August 20, 2019
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How does YOUR business look online?
Get a free report on how search engines like Google, GPS maps, online maps and directories see your business! Your online reputation (Yelp, Google ratings, Facebook reviews and Tripadvisor) is the second most important factor to driving new traffic into your business next to word of mouth, I’ll show you how to improve your star ratings and public perception. Request your free report now!
Scan your own business to see a snapshot of how Google sees you. If you have a presence on one of these oddball directories like “Cylex”, is a customer going to find you there and stop in for a visit? Hell no. But the more accurate and thorough you are with your online presence, the more Google takes notice. And ranks you accordingly.
Remember, the ONLY platform we’re trying to influence is Google!
See for yourself.
“RESTAURANT & BAR MARKETING –
THE NO BULLS#IT GUIDE TO IMPROVING GUEST COUNTS”
by Erik Shellenberger available on Amazon! The first book in the series.
“RESTAURANT & BAR MARKETING II –
HACKING HUMAN NATURE”
by Erik Shellenberger available on Amazon! The second book in the series.
- Learn WHY social media is no longer an effective marketing tool
- Learn the “Fishbowl vs. the Ocean” concept of where the new customers are
- I explain the correct marketing methods in tourists economies
- I show you how to fix your online reputation and improve your reviews
- Get ranked at the top of the Google results for restaurants in your area
- Learn how to market to REAL customers and turn one-time customers into regulars
- Start thinking like a consumer, not a business owner
- Optimize the tools that TOURISTS use, not the ones your regulars use
- Get off the sinking ship that is social media marketing
- In today’s visual world, presentation is EVERYTHING
- Make sure there is a market before spending money on a certain promotion
- Google customers are ready, willing and able to PAY FULL PRICE
Get out of the fishbowl and into the ocean of customers!
Your social media messages only get received by your “followers” and people who “like” your page. New customers will NEVER see your message if they haven’t yet heard of your bar or restaurant.
In a tourist economy, social media is hugely ineffective. Ask yourself what you use to find a place to eat or drink when in unfamiliar territory. I’m guessing you don’t go to social media and start mindlessly scrolling until a restaurant pops up. People looking to discover new places to eat use Yelp, Google and Tripadvisor almost exclusively. These platforms are made for this reason.
In tourist economies Yelp, Google and Tripadvisor are the top 3 most popular platforms by a long shot!
This sounds like common sense but this is very rarely optimized. Bar Marketing Basics uses this approach EXCLUSIVELY. We have polled the public for 6 years in order to prove our theory. The people have spoken.
Do you want to grow or scale your business??
If you’re not on the top of these 3 platforms, you’re on the slow boat to nowhere. Don’t listen to the “experts” who only want to push what they specialize in, usually just social media.
“Get your mind out of the Fishbowl”
..And into the ocean of customers looking for you.
PODCASTS AND INTERVIEWS
Bar Marketing Basics published articles
Jump out of the Fishbowl and into the Ocean of customers looking for your restaurant or bar
Check out my article on the importance of leveraging Google and online review sites like Yelp. These days Facebook is all but dead unless you pay for each post. Instagram is still effective but social media is a “fishbowl” and a finite number of customers who have opted in to see your content. Google and review sites are the OCEAN of people who have probably never heard of your restaurant or bar.
Especially if you are in a tourist market, you are INSANE if you aren’t leveraging search engines and review sites. Read the article by clicking the magazine cover.
Don’t make your website the prettiest thing no one’s ever seen
Your bar or restaurant’s website is made for one thing – making you money. The more often you’re found in an online search the more money you make. Yet most restaurant owners are obsessed with how the website looks with little to no regard of how many customer’s eyeballs actually see it. Being found in a Google search or a voice command search via Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant or the GPS systems in the newer cars is absolutely crucial to success.
Don’t create a stunning looking website that can’t be found online. Spend your money in getting found and making MONEY!
Leverage the customers already sitting in your restaurant or bar with wifi marketing
Since email blasts are pretty much a thing of the past, start trading free wifi access in exchange for your customer’s email address or phone number. When Smart emails are used, you can often get around spam filters because you have a legit message tailored to the one person it goes to.
Also you can now use text message auto-responders to sell in-house promotions that will always be 1000% more effective than your staff remembering to tell the customer. (Because they won’t) Not everyone reads emails, especially promotional types of emails but everyone reads their texts. Just keep it short and offer something of value.
Here are the most effective marketing tools I’ve seen lately
I’ll take a meeting with anyone who asks. Some are a total waste of time but once in a while I stumble upon a great piece of new technology and highly effective marketing tools. These are my top picks of 2018 for tools that drive business and put butts in seats. From new tricks to market to your captive audience to wifi marketing routers that send messages to your actual, real clients, here is what works.
I’ve weeded out the valuable tools form the snake oil for you. My new list of tools to pay attention to in 2019 coming soon!
It’s not your father’s social media! How the power of social media has diminished over the years.
The power of social media has been reduced to almost nothing over the years. Twitter is worthless for us and Facebook is quickly joining them in the irrelevant zone. In 2018 “social media” means “Instagram” when referring to bars and restaurants. Your content is only seen by a finite amount of followers who are being more and more restricted by Instagram’s algorithm.
Here is the info the “social media experts” won’t tell you (or may not even know themselves). Don’t expect Instagram to be a magic wand to bring in customers by the droves. Those days are far behind us.
The do’s and don’ts of online review response. The only thing worse than a 1-star review is a 1-way conversation.
Responding to online reviews is the art of saying the same thing in 1000 different ways. The last thing you want is to come across insincere and robotic. Make sure ALL reviews are responded to, not just the negatives. Thanking your 5-star fans is one of the most important parts. Chances are your competition is ignoring them as well so now’s your chance to shine.
If you don’t have time for this, I get it. Professional review response is one of the services Bar Marketing Basics offers.
The Podcast
Stories of booze inspired shenanigans
Product Reviews
What's new in our business
Polls
Hear directly form the public
The Video Series
Thinking Like An Owner
Meet Erik Shellenberger – Bar and Restaurant Consultant
My name is Erik Shellenberger and I’ve been in the restaurant industry since I was 13 years old working for the food and beverage dept. of a local ski resort that my mother controlled. I’ve been in the bar and restaurant marketing business for a decade and have mastered every skill associated with marketing bars and restaurants. I’ve been a graphic designer and a web designer for almost 10 years, I’ve been in charge of social media and networking almost as long.
I’ve acted as a one-man marketing dept. for a chain of Country themed bar/ restaurants with 13 locations. I have created and headed up promotional approaches for some of the top performing nightclubs and bars in the Old Town Scottsdale Entertainment District.
Reputation Management and SEO for Bars and Restaurants is key these days to driving traffic. Learn my secret of the guest count traffic pie chart and how to harness the power of reputation management, SEO and word of mouth. Learn how to no longer “hate” review sites like Yelp but to use them to your advantage. Dominate your competition in search engines and make sure your business is correct and relevant on mapping systems, GPS in the newer cars, and of course search engines like Google.
I’ve appeared on several podcasts recently sharing my message and helping as many people as want to learn. My message of “Help others by being RUTHLESSLY self-serving” is one not to be missed! My passion is helping other people and businesses succeed which is by default, self-serving.
My recent passion is understanding human nature and decoding what drives improved guest counts. I currently motivate the staff of my clients with talks aimed at improving tips and improving attitudes. When the staff is happy and making money, the business will make money as a side effect. When guest counts improve from this effect, traffic issues disappear. Contact me now about how I can help improve you guest counts.
-Erik Shellenberger
LEVERAGE THE TOP 2 CONTROLABLE FACTORS THAT BRING NEW CUSTOMERS THROUGH YOUR DOOR
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SEARCH ENGINE VISIBILITY
Get found online BEFORE your competitors do!
$
349month
No contracts EVER
100% MEASURABLE results!!
Get found FIRST on Google, Siri/ Alexa/ Google assistant, GPS maps in the newest cars and other online resources, maps and directories. Optimize how your customers see your business and get as visible as possible online!
A MUST for a tourist based market!
- Rank at the top of Google results for keywords like “Bars” or “Restaurants” near me.
- Be among the top results in Siri/ Alexa/ Google assistant and other voice command products.
- Streamline your contact info and lock in your online profiles.
- Send “suggested edits” and “Google Local Guide” suggestions to moderation to assure accuracy.
- Find and suppress any duplicate profiles blocking you from ranking well.
- Make sure your map pin marker location is accurate on all online maps including Uber and Lyft.
- Get visible in the GPS systems installed in all new cars.
- We NEVER lock you into a contract, cancel anytime.
All work is done by Bar Marketing Basics inside the USA. No outsourcing ever.
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REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
Don't allow a one-sided conversation!
$
349month
No contracts EVER
Ignoring your online reviews is costing you
Nearly 20% of consumers say they won’t frequent small businesses that don’t respond to comments on online reviews. Chances are you simply don’t have the time. That’s where we come in and do the work on your behalf.
Don’t let the one-sided conversation continue!
- We respond on your behalf for ALL reviews on Yelp, Google, Tripadvisor and Facebook.
- All reviews are signed with your contact info so all issues can be handled in-house.
- Your fans are thanked and negative reviews are addressed PUBLICLY not privately so the public knows we take concerns seriously.
- We flag any negative reviews that can potentially be removed because of a terms and conditions violation.
- Reviews responded to within 72 hours or less to get the best results.
- Our team coordinates closely with our contact on your end to bring up issues right when they occur.
- We NEVER lock you into a contract, cancel anytime.
All work is done by Bar Marketing Basics inside the USA. No outsourcing ever.
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SEARCH ENGINE VISIBILITY AND REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
Get both services and save a ton!
$
499month
No contracts EVER
You can’t measure the customers who never walk through your door
Your online reputation greatly effects your search engine visibility so pairing these 2 services is a no-brainer. Dominate the top 2 controllable factors that bring NEW people through the door of your restaurant or bar.
Start increasing guest counts today!
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- Take control of your online presence and get your brand in front of the undecided customer looking for you!
- Greatly improve guest counts and expand your brand visibility outside of your social media “fishbowls”.
- An absolute MUST for any tourist economy.
- Search engine results are 100% measurable including the holy grail “Get Directions” metric.
- Work personally with Erik and Amy, no playing phone tag or wait times for anything.
- No contracts EVER, cancel anytime.
All work is done by Bar Marketing Basics inside the USA. No outsourcing ever.
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ZENREACH MARKETING WIFI ROUTER
Grow your follower list faster than ANY other method!
$
199month
``The best marketing advantage during Covid that I've ever seen!``
When this service is purchased through Bar Marketing Basics, you get a built-in marketing professional and a Zenreach expert at the same time. All for the same price as going through Zenreach directly without any of this!
Zenreach allows your customers a free wifi portal that captures their email address upon logging in. Databases usually grow from 150 new users on the low end to around 350 on the high end PER MONTH! Let’s see any clunky website newsletter opt-in form do that!
Zenreach then sends out what’s called “smart emails” to each customer individually depending on certain landmarks.
“first time visit”
“repeat customer”
“loyal customer”
“lost customer”
“upcoming birthday”
Using smart emails targets each specific user’s visiting habits and allows you to send out offers or promotions customized to each person who visits your restaurant. What’s better is because they are not sent as a bulk email blast, they are way less likely to get caught in a spam filter.
Oh yeah, you can also send out email blasts directly from Zenreach without having to export/ import into a different email marketing program. It’s all done within the Zenreach platform.
