It’s rare to find information on using social media to grow a brick and mortar business.  But hold the press…because Justin Levy, a serial entrepreneur, puts it all together for you in his presentation on Using Social Media to Drive Sales for Small Business.   Justin is a partner in New Marketing Labs and the Caminito Argentinean Steakhouse, located in Northhampton, MA. 

He combines his Social Media acumen with his business know-how and offers a real insider’s view into how he and his partners used social media to dramatically increase revenue at their restaurant. Although the video is longer than the traditional 3 minute YouTube vignette, it’s worth every minute of your viewing pleasure.  And the principles he presents can be used in every brick and mortar business.

Here are 3 nuggets worth their weight in gold that I took away from his presentation:

1)  Listening Campaign

Using keywords, Justin and his partners listen for what’s going on in their industry at a macro and micro level.  At the macro level they are tracking for trends in the food and restaurant industry.  At a micro level they’re keenly focused on what’s being said about their brand, the names of the business partners or executive chef, their servers etc.

 Of equal or greater significance in the listening campaign is keeping your ear to the ground to find out what’s going on with both local competitors and their neighboring businesses.  

2) Engage

 Listening is the first part of the equation…they also take action on what they hear.  Jason gives an example of turning a fan into a super fan.  How, by thanking a fan for writing a great online review of their dining experience with a complimentary bottle of wine next time they are at the restaurant. 

On the flip side, they also actively engage in the discussion when the comments are negative.  By paying attention to what people are saying and participating in the conversation, you have an opportunity to turn that negative into a positive.

And perhaps the most important action…using what you hear about competitors and local businesses to create marketing campaigns that keep your old customers coming back and attract new customers.

3) Develop an Online Presence that Creates Community 

Boy they really got this one right!  It’s an area where lot’s of business make big mistakes.  There’s so much to learn from this, that it’s better left to watching the video and hearing it from the horse’s mouth!