Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2012 | Page 19

Eight Ways Digital Marketing
Drives Business through
the Holidays and Beyond
By Wiley Cerilli, Vice President and General Manager of SinglePlatform

R

ight now, there are literally hundreds of sites and
applications that consumers are using to answer the
question “where should I eat”? This
scenario will multiply during the
holiday season, especially when you
consider restaurant industry sales are
projected to reach a record high of
$631.8 billion in 2012.1 As a restaurant owner, you have an enormous
opportunity to seize the upcoming
holiday season as consumers dine
with colleagues, friends, and family.
Here are eight ways to use digital
marketing this holiday season.
1. Pay attention to search engines: To rise to the top of search
engine results, have fresh content
on your site that’s optimized for
keywords. This could include new
menu items, specials or even events
that you are hosting at the restaurant. Keeping this content fresh
will help your restaurant get found
by customers searching for the type
of dining experience you provide.
2. Check out review sites: You
want to be sure your business is on
the relevant consumer review sites
such as Yelp. Ask loyal and satisfied
customers if they would consider
writing a review after they have a
fantastic experience at your establishment.
On the other hand, if you find
there are dissatisfied custome