How to "Recession Proof" Your Restaurant

Okay by now we all know that the U.S. is facing a recession and no one is talking about how quickly it's going to be over with. In fact, it doesn't look like there are going to be any easy answers this time around.

We know what happens - when a recession hits, people start tightening their belts - they keep their wallets in their pants and they stop spending money on "luxuries."

One of the first luxuries for many people is eating out at restaurants.

So what are your plans for "recession proofing" your restaurant?

You might be tempted to cut back on your advertising or marketing. I think that is a mistake. (And I'm not just saying that because I'm a copywriter and I'd like to get your business!)

Well, okay, yes, I am a copywriter, and yes, I'd like to get your business. But I'd like to show you how you can recession proof your business without having to cut your marketing budget, throw lots more money into an advertising campaign that may not be working or spend a lot of time trying untested ideas that may or may not work. How?

I'm working with a friend and colleague of mine on that exact thing - in fact, if you're a restaurant owner who's looking for ways to recession-proof your restaurant so you build strong relationships with your customers, have them tell their friends about you - and bring people with them and spend less money on your advertising and marketing campaigns.

Sound good? Stay tuned for more information. (In the meantime, sign up for my free report - that will tell you what to do if you're making fatal mistakes with your marketing strategy right now) - and I'll let you know when the new report is ready.

YouTube Gets 12% of ALL Internet Traffic - Are You Getting Your Piece of It?

I was watching a video a few minutes ago and something the guy said stopped me in my tracks. YouTube is getting 12% of all Internet traffic. That's a whole lot of traffic.

And it made me wonder how many of my clients are taking full advantage of video and getting their piece of this traffic...

As I started writing this article, another question popped into my head...If I mentioned this to my top clients, what would their reactions be? (I'm not talking about my Internet Marketing Clients - most of them are already taking advantage of video in one way or another.)

When it comes to that particular niche, they almost always seem to be among the "early adopters" of technology. They used free reports and ebooks, blogging and podcasting before they became mainstream. And these days, getting information through video has made using free reports (with the exception of white papers) almost seem to be going the way of video tapes after the DVD came along...

If you've ever checked out YouTube, there are a lot of really strange and wacky videos floating around - but there's something for everyone. So how could a genre that features kids doing parkor stunts, or animals doing strange tricks, or people getting hit by kids wielding baseball bats, falling off of bicycles and being caught in public doing stupid things - have anything to do with a business making money?

Let me tell you about one of my clients. He's a real estate agent in Washington state. One morning as he was about to take his twin daughters to school, he got a call from a prospective client - who lived in New York. She was calling because her husband had just been transferred to Washington, and she wanted to find a Realtor who had videos of homes in specific areas - because her husband's company was sending them out for a week to find a place to live - and so she didn't have any time to waste driving all over the place.

He told her he had to run out the door, but to email him a list of the things she had to have in a house, as well as the things she would like to have, and her price range.

When he got back, he was thrilled to discover that they were looking for an executive home, where the commission rate would be significant.

He spent three weeks combing through homes that met his new client's requirements and then visiting and videoing them. He found 8 - and uploaded them to his Website. She liked three and he was able to show her all three in one day when the couple flew out a couple of weeks later.

His client liked the 2nd house - and that's the one they made an offer on. (It was accepted 2 weeks later.)

That's just one example of how video can be used in a real business. How could it help yours?

Marketing Life Lesson #1: It's not polite to interrupt.

I realized a long time ago that my mother taught me many lessons that I try to live my life by. Today I realized that she also taught me some valuable lessons about marketing - and from time to time, I'm going to share them with you, because they'll be just as valuable to you.

So here's Mom's Marketing Lesson #1: It's Not Polite to Interrupt

Remember when you were a kid and you'd get so excited about sharing a story or adding to the dinner table conversation that you'd just jump right in and start talking? And your mom would tell you that it's "not polite to interrupt?" Well, it's even more important when it comes to your online marketing messages.

If you're interrupting your customers' work or lives with your marketing message - STOP IT RIGHT NOW!

Let me give you an idea of what I mean. In one of my email accounts, in the last 3 days, I've gotten 327 emails with subject lines like this:

This FR33 System Will Infect You with the $$$ Plague

Save More On Quality Advertising JAN ONLY!

Web 2.o Secrets Revealed

Do You like Video How To's Cheryl?

To People Who Want To Produce An Income From Home- But
Can,t Get Started!

And by the way - as headlines go - these really aren't bad. I'll go into what makes a good headline later on - because what I want to focus on is your marketing message itself. The problem I have with each one of these messages is - none of them are targeted to me. Not one of these advertisors has taken the time to find out what I'm looking for, or to ask me what I want. None of them know what my business is, or what my goals are. (I didn't bother to opened any of those messages - because they were just interrupting me and keeping me from my real goals. They just got sent to the recycling bin.)

So What About You?

When you're sending out your marketing message, are you sending valuable, interesting content because you understand what makes your prospects tick - or are you just ticking them off by sending another advertisement?

How much honest-to-goodness understanding do you have of your target market as it relates to your product or services?

Do you really know what they're looking for? Have you taken the time to listen to what they're already saying about your brand? When is the last time that you paid a visit to "where they're living" online?

If you've been sending messages with a main goal of trying to "sell" your product or service - then you're interrupting your prospect - and so you shouldn't be surprised if you get treated like a door-to-door salesman - and your message is ignored, or worse, gets marked as "spam."

Whether you're sending traffic to a lead generation page, you've rented a list or you're sending messages to your current and past customers, you should be taking the time to figure out ways that you can help them enhance their current experiences rather than interrupting them.

How do you do that?

By offering them valuable information or services related to what they want as it relates to your product or service.

If you're promoting health products, for example, then what about creating a series of "how to exercise correctly" videos? Or do a product review in your newsletter each month, about the latest alternative supplements, exercise equipment or diet program?

Although I hesitate to use the phrase "value-added" (because it's turning into another one of those meaningless buzz words) - you should develop a strategy to provide lots of value for your prospects and customers. Make giving them what they need your priority - and what you're selling secondary to that - and you'll start making more sales, more often and your customers will stay with you longer.

In fact, I predict that this is a trend that's going to move to the front of the pack in marketing and advertising circles this year. I'm already seeing some of the biggest companies exploring their inner Web 2.0 marketer this year - one good example comes from a New York Times Article written about sports shoe giant Nike.

I'm curious what your view is about giving more to your customers...Let me know what you think...