Chapter 33: Promote Your Restaurant On the Internet
In today’s market, your restaurant needs a website. Every day there are millions of people using the Internet for work, play, shopping, and research. Even if you only want to be the best restaurant in your town or neighborhood, a website can be invaluable to you. Anyone can see your website, including people moving or traveling to the area. Your website can be an excellent tool to promote your restaurant, bring in customers, and even sell promotional items. This chapter will help you develop the most effective restaurant for your business.
Your website is a wonderful way to tell people:
• About your restaurant
• Who you are
• What you make
• Who you serve
• Where you are located
• When you are open
• Why to buy from you
• How to place special orders
Your site can also:
• Be changed quickly. You do not have to throw out items to make changes. You can also share mouth-watering pictures of your menu items.
• Be a menu.
• Allow people to place orders.
• Be any size you want and need.
• Be interactive. Give people a chance to respond to your information.
• Build community spirit and promote community and charity events.
• Sell your specialties to people around the globe through e-commerce.
Some businesses have password-protected sections to share information with their employees, to explain benefits, and to post work schedules.
You can reach local customers through online city guides and other community-oriented sites where you can place an advertisement, free directory listing, or link to your website. Chambers of Commerce, virtual travel guides, and guide sites, including About.com at www.about.com, offer chances to promote your business.
These are potential benefits for your business:
• Gather marketing information.
• Evaluate marketing information.
• Generate additional sales.
• Establish meaningful communication with customers and employees.
• Supplement employee training through updates and bulletins.
• Broadcast press releases.
• Submit invoices and expenses more quickly.
• Identify prospective employees.
• Provide immediate access to your menu.
• Permit customers to place orders online.
According to Nielsen ratings, 67.8 percent of the U.S. population uses the Internet. Many people go online to find information about your location and hours. Get listed in the online yellow pages and place ads on sites your customers visit. Include an obvious link to your menu online.
DEVELOP AN INTERNET PLAN
Before designing your website or hiring a some one to do it, you need to be prepared. There are three initial steps: research, legal matters, and domain name.
STEP ONE: RESEARCH
First, do some research. Go online and search restaurants in your area. Yahoo’s Yellow pages can be a good place to start at http://yp.yahoo.com. Note what sites you like and why. Write down the addresses or print out the sites. You can also expand your search to national chains and restaurants outside your area. This will give you a good basis for meeting with a Web developer and serve as reference materials when developing your website content.
STEP TWO: LEGAL MATTERS
Have all the legal information needed to take your business online. Some of the legalities that need to be considered include:
• Copyrights/Trademarks. It may not seem like an important factor, but liability issues surrounding intellectual property are something that you will want to consider when you are doing business on the Internet. You can visit the U.S. Copyright Office for more information: www.copyright.gov.
• Contracts and licenses. Before signing any contract, fully understand it. By not paying attention to contracts and licenses, you could end up being liable for any number of things, such as Web hosting regulations. There are several contracts to sign, which include hiring a website designer, a programmer, and/or acquiring digital certification.
• Internet legalities. Understand all the legal issues of doing business on the Internet. I found a fantastic reference site sponsored by attorney Ivan Hoffman that contains a vast amount of information related to trademarks, domain names, and e-commerce, as well as articles for Web designers, website owners, and addresses of many other legal concerns surrounding the Internet. Mr. Hoffman’s website is located at www.ivanhoffman.com.
STEP THREE: YOUR DOMAIN NAME
An important aspect of your Internet business is having your own domain name. A domain name is required to have your website hosted. It should uniquely identify your business. The rule of thumb is that the shorter the domain name, the better. It should be relevant to your restaurant. If you have an established corporate name or identity, you should base your domain name on that corporate identity, allowing customers to associate your company name with your domain name (i.e., Great Bear Steakhouse = www.greatbearsteakhouse.com). I recommend you secure any “similar”- sounding domain names, as in the example above, www.greatbearsteakhouse.net, www.greatbearsteakhouse.biz, www.greatbearsteaks.com. Your primary domain name should be the domain name that is “hosted,” while others may be parked at no additional cost and pointed to the main domain name URL, allowing you to pay for only one hosted domain name while using many domain names on the Internet.
How do you find out if the domain name you would like is already in use? Visit GoDaddy (www.godaddy.com) and type the name you would like into the box “start a domain search”. The site will do a search to see if the domain is available and suggest possible alternatives. You can also purchase and manage all of your domain names on Go Daddy. Some other sites that provide this service are www.register.com and www.hostway.com.
WHAT TO PUT ON YOUR WEBSITE
A website should reflect the personality and atmosphere of your restaurant. Use fonts, colors, and graphics that are consistent with your store. Here are some suggestions to include on your site:
• Show what you have to offer. What do your food items look like? What do customers see when they walk in your restaurant? How does the building look? Show the atmosphere in your shop. Show a picture of your friendly and cheerful staff. Show how you make your homemade bread or any specialty dishes.
• Share the news. You can develop a web-based newsletter to share information about your restaurant, employee news, and specials.
• Menus. Your website gives you a chance to include full color pictures with your online menu.
• Directions. You can include a link to MapQuest.com or www.randmcnally.com. Customers can enter their address and get directions to your door.
• History. Is there local or neighborhood history that website visitors would find interesting? Share the story. Have local individuals share some interesting stories.
• Area attractions. Promote your store and help new residents and visitors by adding information about what the local area has to offer. Include a local events page for tourists. All of these things make your site valuable.
• Local sports teams. A great addition would be information about local youth and sports teams.
You are only limited by your imagination. I really like to incorporate things in my sites that educate the visitors. It gives your site wider appeal. Give your visitors a reason to tell others about your site.
COUPONS
Do not underestimate the value of coupons in the food service business. Consumers love coupons. There are all sorts of coupons you can use. These include: a dollar amount discount, a percentage off, offer a free item with order, special price for multiple entrees, buy one get one free offers, and $5 off an order of $50 or more.
If you offer a printable coupon on your website, it will be a good tool to gauge how many people are visiting and using your site. Be sure to change the coupons regularly and put expiration dates and disclaimers on the coupons.
TESTIMONIALS
Using customer testimonials is a great way to promote the quality of your food, the speed of your service and the other amenities of your restaurant. It is an amazingly effective tactic. I highly recommend using audio and video testimonials, as well as printed quotes on your websites. You should include your customer’s name, e-mail address, and Web address with each unsolicited testimonial to increase believability. A script which will rotate testimonials on your website is available from www.willmaster.com.
DO IT YOURSELF
If you attempt your own website design, I recommend using a professional Web design tool such as Macromedia Dreamweaver. Many Web hosting companies have online templates and will help you build your site step-by-step. Check out www.hostway.com/smb/web-design/index.html or www.register.com/retail/product/website.rcmx. These can be good solutions if you have a limited budget or little expertise. Beware, however, of a site that looks homemade or unprofessional — it can actually drive away customers.
HIRING A WEB DESIGNER
It is possible to achieve good results by designing a website yourself; however, it may be best to go with a professional design service. A professional website can cost $3,500 to $15,000. This money buys layout, design, copy writing, programming, and sometimes hosting. Keep these suggestions in mind if you decide to hire a Web designer:
• You can find a Web designer online. Search for “Web design [your city name]” or “restaurant Web design” for people with experience designing food service sites. Review designers’ portfolios and samples. You should be able to view samples of sites they have designed to see if you like them.
• Look at other restaurant sites. Go back and review the sites from your initial research. When you find a design you like, contact the webmaster. The webmaster is usually listed at the bottom of the homepage.
One professional Web design firm I recommend is Gizmo Graphics Web Design (www.gizwebs.com). Gizmo Graphics Web Design has all-inclusive Web design packages for as low as $575, which includes site design, one year of website hosting, and free domain name registration.
PRECAUTIONS
If you decide to hire a Web design company, be sure to:
• Pay attention to the details.
• Invest time and money wisely.
• Make sure your site can grow with your restaurant
• Know all the “hidden” costs.
WEB DESIGN MISTAKES TO AVOID
Wether you design your site yourself or hire someone, be aware of these common pitfalls when designing your site.
• The home page does not quickly tell you what the website is all about. You should be able to visit the home page of any website and figure out what the site is about, what type of products it sells, or what it is advertising within five seconds.
• The poor use of popup windows, splashy advertising, splash pages (pages with neat animations and sound that you have to watch for five to ten seconds before you are taken to the real website), and other Web design features which draw interest away from your website, products, and services.
• Poor website navigation. Includes broken hyperlinks, hidden navigation, poor wording of navigational links, links that take you to pages with no links, and links from a page to the same Web page or no links back to the home page (always include a link back to the home page so that regardless of where a site visitor gets lost, he can find his way back home.).
• Believing that because you have a website, you have a marketing campaign or overall marketing and advertising strategy. You need to understand that your website is not your marketing strategy; your website is just part of your overall marketing strategy. Creating a website is great, but if it is not promoted and advertised, no one will ever find it. By passing out business cards with your website URL embossed on them, you are using a traditional marketing campaign to promote your website. If you offer a downloadable/printable coupon from your website, you are successfully using your site as part of your marketing strategy to meet your goal of increased restaurant sales.
• Failure to attain website relevance and content updating. There is nothing more dissatisfying to a Web customer than visiting a website that is grossly out of date. Incorrect pricing, products no longer available, dated content, and ancient advertising all signify to the website visitor that there is no devotion to your website. During an interview with Gizmo Graphics Web Design, they revealed that one client has not updated his website in more than three years. The site contains dated information (schedule of events, an outdated e-mail address, etc). Although the client is proud of his website and it looks great, it does not take a visitor long to realize that this site has not been updated since before the last presidential election and, typically, interest fades fast. Conversely, cramming your pages with non-relevant material will distract the visitor from getting the point of your website (the five-second rule mentioned earlier).
• Avoid too many text effects. Forget flashing, reversing, and gymnastic texts, or other eye-popping and dizzying effects, which do nothing more than annoy your site visitor. Do not create a “loud” website that contains so many blinking, flashing, twirling, and spinning icons, text, or graphics that visitors are overwhelmed by the effects and under-whelmed by the site content. Here is a great example of a website that is out of control: http://arngren.net/.
• Limit the number of graphics on your website so that you do not overwhelm your site visitors with “graphics overload.” Do not use animated .gif images. These were cool ten years ago, but in today’s professional environment they are just another “loud,” annoying distraction that site visitors do not want to see. Speaking of graphics, make sure you use the ALT = Attribute tag to display text descriptions of the images on your website.
• Do not incorporate frames into website design. The use of frames within a website will drive customers away faster than anything.
• Do incorporate the proper website design elements to ensure that your site is ready to be found by search engines.
Evaluate YOUR WEBSITE
After the site has been designed and launched, spend some time on it. Ask customers, friends, and others for their feedback as well. Some important things to remember:
• Professional looking site. An amateurish site can reflect badly on your restaurant.
• Does your site work? I cannot stress this enough. Be sure visitors can navigate your site. Do all your links work? Are there links to all of your pages? Broken links give people a bad impression of you and your shop.
• Search engine friendly. Seventy-five percent of all online activity comes from search engines. Design your site with keywords that will bring targeted traffic to your website.
• Content that promotes sales. Is the content interesting? Check for basic things such as spelling and grammar.
• Plan for updates and changes. Once your site is live on the Web, do not assume your work is done. You want people to visit your site more than once, so give them reasons to come back. You can post regular updates or monthly coupons.
A quality website is an investment. Use the wbsite with your other advertising strategies to maximize all of your marketing efforts.
WEB HOSTING
A Web host is the server that physically houses your website files. There are a variety of types of hosts around, each with their own web hosting plan and offers. Many Web design companies will take care of Web hosting for you. If you decide to choose your Web host yourself, look for a hosting company that will provide you with the following things:
• Technical support that is available when you need it (24/7);
• A good “uptime” or “availability” history so that you know your website will be available to customers (Website availability should be in excess of 99 percent); it ensures that when you make changes to your website, the changes will go into effect as soon as possible.
• A fast and reliable Internet connection (Forget about dial-up service — go with high-speed broadband cable, DSL, or satellite).
• Technicians and staff that understand all aspects of e-commerce, including shopping carts and SSL certification.
• Compatibility with other providers of e-commerce on the Internet.
• Compatibility with your selected shopping cart product; many companies invest in expensive shopping cart software that is rendered useless by Web hosting companies that do not support essential features, such as server side includes, Web scripting, executable files, or other dynamic content.
Some of these features will only be used by websites that are more sophisticated and use e-commerce. However, you never know how you might want to expand your site in the future; don’t let your host limit your options.
Take your time when looking for a Web hosting company. You will be entrusting a large part of the success of your website to this company. You want to choose a Web hosting company that has been in business for a long time since there are many start-up Web hosting companies on the Internet that come and go. One of the most costly things that you will be paying for when you do business on the Internet is your Web hosting service. You want to choose a company that is reliable and reputable. The following are several Web hosting companies that have reputations for being top in the field of hosting websites:
• Readyhosting. Ideal for the small- or medium-sized business, featuring one of the lowest costs around, with a feature-rich hosting package. www.readyhosting.com
• Verio. This company is great for medium- to large-sized companies. They also have a great Web hosting plan for small businesses that are just starting up on the Internet. www.verio.com
• Rackspace. Rackspace offers great Web hosting for small- to medium-sized businesses that are looking for a secure environment. www.rackspace.com.
• Go Daddy. Go Daddy offers a variety of options. www.godaddy.com.
When you are looking for a Web hosting company, there are several features you should also consider.
• Guarantee. Good Web hosting companies will offer you a money-back guarantee that shows their confidence in their ability to host your website at a high-reliability percentage.
• Web hosting space. Choose a Web host that offers you a large amount of hard drive space for your site to allow for future expansion. Most websites use a minimum of 10MB of hard drive space; however, large e-commerce-enabled sites may grow to more than 100MB in size. Readyhosting (www.readyhosting.com) offers 500MB of storage with superior reliability and low cost.
• Data transfer. Most Web hosting companies allow a certain amount of traffic to your site before charging you for any extra traffic because the more traffic to your website, the more their servers have to work. Look for Web hosting companies offering low cost for high traffic to your website. Readyhosting (www.readyhosting.com) offers unlimited data transfer. Other companies, such as Interland (www.interland.net), restrict your data transfer to as low as 25MB per month.
• Security. If you need a secure (encrypted) server space, you will pay an additional cost for the secure server certificate. If you are going to process personal data or credit card information on your website, you will need a secure certificate. It is important to note that if you use PayPal (www.paypal.com) or JustAddCommerce (www.justaddcommerce.com), a secure server certificate is included in these services. A digital certificate is used to protect any communication you have with your customers containing private information. You will need a digital certificate installed on your Web server to take credit card orders in a safe and secure manner.
• Website upload. Find out what method is used to upload your website pages to the company server. Many Web hosting companies use FTP (file transfer protocol) for this upload. You want an FTP program that is compatible with your Web hosting company. Most Web hosting companies provide a free FTP application; however, I highly recommend you purchase IPSwitch’s WS_FTP software (www.ipswitch.com).
• Software. Find out what software or built-in scripts the Web host offers. Some companies will not offer software tools, while others have several free tools that help you to operate your website easily and efficiently. Some of the software you may be offered includes: (a) auto-responders to send e-mail to your customers, (b) search engines so visitors can find your business website, (c) forms (guestbook, order forms, and questionnaires), (d) bulletin boards and chat room access, (e) file backup and recovery, (f) an e-commerce shopping cart, and (g) website management software.
• Know what your Web host will support. Several years ago, Gizmo Graphics Web Design utilized the PDG shopping cart successfully on one of its main accounts, a reputable hosting company. I had a successful e-commerce operation and the SSL certificate and shopping cart were operating perfectly. One day, the shopping cart stopped operating, and after much frantic research, Gizmo determined that its Web host provider changed their policy (overnight) about supporting the executable files that are required on the server to operate the PDG shopping cart on a Windows-based Web server due to “security concerns” and, subsequently, put Gizmo out of business with no advanced notice or warning. Despite Gizmo’s attempts to convince them that its configuration was perfectly safe, the Web host provider flatly refused to support Gizmo’s shopping cart and they were forced to change hosting companies at a significant expense. Needless to say, I do not recommend that particular Web hosting company. Know what hosting companies support and what their notification processes are to ensure a smooth operation of your website. Nothing hurts an online business more than starting an active marketing campaign, only to have your site rendered useless by your Web hosting company.
I strongly recommend that you thoroughly research all potential Web hosting companies to ensure they will support all of your needs. I have recommended the services of Readyhosting.com through this book; however, they do not support the PDG software shopping cart, which I also recommend and, therefore, they would not be the choice if I wanted a powerful e-commerce-enabled website. There are a variety of resources to review and compare Web hosting companies, including www.findmyhosting.com, www.findmyhost.com, www.Websitehostdirectory.com and www.ratemyhost.com. If you wish to combine Web hosting and Web design services with one reputable and highly respected company, I recommend Gizmo Graphics Web Design (www.gizwebs.com) of Land O’ Lakes, Florida.
MARKETING YOUR WEBSITE
You will need to develop marketing plans to ensure that potential website visitors can find and navigate your website. Here are some basic things you can do to help people find your site:
• Search engines. List your business and website with at least 15 to 20 search engines.
• Pay-per-click. There may be circumstances where you need to implement a paid advertising campaign.
• Keywords and meta tags. Using keywords and properly formatted meta tags will generate more traffic to your website. Meta tags are special HTML (programming language) tags in the head section of an HTML document. The most important and commonly used meta Tags are the title, description and keywords tags. Search engines use meta tags to link to and index websites. The meta tag is used by search engines to accurately list your site in their indexes.
REPEAT CUSTOMERS
You can use your website to help create a solid customer database and harness repeat customers. A loyal customer base is the basis of a successful restaurant and continued profits. One way to achieve repeat customer sales is by having good service and establishing ongoing communication with your customers. Your website can be a great source of communication for your customers. Here are some tips:
• Coupons for repeat customers. We’ve already discussed having printable coupons on your website that you change monthly. Why not expand this idea? You can create targeted e-mail campaigns designed exclusively for your repeat customer base or through traditional mailings.
• Contests in which your customers can participate. Everyone loves a good contest (free dinner, discounts, gift certificates.). Online contests are a great way to keep people interested in your products and services and will drive them back to your website.
• Newsletters that provide useful information. The use of a well-designed, targeted newsletter (printed or online) is an effective marketing campaign. Make guest aware of menu changes or special events.
• A program that features banners. When done with class and style and in limited quantities, banner advertising is a great way to promote your website by placing banners on other websites that link back to your site. For example, you may want a banner on the local tourism site so visitors to the area know where to dine.
• A program for discussion groups and forums. Depending on your website, a discussion group or forum is a great addition (and is also free through www.phpbb.com or www.ezboard.com). Many restaurants are establishing discussion forums as a marketing tool to attract new clients, offer recipes and cooking techniques, or for patrons to discuss their dining experiences.
• A chat room option for customers. There are many free chat applications and a “live” session between customers and the business is often productive as customers can get immediate support and answers to their questions or concerns. You can find free chat rooms at www.chat-avenue.com and www.parachat.com.
• Online reservations. Many people like the convenience of making dinner reservations on-line. Visit Ruth’s Chris Steak House’s website to see an example at www.ruthschris.com/reservations. Over 7,000 restaurants use OpenTable Restaurant Management System for on-line reservations. Visit www.opentable.com/info/restaurateurs.aspx?id=2 for more information.
• Promote your business through e-mail. It is fast, inexpensive, and many people check their e-mail more consistently than the mail box. Loyal Rewards offers options for clients who prefer e-mail or snail mail. Call 800-309-7228 or check www.loyalrewards.com/merchant.asp for more information about a program to promote your business through e-mail. They offer an interesting program and ways to build your mailing list.
ONLINE PUBLIC RELATIONS
Online public relations are easily marketable for several reasons:
1. Accessibility. Using SEO and search engines can give you the visibility to drive traffic to your website.
2. Affordability. By using free online press release services, you can work within the tightest budget. You can also select small, tightly targeted press releases within a niche or specific industry. Even though you are paying for the press release, you will not be blowing your budget by sending the release to non-qualified markets or media outlets.
3. Internet speed. The speed of the Internet lets you seize business opportunities immediately. Money can be made by tying your media events and campaigns to current events such as the World Series, the Super Bowl, and other themes. It is up to you to follow up on all customer sales and communication.
4. Internet leverage. The Internet deals with facts and information without focusing on the size or prestige of your company. Potential customers are using the Internet for research and obtaining helpful knowledge. Make yourself easy to find on the Internet.
Online PRESS RELEASES TO GENERATE EXPOSURE
An online press release is part of the online medium of communication and online communication is all about timing. Your press release, whether printed and faxed or online, is one method of communicating with your customers and your industry. It is up to you to make the most of a press release so that it has as much impact as possible.
Most companies use press releases to alert the public about a new product or a new service they offer. These press releases, while informative, tend to be somewhat dry and consumers typically skim over them, sometimes even missing the key points. In fact, the bottom line is, “If it is not NEWS-worthy, then you will not be selected by the media for coverage.” That said, a press release promoting specific events, specials, or newsworthy items can be very effective. The Silvermine Tavern (www.silverminetavern.com) has utilized effective press releases for years by publishing written press releases, which are printed in the newspaper. Additionally, they publish the press releases online and also disseminate highlights through their online newsletter promotional program, gaining maximum promotional potential at virtually no cost. As an alternative to a written press release, you could try a multimedia approach. If you are giving a live press release, you can incorporate the audio or video files onto your website, either to complement a written press release or replace it altogether. It is highly recommended that you have a media section on your website to serve reporters, columnists, producers, and editors with your latest press release information. Many people find listening to an audio clip or watching a video clip preferential to reading a written press release. There is so much written word on the Internet that trying another medium to get your message across could be just the boost your company needs. Think of other website owners as another media channel since everyone is looking for fresh content and expert advice.
Consider using an online press release service, such as www.PRweb.com, to generate successful media exposure for your restaurant business. This free service is another tool to distribute your press release information to thousands of potential new customers or clients. Keep in mind the value of using highly relevant keywords often within the content of your online press release in order to utilize the benefits of search engine optimization (SEO). Including live links within your online press release is another way for you to ensure increased media coverage. Linking to relevant websites increases the credibility and functionality of your online business. You may also do your own press release through your own e-zine or e-mail campaigns.
YOUR WEBSITE IS YOUR OWN MEDIA TOOL
Free media coverage is a great way to get your name out to the public and build your reputation. It is “free” if you do it yourself without hiring a media agency, but it does require an investment of your time, focus, and effort. There are several tactics you can employ to generate free media coverage. Paid advertisement may be important, but to the struggling small business, it is all about cheap or free media coverage. That said, paid advertising should still be considered as a feasible and desirable component of your overall online marketing portfolio if you can afford it. It is vital to use your advertising dollars wisely.
The Internet gives every individual a place where they can present their own media online. The Internet is a media channel and you have the power to own your own PBS — Personal Broadcasting System. There are many ways that you can increase the amount of traffic to your website and generate more business from your site. You want to drive as many potential customers to your wbsite as possible, even if they do not become a customer. If you are operating a restaurant and your website is an online market and advertising tool for your restaurant, increasing the number of site visitors or page hits is considered a success as your goal is simple — to drive visitors to your site, which will, in turn, inspire them to dine at your establishment. You should advertise your “press releases,” “product promotions,” or other information venues in an opt-in form on your website. This form should be on the home page, easily found, and should capture each visitor’s name and e-mail. Likewise, if you are engaging in face-to-face communications, you should ask for the customer’s name, e-mail, and contact information, while starting a conversation that eventually leads to trust and that first purchase.
Your e-presence is not just about how good your website looks. You want to give your customers a reason to come to your website to do business with you instead of giving that business to your competitors. You need to pull out all the stops and build your e-presence via the media and Internet marketplace by providing quality content, unique experiences, ease and simplicity, savings, superior customer satisfaction, and other advantages. Building your online business comes back to earning the respect and trust of your customers with the combination of media, marketing, and relationship skills. There are many ways to improve your online marketing success.
INTERNET ADVERTISING
The Internet is significantly different from other marketing and advertising mediums is that it is full of multimedia content. The Internet is comprised of graphics, text, video, and audio. Some of the Internet marketing techniques that rely on multimedia include banner ads, interstitials, advertorials, 3-D visions, and advertainment.
If you are wondering how advertisers and Web promoters know how much traffic is on the Internet, all you have to do is look at the many surveys and tracking applications that monitor, record, and report Internet traffic and trends. These include the following:
• Web-centric. Internet tracking that uses log files to determine the number of Internet users that have visited the website. These log files are contained on a Web server. When you sign up for a Web hosting account at a reputable hosting company, you should have full access to a wide array of usage and visitor tracking reports.
• User-centric. Tracks Internet usage through software installed on the Web server and client workstation that automatically keeps track of the number of times a certain website is visited. The combination of this information with demographics and other user information creates what is called a “profile” of Web users.
You want to ensure that your Web hosting company provides you with access to detailed Web-centric statistical reports — the average number of site visitors per day; their length of stay; the type of Web browser used; Web pages visited; geographical location, and who referred them to your website. All these feature reports should be included in your Web hosting package at no additional cost.
ADVERTORIALS
Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) defines an advertorial as an advertisement written in the form of an objective opinion editorial and presented in a printed publication — usually designed to look like a legitimate and independent news story. The term “advertorial” is a portmanteau of “ad” and “editorial.” Advertorials differ from publicity advertisements because the marketer must pay a fee to the media company for the ad placement, whereas publicity is placed without payment to the media company and with no control over the copy.
Most publications will not accept advertisements that look exactly like stories from the newspaper or magazine in which they are appearing. The differences may be subtle and disclaimers — such as the word “advertisement” — may or may not appear. Sometimes, euphemisms describing the advertorial as a “special promotional feature” or the like are used. The tone of an advertorial is usually closer to that of a press release than of an objective news story: Advertisers will not spend money to describe the flaws of their products.
Product placement is another form of non-obvious paid-for advertising. An advertorial is simply an endorsement or advertisement that is placed into the context of any website as information an designed to look like editorial content. The advertorial may seem to be part of the editorial text of the Web content but is actually a type of advertising message.
Although many businesses still use banner ads and other forms of advertising, the advertorial is becoming popular as people recognize its potential in successful marketing and for driving more traffic to a website. A sample advertorial may be viewed at www.pdedit.com/images/Shoreline.pdf, courtesy of PDEdit (Paul Desmond Editorial Services). PDEdit produced this one-page advertorial on a Shoreline Communications IP voice customer for the July 8, 2002, issue of Network World.
Although advertorials may not generate as much Web traffic to a website as pay-per-click or search engine advertising, they do generate traffic that is better in terms of “quality” — more potential customers become actual customers. The customers that reach your website after reading an advertorial are arriving because they trust the resource that endorsed your product or service.
If you are going to use advertorials as part of your advertising and marketing campaign, make sure that you understand the importance of affiliates and endorsements and how they work hand in hand. An endorsement from a recognized industry professional is extremely valuable and typically conveys faith in the products advertised within the advertorial.
ADVERTAINMENTS
Advertainments are another form of new advertising on the Internet that is becoming popular. Advertainment is a form of advertising that is consumed and enjoyed by the consumer as if it were for entertainment purposes. Advertainments are advertisements disguised as entertainment.
Advertainments are targeted to consumers with an interest in the products advertised. Advertainments are extremely viral, meaning that they are easily shared and distributed as “entertainment” among peer to peer networks, among thousands of consumers, at no cost. Advertainments are very economical. Each year, billions of dollars in advertising are spent advertising to consumers who will probably never buy the particular product being advertised. Since an advertainment is targeted, it reduces costs by targeting selected marketing groups and increases the likelihood of sales.
Advertainments allow you to concentrate your efforts on your target audience and can save you thousands of dollars in advertising each year. The Budweiser beer commercials viewed during the Super Bowl are examples of advertainment, where the commercial advertisement is entertaining, while at the same time promoting the Budweiser product. No matter what form of advertising you use to promote your online business or brick and mortar business, you can be assured that advertising and marketing are going to be a big aspect of your business. Source: Success Net http://www.bni.com/successnet/.
WEB SUMMARY
This chapter has given you an overview of creating a website, on-line promotion, Internet marketing and Internet advertising. For more detailed information, read How to Use the Internet to Advertise, Promote and Market Your Business or Web Site — With Little or No Money from Atlantic Publishing (www.atlantic-pub.com). For more information about promoting your restaurant I recommend the following books from Atlantic Publishing (www.atlantic-pub.com).
• Superior Customer Service: How to Keep Customers Racing Back to Your Business – Time Tested Examples from Leading Companies (Item # SCS-01).
• Getting Clients and Keeping Clients for Your Service Business: A 30 Day Step by Step Plan for Building Your Business (Item # GCK-01).
• The Complete Guide to E-mail Marketing: How to Create Successful, Spam-Free Campaigns to Reach Your Target Audience and Increase Sales (Item # GEM-01).
• The Complete Guide to Google Advertising — Including Tips, Tricks, & Strategies to Create a Winning Advertising Plan (Item # CGA-01).
• Online Marketing Success Stories: Insider Secrets from the Experts Who Are Making Millions on the Internet Today (Item # OMS-02).