Have you noticed a decline in your search engine rankings? read more >

In essence, the Brand of a company is its personality. Consumers either relate to it or they do not in terms of does it mesh with their personal views, lifestyle, opinions and so forth. The goal of developing a Brand is read more >

Facebook has quickly established itself as the dominant player in the social media realm by continuing to develop and introduce new applications and functions. At Zelen Communications, we encourage our clients to partake in this ever-evolving marketing medium to reach out to consumers on a much more personal level. One way of doing this is by developing a Fan page. read more >

At Tampa advertising agency, Zelen Communications, we encourage our clients to utilize current, proven trends; one of which includes Social Media Marketing. Social Media is designed to initiate conversations with consumers by creating content that attracts attention that will, in turn, motivate consumers to pass along to other social networks. Consumers are more likely to trust a third-party source, such as their peers, as opposed to a message delivered by the brand or company itself. A March 2009 study by Knowledge Networks stated that between 10% and 24% of US social media users turned to social networks when making purchase decisions about various categories of products and services. (eMarketer) read more >

Pay-Per-Click advertising has become a major focus for many companies due to a number of important factors. One is that this relatively new marketing avenue creates nearly instant visibility for your company, product or service. By placing ads through the purchase of specified keywords, your ad appears in the most visible areas of the search engine results pages. In the case of Google, ads are posted in the top left side of the page in positions one, two and three. There are also another eight potential ads running in a narrow column in the top right of the same page. These positions are the most highly visible placements and capture more eyes than the remaining page which is reserved for “organic”results. These results are achieved through traditional search engine optimization, or SEO. read more >

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, has become a hot topic among our clients and the business world in general. Simply put, a successful SEO campaign results in a high page ranking on search engine sites, such as, Google, Bing and Yahoo!. Think of it this way, SEO is the yellow pages of today. “Nearly two-thirds of consumers (61%) use search engines to help them in their product research decisions leading up to purchase.” (eConsultancy) read more >

So did anyone miss the whole David Letterman fiasco? Of course not, but did you miss what I wrote about last calling your team….STAFF. David Letterman in the many interviews continued to refer to his people, his team, the very people that make it possible for him to be a Successful entertainer, as his STAFF. It was terrible and it truly sounded demeaning. read more >

What is your restaurant team wearing……. Front and Back of the House?  Is your team proud of what they are wearing? If you represent a large chain, you are likely to think about the associated costs, but smaller companies can really have fun with their attire. You should seriously think about your staff’s attire as “Wardrobe” because every time they hit the floor it is a performance. You want them standing tall, looking good and ready to rock n’ roll. read more >

I never really intended to discuss the wait staff as much as I am, but it appears there is a real need to revisit this topic.

Have you ever walked into an office or a meeting and the atmosphere was thick and unpleasant and you just wanted to leave? Make sure that doesn’t happen in your restaurant! If the staff is tense and not happy for whatever reason, your customers will feel it and it will become a part of their experience and that doesn’t help you get them back into your restaurant. No one likes “negative energy”. Yes, there are times when you have to give the staff, of any organization, a very direct and sometimes uncomfortable conversation about your business and what is happening within your four walls. Just make sure your timing is correct and not before your team hits the floor to take care of your most prized possession…Your Customer.

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I’m a restaurant person. I love restaurants, the fun and the experience. The people, the music, you name it…I’m hooked. My profession is Marketing and Advertising. I build and evolve Brands. But over the years, I have become an astute business person and an excellent listener. I think that happened because I spent half of my professional life on the Agency side of the business and the other half as a client.

Now as a “Brand Helper,” I work in the world of “Brand Space” and help people fill it with perspective that can grow their business. I go to every type of restaurant from fast food establishments, to biker bars, to casual dining spots (which are losing their way) to posh eateries.

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