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.

Hot new service is Twitter - designed for quick, brief sharing of 'what's new'. Keep track of others - do a twitter search for themes or people. Read this useful article on How to Use Twitter for Restaurant, Function & Bar Marketing.

Promote your Products & Services

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:

Flickr is another excellent album tool. Here's an example of displaying travel photos -- a hotel in Barcelona and from an Irish Chef. Read the Beginner's Guide to Flickr. If you need quality photos for your website, check iStockPhoto - very cheap and enormous range.

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.

Blogs in Plain English:

How to start a blog with Google's free Blogger:

Blog Examples by small business operators and creative people:

Quirky Artist --

An English Tailor -- Billiard Company --

Serge the Concierge

A collection of Winery Blogs --

An Artist -- Jintrinsique Pastry Shop -- a gardener and the EXCELLENT blog for Pilu Restaurant in Sydney. Here's the blog I write: Hot & Cool Blog.

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:

Become a Profitable Hospitality 1st Class Member - 24/7 access to resources and downloads for building a great restaurant, function and accommodation business.

Start with ideas from the 4 Hour Marketing Manager and check what's available in Sales & Marketing and the Online Marketing Dept.

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