust.

Don’t Neglect Email Marketing

Premiering a new dish? Running a special on an old favorite? Did you finally get new booths? These are notable announcements and they should be distributed in a well-designed email. Your customers want to hear from you. From a local pizza joint to a high-end steakhouse, hearing from a favorite restaurant is critical to remaining top-of-mind.

Restaurant Success Through Digital Marketing

There are so many ways to market a restaurant online that it can be overwhelming to weed through the good and bad methods. The truth is that most restaurant owners do not have the time to run digital marketing campaigns. As such, dedicating the budget for hiring a marketing company is critical. If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that staying top-of-mind to customers can make or break any company. Digital presence does just that.

Could your restaurant use a boost in foot traffic? Big Customer Network is here to help. Contact us today to learn more.