My friend Patty owns a little Italian restaurant. We've been going there ever since we moved to Seminole. About 12 years now.
Give her props for owning a small, family-owned restaurant that long, keeping it in business. What a tough business. Truth is, she's probable cooked more dinners for us over the past several years than my wife has. And I'll share that blame.... But still, these businesses open and close with regularity. Not Patty's. She's survived.
About a year ago, maybe longer, she asked me for my email address. I gave it to her. Never thought about it again/ And didn't hear a thing about it, until a few months ago.
A few months ago she sent out an email to about 45 people announcing that she had a few new items on the menu. I got it. Showed it to my wife. And we laughed about not having to cook that night! I went to pick up the brand new chicken bruchetta and got a chance to talk to Patty. She was thrilled.
She said a simple email was all it took. It did not cost her a penny. She has been slowing adding the emails to her list. And she sent one email out to all of us. And she said a bunch of us showed up to try the new stuff. She was thrilled. She kept collecting email addresses. She announced that she was moving to a new, larger location, and kept collecting email addresses. And she's been keeping us informed about the move and the upcoming grand opening. And she's pretty confident, excited about the future even in a tough economy.
Just look at what this marketing neophyte learned. She learned that email marketing, the way she was doing it, carried absolutely no media cost. She learned that she could also contact us through Facebook for free. All it took was a few minutes of her time. She was able to reach all of us, her most loyal customers, with just a few minutes of effort. And we showed up. It worked and she was able to pay the bills for another month.
This is a very small business that put forth a very small effort and enjoyed a comparatively large return. That is the business model that so many more businesses could enjoy. If the company is bigger and has a much larger customer base, it may take more time (=effort = labor) but it still will carry no media cost. And the communication will be direct, personal, and effective.
My friend Patty, who has spent her life in a kitchen, with long periods behind the counter, can teach us all a bit about social and email marketing. Think about this story. Look for other examples in your circle. And learn.
Give her props for owning a small, family-owned restaurant that long, keeping it in business. What a tough business. Truth is, she's probable cooked more dinners for us over the past several years than my wife has. And I'll share that blame.... But still, these businesses open and close with regularity. Not Patty's. She's survived.
About a year ago, maybe longer, she asked me for my email address. I gave it to her. Never thought about it again/ And didn't hear a thing about it, until a few months ago.
A few months ago she sent out an email to about 45 people announcing that she had a few new items on the menu. I got it. Showed it to my wife. And we laughed about not having to cook that night! I went to pick up the brand new chicken bruchetta and got a chance to talk to Patty. She was thrilled.
She said a simple email was all it took. It did not cost her a penny. She has been slowing adding the emails to her list. And she sent one email out to all of us. And she said a bunch of us showed up to try the new stuff. She was thrilled. She kept collecting email addresses. She announced that she was moving to a new, larger location, and kept collecting email addresses. And she's been keeping us informed about the move and the upcoming grand opening. And she's pretty confident, excited about the future even in a tough economy.
Just look at what this marketing neophyte learned. She learned that email marketing, the way she was doing it, carried absolutely no media cost. She learned that she could also contact us through Facebook for free. All it took was a few minutes of her time. She was able to reach all of us, her most loyal customers, with just a few minutes of effort. And we showed up. It worked and she was able to pay the bills for another month.
This is a very small business that put forth a very small effort and enjoyed a comparatively large return. That is the business model that so many more businesses could enjoy. If the company is bigger and has a much larger customer base, it may take more time (=effort = labor) but it still will carry no media cost. And the communication will be direct, personal, and effective.
My friend Patty, who has spent her life in a kitchen, with long periods behind the counter, can teach us all a bit about social and email marketing. Think about this story. Look for other examples in your circle. And learn.
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