Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

With Halloween creeping closer, it’s time to start thinking about your marketing plan. Don't be afraid, we're here to help! This is the time of year to pull out all the stops. Need help getting into the "spirit" of Halloween? Here are some ideas to help put your business on the map!

1. Halloween Party:
Halloween is brewing with fun, why not share the fun with your customers? Host a Halloween party or even a costume contest to get your customers excited for the big night! Offer prizes for those who are best dressed!

2. Halloween Specials:

Whether you are creating a special drink specifically for Halloween night (Slasher shots anyone?) or extending your happy hour for the night crowd, let your customers know!

3. Halloween Catering:

Not hosting a party yourself? There is still time to get those last minute catering orders in for everyone’s spooktacular events! Promote your catering or offer a special Halloween menu for those FANGtastic Halloween parties your customers are planning.

 

4. Happy Halloween:
Not doing anything for Halloween? Simply wish your customers a Happy Halloween!

Any other Halloween ideas we missed? Please share your comments below! 

4 Best Practices For Responding To A Negative Review

     In today’s age people like to hear about a place before they try it.  Big review sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google+, and Facebook have allowed their platforms to be the sounding boards of the internet where people can see all reviews at the click of a button.  Most business owners view review sites as the enemy.  However, they aren’t!  In the past year about 75% of reviews that have come through our system are positive reviews.  

     You want to embrace your online reviews and encourage your customer to write reviews about your establishment.  This way when the negative review that does come in the other 25% of the time does come in you have a nice cushioning of positive reviews behind it.  These negative reviews are bound to come in at one time or another as the world does not operate perfectly and we as humans are bound to have off days.  So in preparation for this we suggest you do the following 4 things to help combat the negativity that is posted about you.

1. Claim Your Profiles
   You want to claim all of your profiles.  Let’s face it, the world can be a cruel and harsh place.  Last thing you want is a negative review you can’t respond to… or even worse your competitor claiming your place and marking it as permanently closed.  Not saying they will but coming from a company that has seen it happen, it can and you want to be prepared.  Each platform has either a contact email or phone number in which you can get in touch with their representatives to help you claim all pages.
   
2. Address the Pain Points
   When addressing a negative review you want the customer to know you heard their concerns and issues (even if you do not agree with them).  If there is a valid reason you do certain business practices and feel the customer will gain insight feel free to write it, but do not make it look like an ‘excuse’.  The last thing a person with a bad experience wants to hear is an ‘excuse’ as to why they had a bad experience.
   
3. Be Brief and Polite
   Being too wordy gives you more ‘rope to hang yourself with’. Be brief, address the pain points and apologize where needed.  Always ‘thank’ the customer for their feedback even if it is negative.  Responses like ‘we encourage feedback’, ‘we cannot fix what we don’t know is broken’ and ‘your feedback will help us become better’ show the customer that you truly care about your business and how people perceive your restaurant.
   
   
4. Offer a Solution
   Solutions should always be made off-line.  Meaning you should never offer a giveaway or freebie of any sorts on a public forum.  This will help promote more negative feedback in hopes of getting something free.  This is something we do not want!  Kindly let the customer know to contact you at the business so you can gain more clarity and insight on the situation.  When the customers calls is when you can offer them something for their less than stellar visit.

Have any ideas on how to respond to a negative review that we missed?  Comment below to give us your feedback!  We always love hearing from you.

Written By: Colleen Leonardo