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!