Posted on May 6, 2008
Going Against Industry Roadblocks - Investing in the Customer Conversation
BY JAMES CLARK
Embracing a consumer trend before the government demands it. Now that's the entrepreneurial spirit that Marc German, CEO of Spicy Pickle embraced when he paid to have an independent company provide a nutritional analysis of 30 of his top selling dishes.
It's a smart move not only from a regulatory perspective (many cities are now passing laws requiring chain restaurants to post nutritional information), but simply from a customer service and marketing approach.
As our level of awareness about the connection between our diet and our health becomes more ingrained, we begin consciously seeking healthy choices about what we eat.
More, More, More
The more information we have, the more active the conversation will be and consequently the more involved consumers become in embracing a brand.
So more is better in the food industry, because what the mind doesn't know it creates and it's more than likely to create a conspiracy theory than it is to create a reasonable discussion.
Because I love this customer-centrist approach so much, I'm offering some tips for Spicy Pickle to really take the lead and extend this customer centric approach online.
Three Simple Conversational Tactics
1. Become an active participate in Yelp. Spicy Pickle can go through the Yelp for Business Owners process to create a more robust and informational rich experience for Yelp visitors. By being a Yelp sponsor Spicy Pickle can enhance its business page on Yelp with a slide-show, a personalized message from Marc Geman, a featured favorite review and timely business news and announcements.
2. Create a video blog with Kevin Morrison, Chief Culinary Officer to show how each sandwich is made and discuss the nutritional values. Giving people insights to the kitchen is a great way to promote Spicy Pickle's commitment to quality and nutrition.
3. Set up a contest for customers to submit a healthy sandwich to add to the menu. This is a great opportunity for Foodies to get active in the process. Leveraging the Build Your Own option, really come through on the promise of "Our kitchen is your culinary playground".
Note to Spicy Pickle: Because we like you so much, we've gone ahead and secured the Twitter URL: http://www.twitter.com/spicypickle for you. We're not squatting on it, we'll just hand it over when you're ready.
That is a pretty clever social media recommendation on your part - as it's not so easy to think of a campaign for a pickle. I think that the investment in these social / conversational tactics should be well worth the effort - at least in the long run.