Running an offer or deal is exciting and can be one of the greatest marketing moves you make. The difference between  it being raging a success or dismal failure is how you PREPARE for it.

Partnering with MY247 is a great way to promote your business to thousands of Australians though our website, smartphone app, our email subscribers and other media partners. 

The number of people your business can be exposed to is staggering so get ready! The best way to make the most of your deal is to be prepared as soon as your deal is booked.

Here are our TOP 5 TIPS to PREPARE TO RUN A DEAL

1. On the day your offer goes ‘Live’, you will see an increase in website traffic and customers making email enquiries. Make sure you Website is up to date and appears as you want it to.
2. Ensure you have a staff member managing your social channels (Facebook/Twitter) to handle any enquiries relating to the deal.
3. Ensure you have a clear recorded message on your phones, automated emails and website notes.
4. Make sure you have your redemption process clearly displayed in the venue for all your staff members to see and they are well informed on what to expect and the correct procedure to follow.
5. Treat your new customers as VIP’s as you’re on show for a day – it’s your chance to impress and entice them into becoming a valuable regular customer.

Enjoy!

Why is it important that Google Maps has the correct location for where you are?

One of the largest shifts since the beginning of 2011 is the fact that roughly 75% of people looking to purchase goods and services and go out in their local area use a search engine like Google to find what they need. With such a large number of people searching for places to go while they are on the move from their smart phone, they are relying on Google Maps more than ever.

Many Resteaurants, Bars, Clubs, Entertainment Venues and Tourist destinations already have google map listings, however they are not exactly in the right spot. This can lead customers astray, especially if there are lots of restaurants located close together.

It is essential to check your listing and make sure  the pin is placed at your front door and not your neighbours.

Checking this could mean you get the business/customers and not your competitor next door.

This is a short reminder post about how QR Codes work  for Restaurants, Bars, Clubs and Entertainment Businesses.

QR Codes Explained: http://local.my247.com.au/brisbane/12155/about/codes

What else can you to with QR Codes?

Are you running a promotion?

Do you currently have a special on? Do you have an event coming up?

If you use Table Talker’s,  Posters, or  In-Menu promotions you can not only advertise you upcoming event, but get people to book and pay via their smart pones too. If you include the QR code on your promotional material,  customers can scan it and be taken direct to either a RSVP page (if you have an online event set up) or payment page ( if you have an online shop).

With the launch of MY247 Deals you will be able to provide QR codes for each deal/promtion you are running so people can scan, book and pay on the spot via their smartphone.

There are so many more opportuinities, it is just a matter of education. Make sure you explain how it all works to your customers and walk them though the process.

Recently I spoke at the June Interactive Minds Event on Reaching Your local Market Online. The event covered ways businesses can make the most of local marketing using digital, mobile and search tactics.

Other great speakers at the podium were:

Eden Shirley, Director, Guerrilla Digital Marketing
Michael Perry, Lasoo
James Tuckerman, Anthill Magazine

In my presentation I briefly covered the journey of online marketing from 2000 - 2011. My main point was the increased use of Local Directories from the customers point of view and how this is affecting general search and how customers are finding your business.

One of the main resons why people aren’t clicking on your website anymore is  when they are searching for your business or events held at your venue they are using search engines ( google/yahoo/bing etc) and the returned results are listings on local directories/niche directories (like www.my247.com.au )  before your own website.

Why?

Google trawls larger diretory sites every 24/48 hrs opposed to your own websites every 6-8weeks. So the liklihood of your website coming up above the larger directory sites is slim to none, unless you are a large organisation or have a website full of refreshed content.

So..

There are a few things you can to to make sure you can be found by your potential customers.

• List yourself in as many directories as you can
• Pay particular attention to  niche directories for your industry and high ranking local  directories ( ones that come up first in search are the ones you would want to be on, to be found quicker & easier)
• Make sure all listings you do have are up to date and you like how they look
• Display all of your basic info/contact details clearly on your website without distraction from flash, images etc.
• Not all directories are free, some are paid listings however they may still be worth it if they are high ranking in search.
• It is better to take control of all the listings available to you than to have other people ( not in the business) create one or multiple for you that you have no control over.

6 June 2011

www.my247.com.au  is an Experian Hitwise Online Performance Award Winner!

www.my247.com.au has been named the  #1 website in the Entertainment - Nightlife  industry  for 2010 in the latest Experian Hitwise Online Performance Awards programme.

The annual Experian Hitwise Online Performance Awards recognise excellence in online performance through public popularity, awarding websites in more than 100 industries online.

Results of the Experian Hitwise Online Performance Awards are based on the Internet usage of more than 3 million Australian Internet users with winners receiving the greatest market share of visits throughout 2010 in their online industry.

“It’s been great to be recognised as the #1 Nightlife website in Australia. We’ve consistently been in the top 10 awards since 2005 and last-year we saw a record number of site-visitors looking for what’s on and where to go.” Chris Kettle, CEO My247.

Deal marketing has exploded and there are so many players offering different things. The key is to research, research, research.

Do your homework, ask around and weigh up your options. Do the maths - can you handle what the deal will bring in the door, can you service the offer at the discounted rate? Seriously, take your time, shop around and don’t be bullied into running a deal just because the sales person tells you it will be fabulous.

Don’t get me wrong, it can be fabulous - just look for something that suits your business.

Here is a  little story from  Posies Cafe & Bakery, Portland on how running a Groupon Deal really damaged their business and set them back $8k.

Stories like this prove that one size does not fit all in Deal Marketing.

Niche sites is what we need. We hope to be able to offer Hospitality Businesses a better experience when marketing though deals.

What are your thoughts on Deals in the entertainment world?

So, you have an event planned and you need people to come?
Lets look at some ways you can tell the world about it and make it a success.

Firstly, list all the key event information such as Date, location, time, names of artists, musicians, chefs, key people, MC’s etc.

Gather relevant logos of your venue, the performers ( if relevant) and bio pics of key people.

The more information and images/logos you have available for the marketing of the event and the people involved the easier it will be to create marketing collateral ie flyer’s, posters and online event listings.

You can upload events for FREE on Australia’s #1 Guide to going out www.my247.com.au and tap into the 600,000 unique visitors per month we get who are looking for something to do, somewhere to eat and somewhere to go.
This is one of many portals you can place your event listing on.

For non-hospitality events like business seminars that you may be hosting at your venue here are some great tips from Chris Brogan’s blog post titled : “How to Market and Offline Event Online” 

Chris reiterates the importance of placing ALL the key information in one place then using all of your networks to promote the event, including website, blogs, email database, twitter, facebook, linkedIn and local community websites ( like www.my247.com.au).

Eventbritealso has a few useful tips for marketing events online.
We have used it successfully for the Mobile Monday Brisbane Events.

Read more…
Top 10 best practices on how to use social media to promote your event  (Part I: #1-5)   (Part II: #6-10)

It is also usefull to learn how to use the Media to spread the word about your event. You can invite Media to attend your event aswell as notifying them in advance to secure some lead up media coverage for your event.

Event follow up is just as important as pre-event promotion. After the event, there is publishing the photos of the event, managing feedback from attendees, posting any media coverage online and collating the event ‘chatter’ ( twitter chat, facebook comments, comments on photo galleries etc). Publishing all related information for the event helps to continue to publicise the event well after it has had its day.

Good post-event follow up can also help to create promo material for future events and it shows people what type of events you host, highlights their success and can act as a portfolio to secure future gigs and possibly sponsorship opportunities.

Basically the flow chart goes like this:

1. List the event in one main location ( with details, pics, info)
2. Create Twitter Hashtag for the event ( to track conversations)
3. Paste the online  event listing link across every other online platform you are involved in ie twitter, facebook, linkedIn, email.
4. Generate a Media Alert to notify the media ( or email/phone any contacts you have)
5. Engage with your community in the lead up to the event, offer information, answer queries, make it easy for people to access information
6. Generate online chatter during the event via twitter in real-time to gauge feedback  of attendees
7. Follow up on comments, feedback and online discussions after the event
8. Publish photos from the event, notify attendees where they can be seen and thank them for their attendance.
9. Follow-up; ask for feedback and suggestions to make future events a success.

Of course this is general, not all events will fit into this format, however we hope you find some help among these tips!