Tucked away in the Biggest Little City in The World – Reno, Nevada – is a local chain of breakfast restaurants that are open everyday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Called Squeeze In, this chain, according to the New York Times, has one of the most effective small business internet marketing schemes out there.
“We want to reach our guests where they are: on their phones, in their homes, on their laptops or desktops, on their weekends and at their charitable events,” Misty Young, the company president, told the Times. “We want to be in their heads when they think breakfast or lunch.”
Local restaurant chain steps into the mobile application arena
Squeeze In’s social media efforts are expansive. Servers at the restaurants are trained to ask customers if they would like a picture taken when they see a smartphone on a table. WIth 275 unfiltered Yelp reviews, at least one of the four owners has commented on every single review – regardless of whether its positive or negative. Squeeze In has 6,800 Facebook likes, more than 1,000 Twitter followers, and its garnered more than 42,000 views on its YouTube page. About 52,000 members have joined its loyalty program, the Egghead Breakfast Club.
Most critically, though, the restaurant invested $2,500 to build its own mobile application for iPhone, Android and even BlackBerry devices. Almost 3,000 customers have downloaded the app, which comes with deals that are only available to its users. It also has its own tip calculator and a Flickr photostream, letting customers tag their pictures for Twitter, Facebook or Instagram onto the company’s own album.
Extensive social media isn’t the only way for small businesses to conduct targeted internet marketing and increase their brand awareness. As reported by this blog, mobile marketing is an increasingly growing platform and something that companies across all verticals can benefit from. By partnering with an experienced digital advertising company, businesses can create their own mobile websites, video advertisements and apps, as well.