Information for managers and chefs at the Accor group, presented by Ken Burgin.
Establish a Personal Profile Online
LinkedIn has very good business credibility for networking, and free membership is sufficient. If you have your profile here, it's sure to show up on page 1 of a Google search ahead of any other mentions.
NEW: edit your Google Profile so it appears at the bottom of Page #1 when a Google search is done on your name - just the way you want it.
Create a business-like Facebook profile - here's mine!.
Now set up a free Business page or group on Facebook: examples Junnoon Restaurant -- Rubix Bar in Perth - FB members can add themselves as fans. With more than 200 million members worldwide (3 million+ in Australia) an interesting, up-to-date Facebook presence is essential for a modern hospitality business.
Email customers and potential clients: I highly recommend the online service Constant Contact. I have used it for my weekly email for 5 years - very reliable and inexpensive. Have a go with their 60-day free trial - they have easy tutorials to walk you through it. Read all about the Australian spam laws - be thoughtful.
Google Maps has just added full featured searching to Australia, so if you want a cafe in Avalon, directions to the beach or the location of another business, it's as easy as a regular Google search. Try it. Google is constantly adding map tools and it's becoming a very powerful business tool eg 'My Maps' - let you create a map of features that interest you or promote your business eg My Sydney Cafe Collection.
Now is also the time to add a free Google local listing with a description of what you offer, hours, website, phone number etc.
Watch a quick video on how to do a Google business listing:
Display Pictures of Your Products & Services
Download and use Picasa, Google's free picture software for Windows and Mac. It links with Picasa Album. iPhoto is the free equivalent for Mac users
Picasa Web Album - show your pictures online in an album. Upload from iPhoto or Picasa - click the picture for an example:
SlideShow is a great way to show off your photos - you could put it onto your blog:
[Flash software required (free): if you can't see this, download it from Adobe]
Place your events online with Google Calendar to publicly show events online and to privately organise your event bookings. Excellent for when you want several people working jointly on a calendar.
Contribute your events to other online event calendars such as Meetup and Upcoming and find events that should be using your venue!
Share your Ideas: use Blogger to start your own 'blog' or online diary. A blog is your voice, and a website is your presence.
Keep track of your reputation and topics of particular interest (even competitors) with Google Alerts. To find yourself in a Google search, make sure you put the name in double quotes like this: "Your Name".
Action Time: Hundreds More Resources for Marketing and Management:
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Restaurant Management
