CEA Marketing Group recently attended the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association 2010 Restaurant Marketing Summit at the Renaissance Vinoy in St. Petersburg. (Love Love Love this Hotel!)

The focus was of course on restaurant marketing – independents, franchises and joint venture restaurants. One of the main themes that resonated with me was the importance of building a database TODAY!

Databases have been around forever. Obviously, they make a lot of sense – collect a list of people that want to hear from you…then keep in touch with them. The three databases that were discussed primarily:

1. E-mail – I know a lot has been done with E-mail, and most people kind of have that “So over it” attitude. SPAMMERS have unfortunately made E-mail marketing sort of a negative thing; however, a well-managed, opt-in database and campaign – not a random purchased list – still can be an amazingly effective and low-cost form of communication.

2. Mobile – I loved what I learned about mobile. Did you know that a text message is typically read within 4 minutes of receiving it – and some statistics put the read rate at almost 98%. So – 98% of text messages get read! That’s crazy!!!!!

3. Social Media – This isn’t typically referred to as a “database” per say; however, a social media network really serves the same purpose. People that have “opted-in” by liking you, following you, connecting with you. Most will agree that Social Media doesn’t equate to much without an active network of connections.

The main point to all this is that there is going to be a ton of opportunities in the future. Smart phones. Applications. Facebook taking over the world. E-mail will still be a great way to cross-promote and will be more accessible/mobile. IF YOU DON’T HAVE A DATABASE OR NETWORK ESTABLISHED, YOU’RE GOING TO BE WAYYYY BEHIND.

Things to consider:

1. Have a backed-up system in place for managing your database before you start trying to build one – be organized about it – make sure you know how to access your database, how to export it, and if you choose to use a service or a management provider, make sure you know if you own your database.
2. Go for quality over quantity – the more clear you make your opt-in message, I think, the better – that way there are no surprises – let them know the frequency and content they will be receiving and stick to the plan.
3. Don’t start off with a bang and then fizzle out – stay consistent, and really think through your messaging – marketers spend months primping and perfecting one ad placement, then turn and burn their E-mail, Text or Social Media content – really take the time to think through it, put it on a schedule, and don’t let your list go stale.
4. Include offers that are timely, relevant and deadline-oriented and use them to build your database.
5. Track! – All of these forms of advertising are track-able, so make sure to really dig in. E-mail and text especially don’t require mega-dollars and complicated systems to discern numbers and review important trends – I do it on a weekly basis typically.
6. Everything works together. Your E-mail can advertise your Facebook. Your Facebook can promote your Blog and Twitter. Your SMS can drive sales etc. Cross-platform promotion is huge!!!!
7. Lastly, if you don’t have time to set-up and manage database campaigns properly, hire a professional Cheap yet ineffective doesn’t really do you any good. It’s just a waste of money.

So, although databases are not a new thing, they are more important than ever!

What we loved about the Derby Darlins was the fact it had FUN written all over it. We also really like supporting local businesses and felt this would be a great opportunity to get to know a lot of incredible personalities along the way. We will be meeting with Derby Darlins within the next week or so to interview them. We want to better understand their culture and listen to their goals and ideas!

And, of course, we are very excited to attend our first bout? May be totally spelling that wrong But, the CEA team is stoked about seeing the derby in action!

Thanks again to all the entries. Please check out the EXCLUSIVE offer page, http://www.ceamarketing.com/makeover/offer, and set your appointment by Feb. 28! Free Money!!!!

It used to be back in the day that you put a web site up on the web and then left it. Well, as search engines started rewarding web sites whose content was regularly being updated, it became more important for web sites to be easier to edit. Also, most marketing these days drives people to a web site where visitors should be able to easily connect the offline advertising or message with what’s on the company site. That means, content will probably need to change often, to coordinate with whatever special, incentive, message etc. is out there. Now with social media booming, integrating the content with your social pages, content that is constantly changing, is another reason why “How do I keep my site up-to-date?” is a growing issue.

There are 2 basic ways you can address edits:

1. Hire an outside developer, agency, IT person to make the edits for you
2. Utilize a program, software or Content Management System (CMS) so you or your staff can self-edit

So, what is a CMS? It’s typically a log-in, non-public system, meaning anyone who visits the web site will not know of its existence. Only people provided with a username and password would be able to access it. Through this system, personnel would be able to edit information, typically text, such as pricing, specials or even photo galleries. A CMS is not usually used for pages like About Us or Contact Us, mainly because that information is pretty much going to stay the same for long periods of time.

When trying to decide which option is best for you, here are some things to think about:

• How much time do you or your staff have to spend on editing the site?
  • Most of my clients really want a self-editing CMS, but don’t realize that even with a user-friendly system, that it still requires them to sit down and make the edits themselves.
  • Depending on how much time you have during the day, it’s sometimes quicker to just E-mail a change and have someone take care of it for you.

• How quickly do changes need to be made?
  • If you want to be able to make changes instantly, a CMS may be the way to go.
  • When working with an agency or IT person for example, there will probably be a 24-48 lag time between your change request and that change being executed.

• How comfortable are you with learning a new system?
  • There are thousands of ways you can build a CMS, but bottom-line, you do have to be comfortable with learning a new system, making mistakes and experimenting.
  • Even the most intuitive of systems will take a little time to acclimate oneself to.

• Cost versus Need
  • Ask yourself – how often do you need to make changes on the site? If it’s not often, you may just want to use a developer or IT person.
  • If you feel your site needs to be updated frequently (1x per week for example), you may want to pay to develop a CMS.
  • A CMS will cost you more upfront, but depending on your developer or agency’s hourly rate for example, if edits are frequent enough, a CMS may be worth the additional upfront costs.

I would like to bring up that even if you have a Content Management System, you will still need a developer in many cases. A CMS is a tool to edit easily editable information that needs to be refreshed frequently. So, the key is 1) easy-to-edit content and 2) content that needs to be edited often.

CMS is not usually a creative editing tool. For example, if you have a photo on your home page, you may be able to take down or upload a new photo, but you will often times not be able to edit the photo itself, for example to re-size the photo, fix the coloring, etc. Also, anything that moves, for example your navigation, flash intros, videos etc. are usually not included in a CMS as the time to develop a useful CMS to edit such functions would exceed the benefits and would probably also be too complicated for the average person to be able implement, even with a well-developed system. For these types of changes, I suggest using a professional web programmer or developer.

Bottom line, there are a ton of “can’ts” and “cans” when it comes to developing a CMS. It will be important for you to outline what you want to be able to edit and then place the onus on the person developing the site or functions to tell you whether or not it’s logistically possible, and if they are honest, whether or not you really need a CMS based on your objectives. As mentioned, sometimes using a developer for 2 to 3 hours per month can save you a lot of headaches and may actually be cheaper. One last thought – if you want written instructions or a manual on how to use your CMS, make sure to let the developer know. It may lead to an increased cost, due to the extra time it would take to develop a manual, but it may be worth it if several people will be using the CMS for example, or if you learn better by reading.

Brought to you by CEA Marketing Group. www.ceamarketing.com