NRA Show Blog

The great debate: are Yelp reviews a good or bad thing?

 
By Jennifer McLaughlin, Contributing Blogger

Ever had a bad review on Yelp? If you are anything like Chef Stefan Richter, “Top Chef” runner up and restaurateur, you may have lost sleep over negative Yelp reviews. With 50 million unique visitors each month, it is hard to ignore the influence of Yelp. It has turned the tables on how diners discover new places to eat and how restaurants operate. 

At today’s education session, 2011 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show attendees listened to a lively discussion with Stefan Richter, Luther Lowe, director of business outreach for Yelp and moderator Corby Kummer, senior editor, The Atlantic.

As a business owner, Richter opened the discussion with his own personal experience with Yelp. “I just opened my restaurant in L.A., and the first three Yelp reviews were horrible. They hated the place. The food was bad. Service was bad. Everything was bad. And you start to think, how could this happen? I cook everyday, I buy the best ingredients—it can make your head spin.

Restaurant Industry Outlook Brightens in 2010, Sales to Reach $580 Billion

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

With the economy improving, the restaurant industry is projected to show improvement in 2010, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2010 Restaurant Industry Forecast.

Restaurant industry sales are forecasted to top $580 this year, a 2.5 percent increase over 2009. Job growth is also expected to pick up in 2010, and the restaurant industry is slated to add 1.3 million career and employment opportunities by 2020.

Consumers continue to seek value, convenience and expanded menu options in 2010 – and restaurants are stepping up to the plate to deliver. Pent-up consumer demand for dining out more often will pick up as the economy continues this upward movement.

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.

10 Golden Rules of Responding in the Social Media Age

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Converseon's Lindsay Lebresco recently spoke at Gaspedal's Word of Mouth Supergenius conference about "the golden rules of responding" in the social media age.

Lebresco dished out ten tips to join in the conversation:

• Respect (the venue, the participants, the importance of even a single comment)
• Expect everything to be public (even if you intended it to be private)
• Speed is of the essence (react in a timely and appropriate manner)
• Openness and Transparency are key (trust is paramount)
• Never conceal (who you are, who you work for and what your intentions are - FTC Guidelines)
• Do your homework (search, listen, read, know your communities first)
• Identify an engager (someone who will represent you well)
• Nothing builds credibility like action (do what you say or don't say it)
• Gather internal resources now (get them trained and ready to respond)

What's missing? Oh yeah, that's why Paying attention is so important!

Word of Mouth Tip #229: Say thanks!

* Word of mouth tip #229 is from word of mouth super genius Andy Sernovitz's book Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking

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.

6 Ways a Restaurant Can Start Earning Word of Mouth

by Andy Sernovitz

Great word of mouth marketers are willing to try lots of different topics until something catches on. Not everything you do will be a home run, but here are six quick ways to get you started:

1. Offer a secret menu item.
Offer a menu item that only insiders know about. It not only makes customers feel special, but it also gives them something to share with their friends. For a simple example, check out how Chicago's TAC Quick Thai Kitchen does it.

2. Put it on the wall.
Put things on the wall that will encourage customers to bring their friends in to show them. Try taking pictures of your best customers, having a "wall of fame," or allowing them to use personalized mugs. In another Chicago example, Sushi 28 does it with empty wine bottles in their window.

3. Host meetings.
Find key groups of talkers and invite them to meet in your restaurant. Try hosting a quarterly gathering for wedding planners or hosting meetings for groups that come together frequently, such as the Boy Scouts.

4. Celebrate something.
Maybe you go all out for a traditional holiday or maybe create your own — but however you do it, bring people to your place for a party. White Castle put a great spin on Valentine’s Day by creating “Love Castle,” where folks are encouraged to make reservations and bring their significant others for a candlelit dinner.

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.