Set Menus

Sure, it’s an old standby, but it still makes the evening feel special to the patrons.  Instead of your regular menu, create a few set menus especially themed for the evening, with everything coming in portions built for two, each paired with the perfect wines from your cellar.  You have to prepare fewer dishes that way, but you can still charge a premium for the meal and happy couples will pay without complaint.  Plus, don’t forget to dress up the menu itself, too!  A great menu cover will drive home how special the meal is, designed from top to bottom for Valentine’s.

Aim for Ambiance

Do what you can to rearrange the place and make the layout especially for couples.  Get rid of large tables and for the love of St. Valentine, shut off those bright overhead lights.  Dim lights and candlelight should be the rule of the day, even if you’re just a cafe.  If you’ve got the time, try to make each table its own little “pocket” of warm light, and pull out some partitions to isolate one table from another..  An intimate meal makes for an intimate couple, and they’ll remember you for it fondly.

Go Exclusive

Not every restaurant can do this, but give it some thought.  Few things can put a damper on a couple’s fiery evening faster than having to stand in line for an hour just to make it to the bar, only to wait ages more for their food to arrive.  Worse, if this happens you can be sure they’ll blame your restaurant for the crowd and refuse to come back.  If you make Valentine’s Day a special reservation-only evening, you can ensure you are giving the truly best service to the most people you possibly can – and no more.

Roll Out the Social Media Bandwagon

When preparing your ad campaign for your V-day delights, don’t neglect the Internet, especially if you’re aiming your arrows at younger couples.  This is the time to dust off your Facebook page, Twitter account, email lists, and Google Local listing.  Best of all, Internet promotions are free (well…they do take time so I guess they aren’t 100% free).  Also, while coupon nights are generally a bit lame and can feel tacky, having small, exclusive promotions that are only for your online customers can also help bring in the hip crowds.   Besides, they’re never too young to become a valuable regular at your restaurant!

And finally, call this one an unValentine’s Promotion:

Have a Singles Night the Day Before

This lets you stretch a single holiday into two days!  There are plenty of people who always feel left out on Valentine’s.  Why not give them their own evening, with its own menu and promotions, the day before?  Be playful with it.  You could give menu items names like “The Souffle of Self” or perhaps “The Bachelor Pad Thai,” playing up the virtues of being single.  Plus, if some lonely singles happen to meet at the bar, perhaps they’d be interested in making reservations for the following evening…

These are just a few ways your restaurant can succeed this Valentine’s Day season.

What specials are you running at your establishment on the 14^th?

Well, if you have a basic email account (Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, etc) then you’re already making usage of that thing called “the cloud”. Cloud computing, in a nutshell, is when your personal data is stored on an external server, as opposed to on your own computer. Other than possible security concerns, there aren’t any downsides to usage of cloud computing.

Okay, so you can store your data, safe and secure, outside of your computer. But what’s the big deal about that?

With many services, that data is accessible from other places as well via the internet. For instance, say you start working on a presentation for work or school, and suddenly, your computer turns off. Power outage, empty battery, or the machine simply blowing up are all options. However, whenever you get back onto a computer- the same, or another- you can resume right from where you left off, because if you’re using a cloud-based application, chances are that it automatically saved your work at certain intervals. Your data might not fare as well on the off chance your computer doesn’t back up your work.

With something like Google Documents, working on something from any location isn’t the only benefit. Not by far. There’s also collaboration- you know, two or more people working on the same thing together, in real time? Yeah, with cloud-based applications, that suddenly becomes possible. And just like that, your productivity shoots up. For work, the cloud is better.

Working on things from anywhere, at any time- that’s called “location independency”. What I’m about to introduce to you is “platform independency”.

Computers (like, say, a PC or a Mac) are not the only things that can access cloud-based applications. Smartphones (Androids, iPhones, etc) also have this ability. And you know, it’s not just for work matters, either.

How about uploading your entire music collection to the cloud and using your mobile device to stream it from anywhere? How about adding your movie collection, and from there, watching them whenever you get bored? You want to be able to look at private albums stored on the cloud? Lo and behold, you can do that, too.

Cloud-based storage, cloud-based work- the future is going in one direction, and that just happens to be the little thing called “the cloud”. It holds your data, and it’s accessible from anywhere you have the appropriate device. There’s many services available for a low price and for free, even. Of course, personal physical storage is still useful, but in some ways, the cloud is just so much better for these things.

The cloud is even coming to something people previously didn’t believe possible- gaming. With OnLive and a steady internet connection, one can actually stream and play video games over the internet. Forget those long installation times, all that space being taken up on your drive! Of course, OnLive doesn’t support everything, and the cloud isn’t going to become the solitary source of personal storage- that’s just being delusional.

But the cloud is going to make your life much easier, that’s guaranteed.

So, is data in the cloud the personal data trend of the future?

Yes.

About the Author

Ty is a writer on a variety of topics and he finds himself writing in the technology space quite often. You can find Ty writing on our blog occasionally or on other CRM and tech blogs.

The web is a giant network connecting people worldwide but what if you want to just be known in your region or city as the very best? With the increase usage of mobile devices and access to internet on the go, local search marketing is obviously more important.

Here is list of the top five local online marketing tips:

Local Community

Prepare your website to be friendlier to your local community. First, make sure you have your local, physical address on your website. This allows people to see that you are a local company as well as identifies your location for search engines. You will want your address on every single page of your site. This can be done in the header, footer or sidebar of the design. If this becomes too distracting, make sure at the very least that your physical address is in the “Contact Us” or “About Us” tab of your site. This section is essential for any business in order to help people better connect with you.

Get Listed

Just like a phone book several years ago, you’ll want to make sure that your company is listed in local, online directories. By doing this, search engines will pick up on your location and the fact that you are listed in many places. To do this, start by searching local directories in your area. Likely, they will have an online form to submit your business. If not, try to find an email address and contact the web administrator and see if they’d be willing to add your listings. Most online listings are free or extremely inexpensive.

Ask for Reviews

Typically local directories, or national directories with a local focus such as Yelp.com, will encourage customers to review your business. Whenever you serve a customer, let them know that you’d love for them to go online and write a review. Remember to look at each listing’s terms of service to make sure you are not violating the rules by incentivizing only positive reviews.

Link Local

Get local with your search engine optimization strategies. If you aren’t already, you should be looking at search engine optimization tactics either in-house or through a reputable SEO company. Make sure that the keywords you are targeting have your location in them. By adding a localized keyword or phrase to your SEO efforts, you let customers know where you are. Likewise, you’ll want to put these keywords in both the title tags and meta tags of your page. Additionally, make certain that you build up your Google Places and other search engine profiles to include your address. This will help tag you in search engine maps.

Geo-Target

Finally, think locally when targeting online advertisements. You may want to add geo-targeting to your advertisements or use pay per click for local search terms. Facebook ads will also allow you to geographically target your advertisements.

Thinking locally when it comes to your online marketing strategy will help improve sales of your products or services. This is because more and more people are trying to shop locally and more people than ever trust local businesses to help solve their problems. Does your business currently do online marketing? Are you interested in expanding your online presence through local search engine optimization?

Debit Cards or Bank Cards vs. Credit Cards

While convenient, debit cards can turn an otherwise harmless on line buy into hours on the phone disputing charges if stolen. Debit cards are directly linked to your bank account which means easy access to all your hard earned dollars.

Experts suggest using a dedicated credit card for making purchases on line. Credit card companies can easily reverse fraudulent charges whereas banks aren’t as quick to reverse charges.

Auto Fill

Another convenience that can turn disastrous is auto fill. Don’t allow your laptop to save credit card data or passwords, especially on a shared laptop or on your cell phone. More and more consumers are using mobile phones to purchase on line. A stolen phone can result in thousands of dollars of counterfeit purchases. It’s best to be safe and not save any passwords or credit card information on any device.

“Remember Me”

Similar to the above point, clicking the “remember me” box can prove devastating. On a shared laptop or a lost cell phone someone could rapidly and easily log into your account and make purchases without you knowing. Don’t click “remember me” and you’ll reduce the risk of getting grinched.

Computer Safety Scans

Phishing scams and viruses are all ways hackers can get onto your system and steal your data. That’s why having an updated anti-virus program is essential if you wish to do any on line purchasing during Green Week.

Secure Internet Access

Along with an up-to-date anti-virus program you should also make use of secure access to the world wide web. If you have a wireless setup make sure your access is password protected. If you’re “using” an unsecure wireless connection of your neighbors – make sure you don’t buy any products on line.

Trust Your Gut

If an on line store looks sketchy or a deal seems too good to be true – trust your gut. Don’t make a buy on a site that doesn’t look trustworthy (no matter how many gold star emblems they have on their homepage).

Your Youngsters Can be Victims

Be mindful of your kids during this time of year as well. They can just as easily click on an unsafe link or be the victims of on line fraud as you can. Inform your children about the dangers of buying online and sharing information online or on their phone. Companies like internet provider Comcast suggest a family safety contract for your kids. Communicate with your kids and teach them to avoid dangerous situations online. Opening up the dialogue with your children about their online practices is important to keeping your family secure .

How are you avoiding the cyber Grinch this holiday season?

Setting aside the argument that some businesses simply don’t or won’t do well in an attempt to acquire customers via mobile devices, the vast majority of businesses with an online presence need to consider what they may be losing in the way of sales by not having mobile-friendly versions of their sites.

Statistics indicate that people on the move who perform searches to find businesses or products tend to be consumers ready to make purchases. Considering these facts, it makes sense to have one’s company website easily accessible for those mobile users to quickly get to the information they are looking for to answer their questions or fulfill their needs.

The formula is actually rather simple:

1. Create a Web Presence–if one doesn’t already exist
2. Choose a Mobile Web Presentation–this is where one has a number of choices depending upon the platform the company web site is built upon
3. Include Mobile Device Detection–today’s technologies provide web developers with the ability to code automatic detection of the type of device which a potential customer is accessing the website
4. Let the World Know–about the fact the company can now be accessed via mobile, wireless computing devices

The first two items on the list above are relatively cut and dry. A few decisions need be made in order to put things in place, but all of that exists and shouldn’t require wheel recreation in order to generate a high-quality mobile-friendly website.

But marketing the fact that users on the go can now have easy access to one’s site may be a bit more challenging. In order to get closer to securing more sales as a result of ones investment in an optimized mobile website, a marketing campaign should accompany the site’s development.

Effective use of social media can be an excellent channel to broadcast one’s mobile accessibility news for very little money. Services exist now which provide inexpensive or free ways to automate messages within social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

Other effective marketing methods might include having employees add a link and short message about the new access capabilities to all of their outgoing email messages. This is another example of setting things up and the rest happens automatically.

Traditional broadcasting methods of company news would also be important here as well. Press releases, direct mail and even voice calls to parties who could spread the message further will all provide high quality dissemination of the company’s new mobile website.

Another important consideration one might want to undertake when working on the new site optimized for mobile access is making the company’s messages and access to products and services easy and intuitive. Too often, websites which provide plethora of knowledge and data on their desktop versions attempt to do the same with the mobile version.

If this is applicable to mobile users–they are coming to one’s site specifically to access this type of content–by all means make that the focus of the mobile site. If, on the other hand, the mobile users are more interested in aspects like physical locations of the business or being able to quickly order a product, make their journey to answers and purchases easy, quick and as hassle free as possible.

Chances are mobile online sales will increase with good attention paid to the right details.

The social media profile is your calling card on the web. Your profile is what your friends online know you by. If you have a tacky social media profile, you are less likely to be contacted by a prospective employer or headhunter. The first thing you must do is eliminate all photos and comments about any illegal activity. Don’t have any pictures of yourself partaking in illegal activities, and don’t have any photos of others doing so either. You must build and keep a clean reputation and character online. Pick a photo that depicts you in a clean, respectful, positive and professional manner. Dress nicely in your main profile picture.

When a headhunter looks at your social media profile, they are trying to learn about you. One of the many things they will try to learn about you is what you’re good at. How will anyone know what you’re good at if you don’t show them? Showcase your skills on your profile. Start a blog on your profile and update it frequently with well-written posts on anything, but especially on things that you enjoy or in a field you may want to work in later in life. If you’re studying to be a teacher, for example, and you want to teach reading and writing in a school, post samples of your writing and make posts showing people how to become better writers.

Optimize your profile in such a way that it only represents what you truly are like. be yourself in your photos, videos and comments. Don’t try to create this persona of someone you aren’t. People will see right through it when they talk to you in person or start chatting with you. Be sincere about your interests, goals, attitudes, opinions, actions and thoughts. However, be confident in what you do present. Confidence is very important, and it can make things a lot easier on you in the long run. if you’re confident in who you really are and what you’re capable of, people will take notice and treat you accordingly.

Your social media profile is a way for you to make yourself known on the internet. It is a great tool that you can use to set up connects and portray yourself in a positive way. The opportunities you can discover from having a great social media profile are endless.

About the Guest Author:

Kieron Casey is a BA (Hons) Journalism graduate who blogs regularly on a number of topics including social media, employment and Headhunters.

All in all, many people hate customer service. This has caused many companies to rethink their approach to providing help for their consumers, without the hassles that many of their customers experience. The rise of interaction on the Internet, thanks in part to social media; with social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, companies and customers can get together in order to learn more about products or even ask.

While Facebook would seem to be the easiest and most logical way of offering customers help, Twitter is actually a great way to answer quick questions, especially with the direct message aspect and the ability for others to perhaps find the answer to a similar question they have.

Don’t think this could work? Larger companies, like Comcast, are using Twitter to help answer consumer questions as tweets. Comcast is one of the largest cable and Internet service providers in the greater United States, with a good deal of consumers for their services of cable, Internet, and phone. With so many consumers, the wait times for customers trying to contact their customer service can be long, sometimes more than ten minutes; this is a hassle for users, who are already frustrated with the situation of their products not working.

How does Comcast deliver customer service through Twitter? Through their official Twitter account, someone monitors any questions that users have. Twitter users who also use Comcast sign up to follow the company, which allows them to receive any updates or notices from the company when they have promotions or specials. It also allows users and Comcast to send direct messages to each other, which can give a more personal touch to any questions asked.

Another good thing about providing customer service is the ability for employees of Comcast to address any problems to consumers. For instance, if a member of Comcast – like @ComcastJon – happens to logged on to Twitter, he can provide assistance in the case that @ComcastCS is unavailable.

Using Twitter to provide customer service can be a great way of answering consumer questions; with the ability of Twitter to be used through mobile technology can mean that, if a user’s Internet is down, they can ask and receive an answer via their mobile device. Twitter also means that users don’t need to be stuck on hold or waiting for a customer service representative to answer their call nor do they have to go through the automated system which can sometimes be worse.

Best of all, Twitter is absolutely free and can help spread a company’s online presence to both current and new consumers.

How are you using social media today to help with customer service?

You do not have to be an approved friend in order to subscribe to someone. This means that if your favorite celebrity or journalist allows subscriptions, you can follow the latest information that they share via Facebook. This move allows Facebook to replicate the functionality of Twitter and Google+ to follow individual users.

Additionally, this subscribe button allows you to unsubscribe from friends. (You are automatically subscribed to all of your friends.) If a friend becomes too frequent or of little interest on your news feed, you may simply unsubscribe from them. You will remain friends without having to receive constant updates.

Facebook is taking heed from Twitter’s success as well as the rapidly growing Google+ platform. It is currently working to rollout Timeline (http://www.facebook.com/about/timeline). Additionally, Facebook announced features that allow users to group friends and made privacy more prominent on the site (a move in an obvious reaction to the user-friendly Google+ Circles).

Keep in mind that the Subscribe Button is completely optional. You may choose to turn off the button in your settings and not subscribe to anyone else.

For businesses, it only makes sense to allow subscribers. You can enable subscriptions on your company’s profile page by simply following the steps listed on Facebook’s Subscribe Button page (https://www.facebook.com/about/subscribe). Many users have found increased traffic and improved search engine optimization results by simply adding this feature to their company page. Keep in mind that subscribers may only see information that you share publicly.

Like Twitter, the number of individuals subscribing to you, and the number of individuals you subscribe to, will appear on your profile. Keep in mind that friend requests will automatically be subscribed to your public updates unless you choose to turn the button off.

This new feature will allow individuals to customize their news feeds with only information that is important and relevant to them. It’s important for businesses to consider adding and utilizing their subscribe button in order to improve user engagement with their page. For business owners wishing to fully leverage the new option, it may be worth considering including the subscribe button in part of your overall integrated strategy. Consider making pushes for individuals to subscribe.

This will likely be one in many changes getting ready to occur for Facebook. Make certain that you are consistently keeping up with the latest trends in order to fully leverage your online brand. These changes are often viewed from the individual user experience level but it’s important to consider how each of Facebook’s changes may be leveraged to help your overall online marketing strategy. Consistently think of creative ways to use these new tools in order to attract and engage followers.

Remember, that fully leveraging your online presence can make a huge impact in your bottom line. However, it’s important to maintain your online presence as part of an overall marketing strategy. Consider your online presence as part of a growing conversation. Make sure you appear to be authentic and not trying to over sell your brand or product. A genuine online presence can significantly enhance your marketing strategy and help build your bottom line.  Are you looking to grow your online presence?

The first thing to consider is what you wish to accomplish with your fan page. Are you attempting to build a community or affinity for your brand? Are you looking to drive web traffic or sell more items? Make sure you have a clear, consistent goal of what you wish to accomplish with your page. Once you do, you’ll want to optimize your page in order to make it more accessible and thus reaching more individuals. Once you do, you’ll find that your page has more impact. Here are a few tips in order to help you get started:

1.  Optimize the share preview for your website. Facebook allows for the viral spread of shared links using the Links application. It’s built directly into the Facebook interface so that whenever someone enters a URL, a screen shot and information will automatically appear. You can see that a number of images may be selected. If your website is primarily flash-based or has very few graphic components, it’s important to customize the preview image. Facebook walks through how to use meta tags on your website here (http://developers.facebook.com/docs/share/) in order to optimize the way your website shows up in Facebook. Facebook Links also pulls your description meta tag from your website so make sure that information is explanatory and succinct.

2. Determine the perfect profile picture. Facebook recommends that your profile picture be 200 pixels wide while the height being 200 pixels or more. Make certain to allow at least 12 pixels around the border for information such as your logo, etc. This is because Facebook will automatically crop your picture in order to use that image across the platform.

3. Strategically consider placing content for fans only. Profiles within Facebook Fan pages allow for separate posing of information for fans and nonfans. This allows companies and organizations to build brand awareness by offering special deals for individuals who become fans through the FBML tab or box.

4. Consider a custom vanity URL for your Facebook page. If you own your own website, consider making facebook.yourwebsite.com and directing it to your Facebook Fan Page. (This can be done with a simple redirect to your Facebook page.) This allows you to easily share your Facebook page with other users in print pieces and other places on the web.

5. Keep an editorial calendar for content. It’s important to make certain that you are keeping content fresh and authentic. It’s also important not to beat your Facebook fans over the head with the same type of information. Remember, you do not want to constantly be posting—as this will overload users’ newsfeeds and perhaps cause them to “unlike” your page. This is why it’s important to keep a consistent editorial calendar so those managing your online presence know when and where to post information. Remember to try to mix up the type of content you create such as links, photos, status updates, giveaways, industry trend information, etc.

6. Monitor feedback. Make sure you are repeating successes and limiting failures. Learn from the types of content that you display. If you are seeing more conversation, spikes in web hits or sales, or an increase in sentiment, you should try to repeat (without overdoing) that type of content. Likewise, make sure to limit information if you are seeing drop offs after releasing certain types of content. There are many tools on the market to help you keep track of all of these performance indicators.

7. Consider the search engines in what you do. Something as simple as naming your page can impact search engines. Pick the best name possible and stick with it. Remember, your Facebook Fan Page is an extension of your brand and should be esthetically similar. Use the “about” section to include keywords that are important to you. The “info” tab can likewise be used to go after target keywords or phrases. However, remember that although it’s important to put links to your website and other relevant urls, you do not want to seem spammy. Facebook is a place where authenticity is valued. Make sure that you are genuine and do not try to oversell your fans.

8. Don’t forget about media content. Facebook is a great place to share pictures and video. Make certain that they are not overly generic. They need to be media that your fans are interested in. Also, make sure that you add captions and descriptions along with anything posted.

9. Encourage feedback. So many brands make the mistake of dismissing customer input on their wall for fear of negative feedback. However, this only deters interaction on the platform, which is the entire point. You will never be able to get users involved without facilitating a discussion. Plus, this will make you a more genuine, trusted presence—something that is good for any brand.

10. Most importantly—constantly be learning. Never assume that you have everything figured out. Social media and online marketing is constantly changing. Make sure to stay up-to-date on current trends. Monitor your success and learn from your mistakes. It’s important to be flexible and agile when it comes to your online marketing strategy and always maintain your online marketing strategy as part of your overall integrated communications plan.