New analytics for Facebook’s ‘Insights’

Posted by ianmara on Dec 19, 2011 in Bar Marketing | 2 comments

We wanted to make sure everybody was aware of recent updates Facebook has made to its hub for analysis. Page Insights, which helps Facebook users to track information related to domain clicks, apps and referrals, has added several new features.

Mashable published a nice overview of the changes, but the most important new feature is that admins can now access metrics for the algorithms Facebook uses to determine what content gets preferred placement in the News Feed.

Facebook has also added a metric for what stories are being talked about and shared by users, and one that looks at the reach of a certain posts.

(Facebook)

What Wal-Mart (gasp) can teach us about social media

Posted by ianmara on Nov 4, 2011 in Bar Marketing | 0 comments

Recently Wal-Mart announced a partnership with Facebook in which it would create individual pages on the social networking site for each of its 3,500+ locations nationwide. The local pages would be connected with the corporate store, but some information – things like specials and in-store events – would be directed through the individual pages.

As a Wal-Mart executive pointed out, retail is “fundamentally local business.”

While we’re aware nobody out there operates a company the size of Wal-Mart (unless Tim Cook is reading the blog), understanding why this move was made is relevant to all businesses owners.  Even if you aren’t a big fan of what Wal-Mart represents, there are nice parallels to be made here for how your bar/restaurant should handle its social media, particularly if you have more than one location.

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5 Facebook contests you can learn from

Posted by ianmara on Oct 25, 2011 in Bar Marketing | 2 comments

With so much going on these days on Facebook (Yes, we know you want Mark Zuckerberg to quit tinkering) it can be difficult to draw the attention of users to your business and its fan page. One way to cut through the noise is with a contest.

Giving potential customers/fans something to talk about, as well as a reason to connect with your page is a vehicle to get them in the door, digitally-speaking. It provides you the opportunity to wow them with the quality of your page’s fan experience.

Here are a few examples of what some companies have done to entice Facebook users. Not all of them are restaurants and bars, but the ideas can certainly be tweeked to fit the hospitality industry.

Toys ‘R’ Us

This first example shows that your prize can be 100 percent free and still be valuable. Toy “R” Us’ Facebook page rotates its profile picture each week among those submitted by fans.

Using a special “Featured Fan” tab, the company solicits pictures and allows fans to vote on the best one. This is savvy as it invites participation and creates a situation where fans will want to return to the page to see how voting is progressing.

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The Top 5 Facebook mistakes bars & restaurants make

Posted by ianmara on Sep 12, 2011 in Bar Marketing | 0 comments

1. Your URL is not customized

We know there are those among you who pay little or no attention to that long horizontal box at the top of your web browser. For those people it may seems irrelevant that your bar’s Facebook page has random digits at the end of its address.

But think of it this way: There will be times when you need to share your address without the benefit of an internet Click Here button. In those cases the ability to say ‘Find us at Facebook.com/OurBar’ instead of ‘Find us at Facebook.com/pages/Ourbar/324281874′ could be the difference in making a sale . . .  or 100 sales.

(You’ll also find that customers will have an easier time searching for your business page within Facebook once you’ve customized.)

So once you get your page up to 25 followers (Facebook’s minimum for customizing URLs) make sure to take care of this important piece of book-keeping.

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Why it’s not about 4,000 fans, it’s about 1 customer

Posted by ianmara on Sep 5, 2011 in Bar Marketing | 2 comments

About a month ago a regular at the Ugly Tuna Saloona in Columbus, OH, sent a tweet that her phone had been stolen. A few hours later she tweeted she was on her way to the bar, adding that she was having a “(bad) day.” Ugly Tuna’s Twitter response was to tell her to show the bartender their tweet “and your first one is on us.”

With this relatively small gesture Ugly Tuna is effectively demonstrating what every bar and restaurant should do when it comes to social media: Taking advantage of New School technology to assist with Old School customer service.

Do you remember where you were the first time a server called you by name? The first time a bartender gave you a free cocktail because it was clear you were having a “long day”? How about the simple act of a hostess holding the door as you enter?

Through updates on Facebook and Twitter, customers provide you with an unprecedented level of insight into their lives. Since we now know everybody’s name — at least those who chose to connect with our business via social media — there is no reason not to take advantage of that information.

Here are a few examples of businesses that have gone above and beyond for that one customer:

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