a friend of mine found this and sent it to me...from "restauantBizz" website...
"The next week, Caribou Coffee stepped in and offered a free cup to anyone who brought in a Starbucks coupon.
New Rule #5
Go mobile (and get those cell phones buzzing)
What can a restaurant owner learn from “American Idol?” If you want quick customer response, the tool is right there in your pocket: a cell phone. Say you’re running a special offer. Mobile marketing lets you spread the word via text or multimedia message. The idea? Cement customer loyalty by speeding those special offers to a select group: those who’ve “opted in” by text-messaging your restaurant to get on your list.
“What’s unique about mobile is the opportunity to get the right information to the right person at the right time,” says Jeff Ostiguy, vice president of mobile marketing firm g8wave in Boston. “You can’t be sure someone’s going to get an email in time.”
Commercial text messages are already big in Europe, where most print ads now include a five-digit mobile short code right next to a Web address. But U.S. brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, Dove and Simon & Schuster are catching on, and so are some small restaurants.
In Iowa City, Iowa, Innovative Mediums keeps databases for several local eateries, from 100 to 500 mobile numbers. A restaurateur logs onto a Website and types in a message. A computerized system sends it out at the appointed time. In 10 seconds, the ad has reached everybody on the list.
Compared to email, the service isn’t cheap, but it’s competitive with print, radio and TV. Innovative has a base charge of $250 a month, plus 20 cents for every message sent, so a 100-person broadcast runs $20.
Most restaurants use the cell phone as an electronic coupon, with customers showing their phones to display the message when they arrive. “Free stuff is the most effective kind of offer,” says Innovative’s CEO Adam Kuperman. “People show up, get one special at the beginning of the football game and spend three more quarters hanging out.”
Having a slow day? “You can mail your list to say, ‘Come in for dinner and get a free appetizer,’” says Ostiguy. “If it’s a rainy day, you can put out a coupon for 20 percent off a takeout order.”
Just don’t overdo it, he warns. “For loyal diners, you can send one or two messages a week without turning anybody off.” "
"The next week, Caribou Coffee stepped in and offered a free cup to anyone who brought in a Starbucks coupon.
New Rule #5
Go mobile (and get those cell phones buzzing)
What can a restaurant owner learn from “American Idol?” If you want quick customer response, the tool is right there in your pocket: a cell phone. Say you’re running a special offer. Mobile marketing lets you spread the word via text or multimedia message. The idea? Cement customer loyalty by speeding those special offers to a select group: those who’ve “opted in” by text-messaging your restaurant to get on your list.
“What’s unique about mobile is the opportunity to get the right information to the right person at the right time,” says Jeff Ostiguy, vice president of mobile marketing firm g8wave in Boston. “You can’t be sure someone’s going to get an email in time.”
Commercial text messages are already big in Europe, where most print ads now include a five-digit mobile short code right next to a Web address. But U.S. brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, Dove and Simon & Schuster are catching on, and so are some small restaurants.
In Iowa City, Iowa, Innovative Mediums keeps databases for several local eateries, from 100 to 500 mobile numbers. A restaurateur logs onto a Website and types in a message. A computerized system sends it out at the appointed time. In 10 seconds, the ad has reached everybody on the list.
Compared to email, the service isn’t cheap, but it’s competitive with print, radio and TV. Innovative has a base charge of $250 a month, plus 20 cents for every message sent, so a 100-person broadcast runs $20.
Most restaurants use the cell phone as an electronic coupon, with customers showing their phones to display the message when they arrive. “Free stuff is the most effective kind of offer,” says Innovative’s CEO Adam Kuperman. “People show up, get one special at the beginning of the football game and spend three more quarters hanging out.”
Having a slow day? “You can mail your list to say, ‘Come in for dinner and get a free appetizer,’” says Ostiguy. “If it’s a rainy day, you can put out a coupon for 20 percent off a takeout order.”
Just don’t overdo it, he warns. “For loyal diners, you can send one or two messages a week without turning anybody off.” "
