The Restaurant & Bar Marketing podcast by Erik Shellenberger offers a no-nonsense, real-world approach to marketing for bars and restaurants. Through a series of episodes, Erik highlights practical, actionable strategies that cut through ineffective marketing techniques often promoted by so-called “experts.” He emphasizes the importance of using data-driven methods, SEO, and reputation management to drive traffic, improve customer engagement, and increase sales.
Key themes in the podcast and his books include:
Avoiding Social Media Pitfalls: Erik critiques the over-reliance on social media marketing, pointing out that platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become less effective for attracting new customers who haven’t heard of your brand.
The Power of Google and SEO: He strongly advocates for mastering SEO, Google My Business, and review management as the best tools to attract new customers, especially for businesses in tourist-heavy areas. Erik argues that these are much more reliable than social media for driving foot traffic to restaurants.
Reputation Management: Managing online reviews on Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor is another major focus. Erik highlights the importance of responding to reviews, both positive and negative, and ensuring that flagged reviews are handled properly to maintain a high rating and attract more customers.
Using AI for Marketing: In more recent episodes, Erik explores how AI tools like ChatGPT can be used for marketing and customer engagement while cautioning against using AI in ways that create barriers between customers and human interaction.
Erik’s Restaurant & Bar Marketing series of books further expands on these themes, offering detailed guidance on how to practically implement these strategies to grow guest counts and revenue while avoiding costly marketing missteps.
By focusing on methods that can be measured and proven, Erik equips restaurant and bar owners with the tools to stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.
For more insights, you can explore Erik’s work through his Restaurant & Bar Marketing book series available now on Amazon. See his website and learn more about ＜a href=”https://barmarketingbasics.com”＞SEO for Restaurants＜/a＞ at Bar Marketing Basics
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The Restaurant & Bar Marketing podcast by Erik Shellenberger offers a no-nonsense, real-world approach to marketing for bars and restaurants. Through a series of episodes, Erik highlights practical, actionable strategies that cut through ineffective marketing techniques often promoted by so-called “experts.” He emphasizes the importance of using data-driven methods, SEO, and reputation management to drive traffic, improve customer engagement, and increase sales.
Key themes in the podcast and his books include:
Avoiding Social Media Pitfalls: Erik critiques the over-reliance on social media marketing, pointing out that platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become less effective for attracting new customers who haven’t heard of your brand.
The Power of Google and SEO: He strongly advocates for mastering SEO, Google My Business, and review management as the best tools to attract new customers, especially for businesses in tourist-heavy areas. Erik argues that these are much more reliable than social media for driving foot traffic to restaurants.
Reputation Management: Managing online reviews on Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor is another major focus. Erik highlights the importance of responding to reviews, both positive and negative, and ensuring that flagged reviews are handled properly to maintain a high rating and attract more customers.
Using AI for Marketing: In more recent episodes, Erik explores how AI tools like ChatGPT can be used for marketing and customer engagement while cautioning against using AI in ways that create barriers between customers and human interaction.
Erik’s Restaurant & Bar Marketing series of books further expands on these themes, offering detailed guidance on how to practically implement these strategies to grow guest counts and revenue while avoiding costly marketing missteps.
By focusing on methods that can be measured and proven, Erik equips restaurant and bar owners with the tools to stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.
For more insights, you can explore Erik’s work through his Restaurant & Bar Marketing book series available now on Amazon. See his website and learn more about ＜a href=”https://barmarketingbasics.com”＞SEO for Restaurants＜/a＞ at Bar Marketing Basics
Learn how to optimize your restaurant menu for better SEO and search engine ranking!
Erik Shellenberger shares expert tips on structuring menus online to attract more customers. Discover the pros and cons of PDF, live text, and image-based menus, and understand the importance of alt tags, meta descriptions, and search-friendly formatting. Whether you use WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix, this guide will help you boost your website's performance.
Don't miss these essential tips to improve your restaurant's online presence!
Explore the Future of Restaurant and Bar Discovery
Ways Customers Will Find Restaurants in the Future
Insights from Erik Shellenberger
In this insightful episode of the Restaurant and Bar Marketing Podcast, Erik Shellenberger dives deep into how customers will search for restaurants and bars in the future. Using ChatGPT, Erik explores evolving trends such as voice-activated AI searches, influencer-driven recommendations, advanced personalization, and even augmented reality experiences.
Revolutionizing How Customers Search for Restaurants
Learn how AI will revolutionize how diners find their next favorite spot—shifting from generic searches like ’restaurants near me’ to hyper-specific queries such as ’find a rooftop bar with live music’ or ’vegan sushi near downtown.’ Erik also discusses the growing importance of online reviews, personalized AI recommendations, and the role of social platforms like TikTok and Instagram in shaping consumer decisions.
The Future of AI Restaurant Searches: How Hungry Customers Will Find You. The Bold New World of Personalized Searches. Erik breaks down how AI-powered searches are revolutionizing how customers discover restaurants and why this shift matters for business visibility.
In this episode, Erik dives into a powerful tool that shows you where you rank on Google from any location. Whether you’re targeting a bustling tourist spot, a local neighborhood, or a specific area your business wants to dominate, this tool offers invaluable insights. The key feature discussed is the GMB Everywhere Google Chrome extension, which lets you view search results as if you’re standing in any location across the country.
In this episode of the Restaurant and Bar Marketing Podcast, host Erik Shellenberger reveals how to avoid the #1 restaurant website mistake that many owners unknowingly make. He explains that a restaurant website’s main goal is to attract new customers and increase foot traffic. However, many popular platforms like Pop Menu, BentoBox, and SpotHopper may look appealing, but they lack essential SEO tools to rank well on search engines.
Erik Shellenberger dives deep into how to blog effectively and get more shares by leveraging AI. Many restaurant and bar owners hear the advice to start a blog, but few understand the real strategies behind making a blog successful.
In this video, Erik Shellenberger, a reputation management expert, takes a bold stand against 1 Star Yelp Reviews and How Restaurant Owners REALLY Want to Respond. He humorously but candidly addresses the issue of unfair negative reviews, which can damage businesses while lacking constructive feedback.
Optimizing your Google My Business for restaurants is crucial for boosting your local search visibility and attracting more customers. In today’s episode of the Restaurant and Bar Marketing Podcast, Erik Shellenberger discusses effective strategies for improving your restaurant’s ranking on Google, starting with a well-optimized Google Business Profile.
In this episode of the Restaurant and Bar Marketing Podcast, host Erik Shellenberger dives into essential strategies for optimizing restaurant websites for better visibility, emphasizing the importance of SEO over aesthetics. According to Erik, many restaurant owners prioritize high-quality photography and sleek design but neglect the crucial element of search engine optimization (SEO), which is key to driving traffic and increasing revenue.
When it comes to finding the best website platforms for restaurants, it’s important to choose a solution that enhances visibility and user experience without unnecessary costs. Website platforms like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, PopMenu, and BentoBox each have their strengths, but they differ significantly in terms of SEO capabilities, ease of use, and long-term value.
Erik Shellenberger dives into the crucial role of reputation management for bars and restaurants. Discover expert tips on how to effectively respond to reviews on Yelp, Google, and TripAdvisor, and why managing your online presence is more important than ever with the rise of AI.
Learn how to effectively pivot your marketing efforts to make your bar or restaurant stand out during the holidays. From over-the-top decorations to creative drink presentations, Erik explains how to generate free press, organic social media buzz, and attract influencers to promote your venue.
Join us as we explore the country’s most unique restaurants and bars starting with the California coast, with stops in Yosemite, San Francisco, Malibu, Newport Beach, and more.
In this episode, Erik breaks down the recent changes to Google’s algorithm and how it impacts your restaurant or bar’s Google Business Profile impressions and clicks.
Erik explains how you can position your business for success in this AI-powered world and how consistency, visibility, and accuracy are key to ranking at the top.
In this episode of the Restaurant & Bar Marketing podcast, Erik Shellenberger dives into the elusive concept of the ”It Factor” that makes some bars and restaurants irresistibly appealing.
In this episode of the Restaurant & Bar Marketing podcast, host Erik Shellenberger shares a powerful speech designed for front-of-house staff, showing them how to increase their tips by adopting a “ruthlessly self-serving” mindset.
In this episode of the Restaurant & Bar Marketing podcast, Erik Shellenberger discusses a key concept from his first book: the Fishbowl vs. the Ocean. Erik explains why relying solely on social media and existing databases (the ”fishbowl”) isn’t enough to drive new business.
In this episode of the Restaurant and Bar Marketing Podcast, Erik Shellenberger reveals how Yelp’s algorithm can hurt small businesses by flagging positive reviews and favoring negative ones.
The Restaurant & Bar Marketing podcast by Erik Shellenberger offers a no-nonsense, real-world approach to marketing for bars and restaurants. Through a series of episodes, Erik highlights practical, actionable strategies that cut through ineffective marketing techniques often promoted by so-called “experts.” He emphasizes the importance of using data-driven methods, SEO, and reputation management to drive traffic, improve customer engagement, and increase sales.
Key themes in the podcast and his books include:
Avoiding Social Media Pitfalls: Erik critiques the over-reliance on social media marketing, pointing out that platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become less effective for attracting new customers who haven’t heard of your brand.
The Power of Google and SEO: He strongly advocates for mastering SEO, Google My Business, and review management as the best tools to attract new customers, especially for businesses in tourist-heavy areas. Erik argues that these are much more reliable than social media for driving foot traffic to restaurants.
Reputation Management: Managing online reviews on Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor is another major focus. Erik highlights the importance of responding to reviews, both positive and negative, and ensuring that flagged reviews are handled properly to maintain a high rating and attract more customers.
Using AI for Marketing: In more recent episodes, Erik explores how AI tools like ChatGPT can be used for marketing and customer engagement while cautioning against using AI in ways that create barriers between customers and human interaction.
Erik’s Restaurant & Bar Marketing series of books further expands on these themes, offering detailed guidance on how to practically implement these strategies to grow guest counts and revenue while avoiding costly marketing missteps.
By focusing on methods that can be measured and proven, Erik equips restaurant and bar owners with the tools to stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.
For more insights, you can explore Erik’s work through his Restaurant & Bar Marketing book series available now on Amazon. See his website and learn more about ＜a href=”https://barmarketingbasics.com”＞SEO for Restaurants＜/a＞ at Bar Marketing Basics
