Some business owners find that they cannot juggle all of the necessary tasks without working around the clock. One way to reduce the burden is by outsourcing work to remote employees.

Indeed, many businesses have found that outsourcing not only saves time but can also drive profits.

​Here are five ways that outsourcing can increase your company’s bottom line:

​1. Lower Costs
Outsourcing can help you cut costs dramatically, especially because you do not have to hire full-time staff to perform business tasks.

Outsourcing to a smaller company or individuals allows you to save on benefits and taxes that you would otherwise have to pay if you have full-time employees.

Further, you can negotiate for great rates when you outsource work, which helps you cut costs and improve your company’s bottom line.

In Hong Kong, I have seen a trend in outsourcing software to Eastern Europe; this trend has been growing here for two reasons, (1) the cost to hire local software developers is extreme – small businesses are competing for talent against some of the world’s most deep pocketed financial firms – and, (2) talent, there is a lack of local talent that can get the job done at adequate quality in Hong Kong.

2. Increased Productivity
Outsourcing administrative and other non-productive tasks can free up time up and owners to concentrate on more productive activities such as marketing, developing strategy, networking, and coming up with new products and business ideas.

Increased productivity means greater sales, more revenue, and ultimately improves a company’s bottom line.

At my company Visichain, for example, I utilize remote workers for many ongoing tasks, including:

Bookkeeping, to India
Graphic Design, to Romania
Website Design, to Philippines
And, other one-off tasks to the best people where ever I can find them.

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Webcast, September 17th: 10X Growth & Relationships with Community Building

3. Better Customer Service
Outsourcing the customer service function can result in happier customers who choose your company’s products and services time and again.

Also, happy customers are more likely to recommend your business to friends and family, which leads to more sales, greater revenue, and higher profits.

Another plus when outsourcing customer service for global operations is it allows for 24/7 support because you can utilize back office services that work around the clock. This can be a major service advantage especially for online businesses and companies that are competing against commodified services that don’t yet make the convenience of 24/7 availability an option.

4. Greater Investment
Outsourcing allows you to redirect money you would have used to pay full-time staff into other productive activities such as purchasing more stock or investing in machinery and other assets that grow your business.

And, as Chris Pentago has noted in another article here on Business 2 Community, Strategic Outsourcing Can Lift the ROI of a Small Business.

5. Increased Revenues
Outsourcing business processes allows you and your existing staff to concentrate on activities that bring in customers and drive revenues up.

Increased revenues have a direct impact on your company’s bottom line and allow you to drive up your profit margins.

Since staff is free from having to perform mundane tasks such as data entry or customer service, they can focus on meeting more clients, making more cold calls, networking, and other activities that increase revenue.

In Conclusion
When done correctly, outsourcing can increase your bottom line.

Your office staff are more productive due to the reduced workload and you can use the extra money to invest in your company.

When you are considering outsourcing, take a look at the daily tasks and select ones that do not need to be done in the workplace.

​By Mitra Sorrells

TripAdvisor is offering a Wi-Fi subscription service for restaurants to help them collect more reviews and build their email marketing databases.

Any of the site’s more than four million restaurants can now sign up for TripAdvisor Wi-Fi Plus, enabling them to offer free Wi-Fi to their diners through a branded network.

To access the service, diners provide either their email or a social media credential. After leaving the restaurant, the system sends the guest a reminder to leave a review, and the restaurant can also maintain communication, for example to send individual messages or automated campaigns.

When asked if TripAdvisor may extend this offering to additional categories, such as tour and activity suppliers, Evan Becker, head of key accounts for restaurants, says, “The agreement that we have set up with our vendor today, a company called Captini, is not exclusive to our restaurants product line.

"There are certainly future opportunities for us to expand this to other business units, but at the moment we are currently just focused on restaurants.”

​Restaurants comprise about half of TripAdvisor’s listings, which also cover accommodations, airlines, experiences and cruises.

In the United States, pricing for TripAdvisor Wi-Fi Plus ranges from $69 per month with a two-year plan to $89 per month on a month-to-month basis. Pricing varies in other countries.

Exclusive Deals: Driving $35,000 Revenue in Revenue

Eighty percent of diners are likely to try a new restaurant if there’s an exclusive deal. Many deals fail because they aren’t distributed properly, not reinforced often enough and finally, many aren’t compelling enough for customers to act on.  Bot marketing gave Rapid Fire Pizzeria the ability to have patrons instantly win a free appetizer by entering into their contest and tagging their friends. These results are from a client of Matt Plapp and his ROI Engine program.

Key Results at a Glance 

1. Rapid Fired Pizzeria offered a free cheese stick on Facebook Messenger to 4,800 of their subscribers which they build up in 10 months. In a very personable way, as if a friend was sending them a Facebook message, they offered the cheese stick and had 34 percent of people redeemed it after various non-intrusive reminders – an email could never have done the same without mass unsubscribes.
2. The 34 percent totaled 1661 visitors who spent about $15 after redeeming their cheese stick (this is more than their average cheque size).
3. Another 777 came after the promotion was pushed again to equal $35,000 in-direct revenue.

Today, more than 100,000 bots are being used on Facebook Messenger to collect information, make product recommendations, take orders and even to advance social good. Bots give you a new way to build brand awareness, increase foot traffic, and spread information on events and specials. 
Email open-rates used to be 90 percent before mass adoption kicked in and dropped it down to under 30 percent. Bot open rates are currently at what email used to be – how long do you want to wait

By Geoff Short

​Starting a restaurant has long been many peoples’ dream. However, the industry is under constant pressure from changing consumer demands and banks and lenders that are becoming more risk averse.

It has always been a financial risk to open a restaurant, but the current landscape does offer hope for entrepreneurs. Specialty private equity shops are one way of raising funds to start a restaurant, as is utilizing personal contacts. Christa Jaganath, a senior audit manager at Briggs & Veselka Co in Houston, TX says there is also another emerging method of securing capital.

“The benefit of crowdfunding is that you now have people like me and you who can essentially provide $100 or $1,000, almost like you’re fundraising. So, anybody in the community can contribute money,” Jaganath said. “It provides this community involvement where they now feel like they’re involved in your restaurant, which means they are now going to bring their friends, their family, to the restaurant. It’s good marketing, and they want to get their money back as well.”

Jaganath recently spoke at the Texas Restaurant Association Marketplace about best financial practices in this ever-changing environment. As delivery becomes more prevalent and taste buds change, restauranteurs must be even smarter and more efficient than ever before.

Every dollar counts in an industry known for slim margins. How restaurants approach items like delivery services and consumer demands will determine which ones have a successful future.

​by: Ken Newman, CEO of DMA | Digital Marketing Agency

Ken Newman, CEO of DMA (Digital Marketing Agency) reported that one of DMA’s marketing partners shared a story about a new fast casual restaurant in town that was having challenges establishing a foothold in a new market. Despite an opening plan that included traditional paid advertising and a host of social media efforts, this location was not achieving comparable results to the brand’s other locations. How did they resolve this issue? The restaurant’s marketing consultant identified the key Mommy Bloggers in the area, hosted them for an in-house tour (with children in tow), served them lunch, and started relationships that would ultimately turn the tide for their business. Soon they became known for their family friendly atmosphere, healthy food options in the fast casual space, and menu items that are pleasing both to adult and toddler palates. How did this happen? The Mommy Bloggers were suitably impressed, taking to the internet to reach their followers and to wield their influence.

Newman explains that, like the example above, many businesses can rely on influencers to push their brand to loyal followers with very little financial investment. Unlike the example above where the influencers were local, you have the option to engage globally.

He has advice on how to get started:

Build relationships before you ask them to promote your brand. Like and share their posts, eventually begin commenting where appropriate.
Once you are ready for the next step, suggest a mutually beneficial arrangement for them to mention you in their posts. A fashion company we have worked with provides key influencers with clothes from time to time.
​
Have them push a specific offer only available through their channels. This will allow you to test how their influence is working.
Rinse and repeat.
Identifying and building an influencer base can be time consuming at first. But once you have built a list, you have the great opportunity to build new relationships, bringing new energy into the fold. What’s more, you will be creating brand ambassadors that have the potential to bring your business to a whole new level.

About DMA (Digital Marketing Agency): DMA has offices worldwide. An experienced staff of 30 experts identifies and solves online marketing issues for businesses who want to effectively market their services online.  The Naples office is located at 3510 Kraft Road.

​Have you ever wondered if there’s any way to harness Snapchat’s unique functionality to market your business to a younger demographic? This platform’s capabilities present an interesting option for marketers, but not a lot of clarity on how to use them effectively.

If you’ve been chasing the Generation Z market, however, Snapchat has some tricks up its ghosty little sleeves that have been proving successful. In addition to its built-in advertising tools, the platform is also offering analytics solutions for power users.

In this article, we’ll investigate Snapchat’s user statistics and data analysis options. We’ll also outline three ways you can start implementing Snapchat as a part of your business’ marketing strategy. If you’re ready, let’s pick a good filter and get started!

Why You Should Consider Using Snapchat as a Marketing Tool
Snapchat can be an enigmatic social media channel for users of certain generations. Its reach, however, holds plenty of promise for marketers. Snapchat users are extremely active, creating 3.5 billion snaps per day. When you combine that with the six different advertising formats and a lower cost of conversions compared to other social media platforms, there’s a lot of potential on offer. 

Additionally, when it comes to demographics, 71% of Generation Z uses Snapchat as a part of their daily routines. Plus, 51% of this group uses Snapchat roughly 11 times each day. Those are big numbers for younger demographics, a market that’s notoriously hard to capture.

3 Ways to Market Your Business With Snapchat
There’s a lot more to Snapchat than the disappearing ‘snaps’ you can send. This camera-centric app has plenty of other features as well, such as games, quizzes, and interactions, which can contribute to a robust marketing strategy.

1. Use the My Story Feature to Create Experiences 

Outside of the basic ‘snap’ that disappears once it’s viewed, Snapchat also has a My Story feature. This is an excellent option for developing engaging customer experiences. Unlike snaps, stories remain viewable for 24 hours. 

Creative business owners can take advantage of Stories on Snapchat for free. Posting frequently (but not too frequently) is a fruitful way to boost customer engagement, according to a Snaplytics study. This data analysis firm also found that recommendations and Calls to Action (CTAs) can be much more effective on this platform than on Facebook or Instagram. 

Snapchat also offers paid advertising options, which can be worth your time as well. To illustrate the point, the company Wish invested in Story Ads and found an 80% lower Cost Per Install for its Wish App when it fed ads directly from its product catalog:

​However, there are some downsides to advertising with Snapchat to be aware of. For instance, Stories are not shareable, which is a big benchmark for other forms of social media marketing.

With the My Story feature, you can create a collection of snaps that either tell a narrative or create an opportunity for customers to participate in a sale, download an app, or use a coupon for a specified amount of time. My Story also has some built-in features for seeing how many people have viewed your story or taken screenshots of it.

2. Create Dynamic Geofilters for In-Store Incentives 

One of the most dynamic and engaging ways to use Snapchat for marketing might be its on-demand geofilters. Geofilters are custom overlays you can create that Snapchat users can only access if they are in a certain geographic location. For instance, you might restrict a filter so it can only be used by those who are inside your physical store or place of business:

​There is an approval process for both personal and business geofilters. So you’ll want to plan ahead and give yourself a couple of days for approval time before you want to use the filter. For example, you could create a filter ahead of time for a store grand opening or a sales event. 

Plenty of businesses have used geofilters to great effect. Kentucky Fried Chicken is just one of many big brands (others include Taco Bell and Sony) that have used geofilters to market on Snapchat. When KFC decided to launch one of its sandwiches into space, it created a geofilter. This filter was available only at the company’s chain restaurants, and had 180,000 uses and 4.5 million views, all while boosting awareness of the sandwich and the space launch event:

​There is an approval process for both personal and business geofilters. So you’ll want to plan ahead and give yourself a couple of days for approval time before you want to use the filter. For example, you could create a filter ahead of time for a store grand opening or a sales event. 

Plenty of businesses have used geofilters to great effect. Kentucky Fried Chicken is just one of many big brands (others include Taco Bell and Sony) that have used geofilters to market on Snapchat. When KFC decided to launch one of its sandwiches into space, it created a geofilter. This filter was available only at the company’s chain restaurants, and had 180,000 uses and 4.5 million views, all while boosting awareness of the sandwich and the space launch event:

POST WRITTEN BY
Laura Cole

​When it comes to marketing, brands always want to know what’s new and what’s next. One of the questions I’m asked most frequently is: "What should we be doing (or thinking about doing) to reach our customers?"

As the vice president of marketing for a marketing technology company, I’ve spent the better part of two decades helping brands use online, social and mobile marketing tools to grow their business. Looking ahead and understanding where the marketing industry is headed is not just part of my daily grind — it’s what fuels me.

For the majority of organizations — from corporations to startups to nonprofit groups to local businesses — one answer is to explore the benefits of mobile marketing (also known as SMS marketing) as part of an integrated marketing strategy that may also include more traditional channels.

We’ve entered a new era of communication in America. When taking a closer look at consumer behavior and preferences, it appears that the future lies in text messaging over email to enhance business-to-consumer interactions. According to Gartner, text message open and response rates are "as high as 98% and 45%, respectively — in contrast to corresponding figures of 20% and 6% for email." This makes text messaging an effective way to get through to a defined audience.

Texting is how many people prefer to communicate these days — and there are a couple of compelling reasons behind this shift:

• People are on their phones more than ever. As reported by VentureBeat, Americans send 2.27 trillion texts every year. What’s more, one study found that people look at their phones an average of 80 times per day. Mobile marketing is a way to reach consumers, quite literally, exactly where they are.

​• The send-and-receive is almost instantaneous. Ninety percent of text messages are read within three minutes, according to TechJury. For this reason, organizations can get important and time-sensitive information, such as extreme weather warnings and appointment reminders, in front of people quickly and in real-time.

Companies are increasingly open to the digital revolution that’s underway and are employing text messaging because of its proven effectiveness. One company — which polled 1,000 consumers and 1,000 businesses — found that:

• 'Businesses are swiftly adopting text messaging as a communication tool.' Thirty-nine percent of the businesses polled use some form of texting with their customers, and more than half of the businesses polled in various industries see the value of texting even if they haven’t yet used it.

• Most consumers are already being texted by businesses. More than 75% of the consumers polled are already receiving some kind of text message from a business.

Understandably, despite this movement toward mobile, some decision makers may pause before testing or implementing SMS marketing as part of an overarching campaign. Because I’ve seen numerous companies benefit from this type of customer engagement (particularly small- and midsized businesses), I’d like to share some advice about how to use mobile marketing effectively.

• Keep messages brief. Individual SMS messages are limited to 160 characters (if more, they’ll be broken down into multiple messages). To keep the customer’s attention, send one text that focuses on one theme — using succinct sentences and proper punctuation. Ideally, texts should take approximately five seconds to read. Link to your website to offer additional information and drive conversions.

• Consider auto-reply keywords. This feature enables customers to receive more information by sending a specific keyword in response to the text. For example, they can text the word "DIRECTIONS," and a link to your Google Maps or Google My Business listing would automatically be sent. This is particularly useful for answering common questions (address, phone number, hours) as well as for promotions ("Text DEAL for a coupon") and growing social media ("Text INSTA for a link to our page").

• Watch your frequency. In my experience, flooding customers’ phones will likely get you blocked quickly. Reach out when there’s a reason, at most three to five times per month. This could include sending texts about upcoming sales, new product launches, holiday hours or closures, appointment reminders or emergencies.

• Be visual. From time to time, include a high-quality photo as part of your message to avoid the repetitive nature of sending only text. This can be particularly effective for companies in the creative space, along with retailers. I've found that an image can prompt consumers to take action.

There’s no question that, in the majority of cases, marketing efforts should be comprehensive. In my experience, text messaging is most effective when it complements and works in unison with other tactics based on your company’s particular industry, customer and budget. What can this look like for your company?

• Use mobile marketing to amplify your message. Never the solo platform to announce something newsworthy, texting for business should serve as one of multiple mediums to spread the same news. Using more traditional approaches — such as social media, blog posts or even a video — in tandem with texting can ensure that you’re reaching a broad audience.

• Connect your messages. Using a website or social media profile as a home base, route all customers there for key information. In short, use the text message as a teaser that directs the consumer to a larger platform where they can learn more, place an order, sign up or access the report.

• Build your customer base with special offers. When launching mobile marketing or attempting to grow your following, consider offering an incentive for customers to opt in. This could be in the form of a one-time discount or gift with purchase. In addition, add a statement ("text JOIN" to a phone number) to existing marketing collateral like signage, brochures, banners and your website. The impact can be two-fold in that the company is generating brand loyalty and increasing sales.

Many companies with an eye on the future are embracing mobile messaging to better engage customers. These conversations can be the key to growing relationships and, ultimately, building loyalty.

Niraj Ranjan Rout is the co-founder and CEO of Hiver, a company that helps teams manage email efficiently. As an entrepreneur, Niraj is active in writing code, solving hard tech problems, hiring and motivating people to build great products which can solve real user problems.

Determining customer satisfaction is a crucial function for companies. Retaining customers can increase profitability: according to research done by Bain & Company, increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by more than 25%. 

​But, are businesses doing enough to encourage customer feedback? The average company only hears from 4% of its dissatisfied customers, which means most companies aren’t hearing from the large majority who aren’t complaining.

Measuring customer satisfaction and collecting feedback is important, and luckily, it’s not very difficult. There is a wide range of tools available to measure your company’s customer satisfaction including emails, reviews, surveys and more. However, these tools should be used in specific ways. For example, sending a survey to a disgruntled customer will only make things worse, and a phone call will work better in this instance.

Also Read: How to Use Omnichannel Marketing and Customer Engagement to Enhance Restaurant Marketing

Here are the best methods for collecting customer feedback, and their specific use cases:

1. Long form-based email surveys
One easy way to collect feedback is to create a survey form with a set of questions, sent via email. The best time to use this approach is when a company wants detailed inputs, such as feedback on a new feature, or suggestions to improve a product.

Companies should only send surveys like this to engaged users--friendly customers or users that companies have worked closely with in the past. These are the people who are most likely to take the time to provide feedback.
These surveys should not ask too many questions, because the more questions respondents are asked, the more likely respondents will “speed” through the survey. This will affect the quality and reliability of their data.
These surveys should ask open-ended questions, as opposed to multiple-choice questions which can give a company answers based on their own assumptions. An example of an open-ended question could be: “What could be improved in the product?”
Have respondents start the survey on a positive note, by asking what they currently like about a company’s product.
 
2. Short in-app surveys
A company’s customers are often thinking about ways a product can work better for them. Perhaps parts of a solution are missing for their needs, or maybe the design could look a little better or maybe they have found something that is broken. More often than not, these customers don’t communicate this feedback — unless there is a big problem.

That’s why it’s a good idea for companies to offer a survey to customers while they are using the product. The survey can be prompted the moment a user has finished interacting with a specific feature in the app, for example. The key is to keep this survey short. Users are in an app for a certain purpose, so companies should only make these surveys 2-3 questions at most.

3. Transactional emails
These email companies can send to customers right after they’ve done something significant: filled in a form, upgraded to a new plan, and so on. Asking the right question in these emails can often garner helpful information about a customer journey. For example, businesses can ask users to rate their delivery right after they have delivered a product.

Companies can send customers a quick one-liner question or a short multiple-choice question. The key is to gain insight at the right time without burdening them with too many questions.

The peak-end rule indicates that sending a transactional email just after a customer has upgraded is a good idea  Asking a question at that juncture would evoke positive feelings about the product and set them on the path to loyalty.

Also Read: How to Bring the Customer Journey to Life?

4. Net Promoter Score Surveys
A Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a technology solution which asks the simplest question a company can and should ask its customers: “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague, on a scale of 0-10?”

The greatest advantage of NPS is the simplicity and ease of use. It can be set up in minutes and is easily understood by everyone in an organization. It also makes it very easy for companies to compare themselves with the NPS standard in their own industry.

Once companies have collected feedback, it’s a good idea to let customers know they have been heard.

By KAT THOMPSON

​Despite nearly 20 years of attempting to scrub Baha Men from the collective consciousness,  the question of “who let the dogs out?” is especially relevant in 2019, where dog ownership in America is at an all-time high. At the end of 2016, the American Veterinary Medical Association found that nearly 58% of all American households have a dog -- the highest rate of dog ownership since the association began collecting data in 1982. And with the increase of our furry friends comes the increase of dog-related businesses -- pet costumes, dog carriers and harnesses, and of course, food. According to Forbes, dog-themed retailers are now a $72.1 billion dollar industry. And now dogs are getting in on our collective restaurant obsession. 

It began simply enough: bars, restaurants, and breweries opened their doors for furry friends to have a seat at the table (or at least at the outdoor patio where they can dine alongside their owners). But as the popularity of pets grew in an era where millennials prioritize having pets over kids due to the rising costs of living, many of these establishments recognized an opportunity to cater more to the dog-friendly crowds: by offering menus specifically crafted for four-legged companions. Now at dinner or dessert, Fido doesn’t have to be left out while sitting under the table -- but can instead be gnawing on his own restaurant-provided treat. 

One of these establishments is West-coast born chain Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, which now has over 30 locations across California, Texas, Nevada, Colorado, Georgia, and Illinois. “In our early days at the first Lazy Dog, we had one of our guests arrive with their dog while the health inspector happened to be in the restaurant,” Lazy Dog’s chief marketing officer, John Williams, recalled. “We took the opportunity to get permission from the health department to serve the dog on the patio.” 

The dog-friendly patio took off, and Lazy Dog decided to incorporate a menu for the thousands of furry friends that would visit. That menu consists of grilled hamburger patties, grilled chicken, and brown rice -- all of which rings in at under $5 per plate, so your dog won’t go hungry as you dive into your own meal.

For dog enthusiasts that have dessert on the mind, Sprinkles Cupcakes has a solution. At the 22 Sprinkles Cupcakes bakeries across the nation, consumers can get their pooches their very own "pupcakes" so both dog and humans can indulge in baked sweets. 

“When it comes to our best friends, what inspiration is more powerful than puppy-dog eyes?” posed Charles Craig, Sprinkles’ vice president of culinary. Since chocolate isn’t good for dogs, Craig dreamt up an alternative. The pupcake is sugar free and made from egg whites, buttermilk, vanilla, butter, and salt and topped with a yogurt frosting. “The pupcake allows you to share your Sprinkles moment with your whole pack.”

For humans that don’t want to be confined to sweet or savory food, burger behemoth Shake Shack also offers some perks for pups in both categories. “When we opened up our first Shack in Madison Square Park, so many of our guests showed up after taking their pets to the park’s dog run that we thought it would only be good hospitality to offer something to our four-legged friends as well,” explained Mark Rosati, Shake Shack’s culinary director. From there, the Pooch-ini was born: a frozen vanilla custard that features peanut butter sauce and dog biscuits. 

It was such a hit -- especially the dog biscuits -- that Shake Shack partnered up with Bocce’s Bakery, a small-batch bakery that uses organic ingredients to make dog treats, to develop their ShackBurger biscuit and Bag of Bones menu item. The ingredients are all-natural and “human-grade” --they even including beef from Shack’s butcher in New York City. So even though they’re intended for your dog, you could arguably munch on them, too. (And in case you were wondering, yes, Rosati admitted to tasting every version developed himself.)

​Grand Central Market LA

​Though these large chain restaurants have found ways to cater to pooches, small ma & pop shops are opening their doors to dogs, too, and they aren’t limited to coastal enclaves. There’s Banger’s Sausage House and Beer Garden in Austin, The Watering Bowl in Denver, and Barrio in Chicago. The list goes on and on. 

At Ollie’s Ice Cream + Stuff, a recently opened ice cream parlor in Brooklyn, New York, dogs and humans can get a scoop side by side. The idea came to owner Eric Kyriakopoulos upon realizing his neighborhood contained an abundance of bars and restaurants, but lacked dessert shops. As a bartender himself, Kyriakopoulos had dreams of opening up his own establishment -- but claims that ice cream kind of “fell into [his] lap” after constantly frequenting grocery stores to buy pint after pint of ice cream when craving something sweet.

“I really think we were just eating ice cream all day. And then the dog angle basically came from… fostering dogs.” Kyriakopoulos, alongside his girlfriend Isabel Klee -- who is a project manager for the massively popular humans-of-New York-style platform, The Dogist -- had fostered several dogs before adopting their own rescue, Simon (who is also wildly popular in his own right and can be considered Instagram famous, with nearly 60,000 followers). “We [fostered] some that had been severely abused; one didn’t even know how to play with toys. We had a couple of dogs that didn’t even enjoy treats or peanut butter, so one day we just looked up how to do alternative snacks for dogs. I came across dog-friendly ice cream and summer treats and then we put our own spin on it.” 

The dog ice cream at Ollie’s clocks in at $2.50 per cup and is scooped separate from the human ice cream, so no need to worry about cross contamination -- not that there’s much to worry about because the ice cream is dairy-free and made from a blend of frozen bananas, organic peanut butter, and either pureed pumpkin or sweet potato. There are eight human flavors to choose from, too, so your dog won’t be the only one indulging. 

“I always wanted a dog named Ollie,” Kyriakopoulos explained, but none of the dogs he had growing up really fit the name -- nor did Simon. “When I met my girlfriend a couple years ago, she was showing me a list of names that she would want her dog to be named. And at the top of the list, Ollie was right there.” So even though Kyriakopoulos has yet to have a dog named Ollie, there’s satisfaction in knowing he’s the proud owner of Ollie’s Ice Cream + Stuff, where his frozen treats can put a smile on the faces of humans and dogs alike. 

Other restaurants go the extra mile by not only providing dog-specific menus, but also giving fostered mutts a shot at a permanent home. Fido’s Tap House in Tigard, Oregon, a suburb of dog-obsessed Portland, offers humans and dogs brews and bites while providing a space for rescued pups to roam free and possibly find their forever homes with one of the bar’s patrons. Dogs, brews, and food -- it’s a match made in heaven (where all dogs go) and seems like the next logical step as pet culture crosses over into the food world. This is a bar where you can have a couple drinks and take home a lifelong pet (or at least the paperwork for one) rather than a random hookup. And as more and more bars and restaurants cater to dogs and their best friends, it seems like a glimpse into the future of a trend that will continue to grow.

​BY ASHLEY DAVIDSON

A growing chance

Influencer marketing is a multibillion-dollar industry and is expected to reach between $5 billion and $10 billion in 2022. Despite all the questions around authenticity and transparency, it’s clear influencer marketing isn’t a passing fad—but rather an effective strategy to engage customers in visual and relatable ways.Influencer marketing is a multibillion-dollar industry and is expected to reach between $5 billion and $10 billion in 2022. Despite all the questions around authenticity and transparency, it’s clear influencer marketing isn’t a passing fad—but rather an effective strategy to engage customers in visual and relatable ways.

Local restaurants often leverage hometown social media celebrities with a vast reach to drive more traffic to their restaurants, entice already loyal fans to come back for more, or to raise awareness around a new restaurant opening. It’s something many restaurant operators know they should be doing, but they’re not sure how to get started. While it can be time-consuming, influencer marketing can be mastered and has proven to be worth the effort for countless brands.

Here are six steps to engaging social media influencers for your restaurant.

Nail down the marketing idea

An important first step is for operators (or a general manager, marketing manager, etc.) to identify what exactly they’re going to ask influencers to do. Ultimately, that will determine who they reach out to to participate in the campaign. In the restaurant space, we often invite influencers into the store for a menu tasting, focusing on new items or limited-time offers that we want to promote. Other times, we send them branded swag and retail items to use at home. Identify the goal and then build the marketing idea around that, then move forward identifying the influencers that will be a fit for that specific campaign.

Identify the best influencers for the campaign
​
While many larger companies and PR agencies will have access to a subscription-based influencer database such as HYPR, research conducted via Instagram and Google can go a long way. Search various hashtags on social media to see who is already posting content that is relevant to your restaurant or search Google for food bloggers in the specific city you want to target. The point is to really dig into who might make a great partner. Review the last several months of content and put yourself in their shoes. Are they likely to participate in the campaign? Does it align with the personal brand they’ve built or will it seem out of place? Also click on the “likes” and comments to see if the followers engaging with the content seem like real accounts. If the restaurant has its own social media account, pay attention to who is tagging it, as you may already have a fan of the brand that is likely to say yes when asked to be a partner.

​Present the partnership opportunity

Many influencers will have their contact information listed on their social media profile, blog, or website, as they welcome partnership inquiries. In the initial outreach, be sure to clearly explain the marketing idea, why this particular influencer was selected to participate in the campaign, and how it relates to their readers. Emphasize that you’re open to tailoring the idea to better fit their followers, if needed, to show you have some flexibility and value the relationship. It should be mutually beneficial.

​Negotiate rates or exchanges

Do not feel pressured to jump right into payment details and exchanges. Most times, influencers will come back with their fees or, if they’re simply a fan of the brand, offer to post in exchange for a menu tasting or gift card. Others will ask what has been budgeted for payment. Once they do, it’s then time to negotiate. Operators should work within their budget. We’ve found some influencers are willing to lower their fees if we share how much the brand can pay in addition to whatever it’s already supplying. (For example, “In addition to the menu tasting and gift card, we are able to offer an additional $200 for the partnership.”) Additionally, an influencer may be willing to lower their fees if they see an opportunity for an ongoing partnership.

Ensure content is genuine

One of the most important things to stress is that the influencer has creative freedom. Operators should provide as much guidance as possible, including message points or sample posts, but leave the photography and copywriting up to them. Otherwise, the influencer risks posting content that isn’t genuine and they could lose followers’ trust, which ultimately results in a lack of engagement.

​Have a contract

It may seem like overkill, but having a contract in place will ensure influencers don’t “dine and dash.” Every brand has likely had at least one influencer that has promised to post and then goes MIA. Or they post and then delete it a few days later. Your contract should clearly set expectations, including payment, date they need to post by, and any required hashtags or accounts they should tag. Another common 
clause is to include that they cannot work with a competitor for 30 days. Engage a lawyer to help develop the contract.

Ashley Davidson is Senior Director, Media & Industry Relations, at Fish Consulting, a national public relations agency specializing in franchising.