Square Peg in a Round Hole

Something that I continually find interesting to observe is how many professionals completely miss the mark with web 2.0, and using the web in general as a marketing tool. I have seen it many times in many places where technology is completely misused or underutilized by seemingly smart people.

The latest example is at the restaurant I work at. It is located in the middle of a high density commercial area of the city, surrounded by office skyscrapers. Thus, it does a very good business lunch and cocktail hour business. This restaurant has two clients: tourists, and business people. Thats it. Management at this restaurant has decided that they want this to be a classy, high end outdoor dining option for the denizens of Midtown. Thats fine, the decor can handle it. But they don't treat the business as such. Yesterday, I found feedback cards that we are supposed to put at every table at the end of the meal. These cards include a feedback area, as well as a prompt asking if the guest would like to be notified of future offers and events. This is followed by a space for personal info and an email address.

Knowing the clientèle, and knowing the vision for the space, do you think this fits as a way to promote the restaurant? Absolutely not. Businesses often make the mistake of blindly trying to fit electronic marketing and web 2.0 into their business, even if there is no place for them because it is the hot buzz business thing to do. This restaurant hurts its brand by asking for feedback and creating a mailing list (for events and offers that don't exist, by the way). One, it puts it into the customer's mind that there might be something wrong with their service. Two it isn't what a classy place should be doing. Third, its self selecting in that only a small percentage of people who have positive experiences (and almost all that have negative experiences) will bother with the card.

The only way I can see such a strategy working is to do it in a very focused, targeted way. Only put them at the bar, in order to improve the cocktail hour product. Or only offer them at lunch, building an email list of clients who routinely visit the restaurant for business lunches. Then, use the list to send out an email blast every time the specials change, detailing the new dishes with pictures, descriptions, and maybe highlighting one regular menu item as well. Send these emails at 11:30 on whatever day you choose to send them, and as people begin to think about lunch plans, they are receiving emails from the restaurant showing what they could be having in 30 minutes' time.

The key to marketing isn't to do what everyone else is doing, its to look at your customers and figure out how to reach them the best.