Time to make an announcement.

I’m looking to establish a new business that, as far as I know, isn’t in existence anywhere else. It will etail social media, local businesses, and that renowned marketing strategy, word of mouth. Or maybe, more appropriately, word of mouse. It will be designed to be relatively low cost, which should be a plus for companies struggling in this recession. But it’s a new concept that many potential clients may not understand. And it’s my guess that many of the businesses I’ll be targeting loathe to put money in marketing.

So here it is. I want to establish an online marketing business, with a focus on social media, for local establishments such as restaurants, night clubs, theaters, health clubs, and in some cases, retail stores. I’m calling it CheckItOut.  The major thrust will be blogger relations. These types of businesses – especially restaurants and theatres – are the types of businesses that are subject to reviews. In fact, many of these businesses may not know it, but they’re often being reviewed online by local bloggers who are just so happened to frequent their establishment. I want to formalize this process in a coordinated way.

Restaurants are probably the best choice to start out with. Most of the types of restaurants that I’d be reviewing will use some sort of gift card system. It’s essential that the offer from the restaurant to the blogger be substantial enough to take the initiative to try out the place.

Now regarding the bloggers. I don’t want go on fishing expeditions to get bloggers here and there every time I get a new client. Instead, I’m looking to develop relationships with the bloggers so they are “virtually” part of my business.

The DC area is home to literally hundreds, if not thousands of people that have blogs. Decent blogs. Attractive blogs. Well read blogs. Blogs by young singles that talk about their social life. Mommy and daddy bloggers that talk about family life. Foodie bloggers. Neighborhood bloggers. And, yeah, political bloggers. Point is, these are exactly the types of people who are also likely to have an interest in going out and checking out new things. Restaurants, clubs, shows, that new children’s clothing store, the health club. There are tons of those types of establishments in the DC area. Soon, many of these businesses will be hurting for business, if they’re not already.

Practically all of these businesses don’t know how to market themselves online. If they have a website, it will more than likely be simple brochureware. When they try to market themselves (almost always offline), they’ll use low level ineffective tactics that do nothing to make them stand out. In other words, they’re throwing spaghetti against a wall and hope it sticks. The most important thing to them with marketing is to keep costs down. Do it on the cheap. More than likely, they’re wasting money. That’s where I come in.

My hope is to be able to develop a stable of bloggers here in the greater DC area. I’d develop a “virtual” relationship with them, where I’d know what they’re about…their general tastes in food, if they’re married or single, if they have children, where they live and where they work. I’m not looking to know intimate details of their lives, but I will need to know some info so I can match them with an appropriate type of client.

Here’s how it would work. Let’s say there’s a new restaurant featuring Middle Eastern food in Arlington, which is directly west of DC. The prices are $10-$18 for entrees. It’s a good place for a date or to take the kids.

As I develop a client base, I would (hopefully) be able to point out to the restaurant’s owner/manager that I have established relationships with, say, 30 bloggers who live or work within a 15 mile radius. Eight of those bloggers could be in his zip code. And eight of the thirty have specifically told me that Middle Eastern food is one of their favorite cuisines. I’d then whip out samples of previous reviews of other restaurants, reviews that are attractive looking blogs.

Now amongst all those bloggers is a 30-something single professional woman who lives in Reston (about 15 miles west of Arlington) and works in Tysons Corner (about nine miles west of the restaurant). She likes all type of food, but especially Middle Eastern and Thai. She has no children. She also loves the theater. And she’s a perfect and candidate to get a gift card from the restaurant. Reston may be a bit of a haul, but since she works in Tysons, she won’t necessarily have to travel all that far if she goes out after work. 

She may blog about being single and, say, working as a women in a practically all-male tech company. She’s developed a readership in the hundreds. Some of them live in and around Arlington.

And she’s just one blogger out of the thirty. I would work with the owner/manager to come up with the right offer. It has to be based on money - not the typical buy two dinners and get the second one at half price. Likely the price of an average entree and one drink/appetizer/dessert.  The incentive has to be there because the reward is a hopefully good review.

From her point of view, she knows that when I come calling, it’s for something that she would likely be interested in. She sort of feels as if I’m working for her, or that she’s part of a select few that gets to try out things for free (or a reduced price) and then report back to her readers with a review. In her case, it could be a restaurant near Reston, or one further away but specializes in the cuisine she likes.  Like a Middle Eastern restaurant in Arlington.  

And she would be one of dozens of bloggers that I can tap into.

Roadblocks

As I mentioned, many of these types of restaurants resist advertising. A lot of it is ego driven. Many feel that their food speaks for itself and that they shouldn’t have to spend money to promote themselves. What they fail to realize is that most restaurants they compete against produce decent enough food and have decent enough service just like they do. Often, they – and their competition – don’t stand out. They win or lose by a proverbial coin flip.

As I also mentioned, when they do chose to market themselves it is with low level tactics. I see this all the time.  Insufficient offerings that are mostly designed to benefit the restaurant and not the customer. They hardly ever work.  Doesn’t surprise me.

When restaurants do spend a decent amount of money, it’s often an ad in a prestigious publication. The regional magazine, for instance. Three quarters of the readers may live too far to come to their establishment. The ad has no offer to get people to try out the place. But they can say that they advertised in (as far as DC goes) The Washingtonian. And they spent big bucks to do so. When they realize that it didn’t result in bringing in more business, they decide that advertising doesn’t work.

Then, after they conclude that, I come in the door talking about these things called blogs. What the hell are blogs? Then I explain what blogs are. You want me to advertise on them? No, I want to have us send them gift cards so they can try out your food and write reviews on their blogs. Us? And what role will you play? You’ll pay me to coordinate it. So, you’re telling me that you want me to pay you to give away free food to these people that I don’t even know?

But, hey, if not me, then who? If not now, then when?

I’ll be using a blog to start things off.  Here’s the About Check It Out DC page.  I’ll be contacting bloggers in this area, giving them something to get them thinking, and then sending them to the About page.

I’d really appreciate feedback on this.  Both the concept and the About page.  So if anyone reads this, please let me know what you think… 

Thanks!!