by guest blogger Andy Sernovitz
As a follow-up to the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB) November 17 webinar, "Getting Bodies in Seats with Word of Mouth and Social Media," I thought I'd share some of the key takeaways from that discussion:
1. Happy customers are your best ads
No amount of fancy, big-budget marketing can beat real love from an army of true fans.
2. Word of mouth marketing isn't luck
Word of mouth marketing is really about two things: 1) Giving people something to talk about, and 2) Making it easier for those conversations to take place.
3. Your brand isn't what you say it is, it's what your customers say it is
People learn about and understand who you are as a restaurant not so much from your Web site or your commercials -- but rather from their friends, their co-workers, and from reviews from strangers. Your advertising might be what they see first, but it's your word of mouth that drives the sale.
The real problem is a lack of positive reviews. Start building a process for asking for reviews into everything you do -- you'll find that fans are happy to help you out.
5. Focus on the core elements of all great word of mouth programs
Every successful word of mouth initiative involves these 5 elements:
1. Talkers — the people who will talk about you.
2. Topics — the reason people will talk about you.
3. Tools — things that help the message spread.
4. Taking Part — how you’ll join the conversation.
5. Tracking — how you’ll measure and listen.
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Missed the webinar? Access the presentation here.
Blogger Bio.: Andy Sernovitz is the author of Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking and is CEO of GasPedal, a company that teaches word of mouth to brands of all sizes.
P.S. National Restaurant Association members and fans can take $101 off GasPedal's Word of Mouth Supergenius: The "How to be Great at Word of Mouth Marketing" Conference in Chicago on December 16 by using the discount code: NRASENTME
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