NRA Show Blog

National Restaurant Association TweetUp today

Join us for our first-ever official National Restaurant Association TweetUp at 1 p.m. today in NRA Booth #6300 with social media gurus Rick Wion (McDonald's) and Jim Sofranko (Groupon).

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/nrashow2010 and use hashtag #nrashow to stay up to speed on everything going on at-Show today and always.

See you soon!

What others are saying about NRA Show 2010

It's Day 2 at NRA Show 2010, and it's getting hot in here! Attendees and exhibitors are connecting, meeting restaurant industry leaders, learning the latest foodservice trends and having a blast while doing so. Don't believe us? See what others are saying about NRA Show 2010 on Twitter in real time!

If you have something to share about this year's event, add #nrashow (or #iwsb for the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event) to your tweet. And follow us @nrashow2010 too.

Three Must-Do Word of Mouth Ideas

 
By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

 Make yourself look like a rock star by doing these simple things starting today. It's not rocket science folks, these ideas are free, easy and are the most effective way to get you more word of mouth.

1. Ask people to spread the word

2. Put everything in an e-mail

3. Add a tell-a-friend link on every page of your Web site

As Floored!'sword of mouth supergenius contributing blogger Andy Sernovitz always says, tell a friend and be remarkable. How is your company getting people to talk about you?

Andy Sernovitz will be moderating a WOM/social media panel of operators including Domino's Pizza's Ramon De Leon at the National Restaurant Association's NRA Show 2010, held May 22-25, 2010 at Chicago's McCormick Place. Stay tuned for more details.

* Excerpts/ideas from Andy Sernovitz's Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking book.

Starbucks Brews Action With Word of Mouth and Social Media

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Last week's ideas-packed Word of Mouth Supergenius Conference hosted by GasPedal was a smash hit. Thanks a mil to all the speakers who shared tips and ideas on how to be great at word of mouth marketing.

We met up at the conference with Starbucks'  very own word of mouth/social media master Matthew Guiste for a one-on-one interview about how the company creates action with word of mouth and social media.

Q: How [and why] does Starbucks engage in WOM and social media?

A: We view social media not as a marketing channel, but as a way to genuinely connect with our customers outside the four walls of our stores. We meet them through a variety of experiences and online places. Chief among them are Facebook, Twitter, MyStarbucksIdea.com, YouTube and Flickr. We engage in these channels for a variety of reasons, most of which fit into the following three buckets:

• Listen and Learn: Active participation in the conversations in these places help us hear directly from and speak directly to our customers.

11 Great Ideas from Word of Mouth Supergenius Conference

Yesterday I spent a great day with loads of smart people at Supergenius, the Word-of-Mouth (WOM) conference hosted by Gaspedal.

After attending 11 amazing sessions, I decided to share my Top 11 Ideas here. One thing to note – many of the speakers were consistent in messages. So while I give credit here to these specific presenters, I heard similar themes throughout the day.

1. An army of fans becomes a permanent advantage. (from Andy Sernovitz, Floored!'sWOM contributing blogger)

Andy, with all sorts of passion, restated the basics – but often overlooked – aspects of WOM. Fans will always have a better message than a marketing team. A “Tell A Friend” form on your web site will produce higher quality leads that are free. The big question to ask yourself about your service, your product, your message or your company: Would anyone tell a friend!?

2. Movements never end. Campaigns are short-lived. (from Spike Jones)

Spike reminded us it’s about elevating the conversation. The talk is not about your product, it’s about what people do with your product – what do they achieve, what do they feel, and how can you provide space for your best customers and fans? Movements have inspirational leadership and active participants. To create this, there is actually a barrier to entry to a movement so you only get those who really want to be there and participate.

Greetings from Word of Mouth Supergenius Conference

A big hello and good morning from all of us at GasPedal as we get ready to kick off Word of Mouth Supergenius: The “How to be Great at Word of Mouth Marketing” Conference.

We’re thrilled to be bringing together such an awesome lineup of brilliant word of mouth marketers — and even more thrilled at all the other ones joining us in the crowd today. It’s going to be one intense day filled with 12 how-to classes, 12 real-world case studies, and 6 brilliant authors.

How to follow today’s Word of Mouth Supergenius:

National Restaurant Association's NRA Show 2010 and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event "Tweet Team": @nrashow2010

Live blogging coverage: Click here
Twitter: Use the hashtag #Supergenius

Original post: GasPedal's Word of Mouth Marketing Blog

3 Ways to Protect Your Restaurant from Negative Word of Mouth Online

 
By Andy Sernovitz

People are going to say good and bad things about your restaurant. In fact, it might already be happening. And while you shouldn't expect to be immune to negative chatter, there are some basic ways you can establish to protect yourself.

Three safeguards to fend off negative buzz:

1. Build credibility before you need it.
Focus on being a regular participant in key blogs or forums that your customers follow. You can't be everywhere, but by building credibility with a few local critics, it'll make it much easier to share your side of a story if and when you’re being attacked.

Simple Ways Restaurants Can Use Twitter

By Andy Sernovitz

Twitter can be a great social media tool for restaurants of all sizes. It's simple to get started and there's a good chance your customers are already using it.

Just remember: You're not required to be on Twitter. There are plenty of ways to earn and support word of mouth -- and Twitter is just a potentially helpful tool that can be integrated into your overall strategy.

But, if you decide Twitter is for you, here are a few simple ideas to get you started:

1. Share coupons and special discounts.
Dell has made over $6 million in revenue through Twitter by sharing exclusive deals. While you might not make millions, you may be surprised at the response. For a good example of this, check out how Chicago's Wow Bao (@BaoMouth) uses Twitter to share deals.

5 big ideas from last week's "Getting Bodies in Seats" webinar

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.

Live coverage play-by-play: How to Get Bodies in Seats with Word of Mouth, Social Media

This is live blog coverage of today’s webinar, “How to Get Bodies in Seats Next Week with Word of Mouth and Social Media,” hosted by the National Restaurant Association's annual Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB) . The presentation featured word of mouth marketing "supergenius" Andy Sernovitz and Derrek Hull, the NRA’s manager of marketing and communications and blogger-in-chief (Floored!).

1:00 — Maureen Sak, the NRA’s director of marketing, introduces Andy Sernovitz and Derrek Hull.

1:01 — Derrek Hull: Today we’re going to be talking about useful word of mouth marketing skills to get people talking about your organization.

1:07 — Derrek describes various social media tools, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and recommends starting by finding out where your customers live online.

1:08 — Derrek stresses the importance of “not being a robot” when you begin engaging online. He recommends tools like Tweetdeck to organize and make sense of social media information.

1:10 — Derrek introduces Andy Sernovitz.

1:11 — Andy: The big idea here is that happy customers are your best ads. The more people who are out there declaring their love for you, showing their support for you — that’s the marketing that can’t be beat.