How simpleERB can help with your restaurant's digital marketing

We’ve all seen those loudspeaker/magnet graphics. How traditional marketing represents the loudspeaker: print and broadcast media ads, leafleting, trade shows and telemarketing. And how the magnet is digital marketing: SEO, social media, blogging and content.

Although there is still a time and a place for traditional marketing methods, it is widely regarded by marketers that inbound digital marketing is more effective. And, according to website Street Fight, local businesses agree.
67% of 100 small businesses surveyed believed social media to be the most effective marketing method, along with SEO (43%), email marketing (35%) and review sites (28%).
As well as manage your restaurant bookings, simpleERB can help boost your digital presence in ways you might not have realised. Below we explain how we can help your restaurant’s digital marketing.
 

Review sites

Here on the simpleERB blog, we have spent a lot of time talking about restaurant reviews. We have discussed how negative restaurant reviews can help your business, how negative reviews can hurt your restaurant’s valuation, how to get a good review of your restaurant published on Yelp, and the benefits of publishing negative reviews of your own restaurant.
We have focused a lot on online restaurant reviews because we recognise their importance to your business. And it turns out we’re not alone. Street Fight’s survey revealed over one third (37 percent) of local businesses surveyed thought reviews had a positive effect on their business.
However, most SMBs used pretty unsophisticated means of encouraging customers to review them. About one-third asked them directly while 40 percent did nothing at all.
simpleERB has a one stop option that allows restaurant owners to easily monitor negative reviews as well as encourage customers to share positive ones  on Yelp, Trip Advisor and Facebook (you’ll need to be logged into simpleERB to see this feature).

You can add a link to the customer confirmation email which allows the customer to submit feedback to you after their meal.
When you get a good review you can tick a box on the email copy which sends them a request to share their review, along with links to your restaurant Facebook and Trip Advisor profiles.

Email marketing

When a customer books a meal using simpleERB they enter their email address, which can be downloaded from simpleERB at any time (providing they give permission for you to send them email).
These email addresses are gold dust for your marketing campaign: customers who have already chosen to spend money at your restaurant.
You can also see how many bookings the customer has made, so the customers who have only visited once can be tempted back with a promo code or special offer, and the customers who have made many bookings can be kept up to date with new dishes and menu changes.

Daily deals

9% of businesses surveyed claimed daily deals/digital coupons were their most effective marketing method.

Daily deal sites can be a great to boost your restaurant’s profile and sell covers, but dealing with the barrage of phone calls afterwards can be a pain.

By giving the deal provider your simpleERB widget url as a booking instruction, customers can make bookings directly into your diary based on your availability, without having to phone.

Social media

The confirmation and follow up emails from simpleERB to your customer can contain links to your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts, encouraging customers to like and follow your profiles.

As detailed above, simpleERB allows restaurant owners to encourage customers to share positive review on Facebook.