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Article 1 Demo

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Car Dealership Music – Choosing Background Music to Improve Sales

Music has a strong ability to influence our emotions and perceptions. When exposed to different types of music, we see things differently, and can become happy or sad. For car dealerships, exposure to different types of music can influence your customer’s perception of your prices in a way that increases sales.

Assuming you have your music licensing in place, and have already taken the steps to legally play music in your business, here are some tips for picking music for your car dealership.

  For Dealerships Competing on Price

If your car dealership aims to be a low cost provider, a perception of lower prices may not be as important as the speed of the sale. To speed up the sales cycle, play high-tempo music. Fast paced music is shown to increase our heart rate, which is why we listen to it while we work out. Increased heart rates lead to us doing other things faster. From a car dealership perspective, this means your customers will shop faster, and your salespeople will close deals faster.

For High-End Dealerships

If your car dealership is aiming to sell high quality cars as opposed to low-cost vehicles, music that reflects a modern atmosphere can result in your customers perceiving your prices as lower. Make sure your sound matches the rest of the atmosphere. Background music that portrays a modern sound and lacks lyrics, such as piano or instrumental classical music, is best for dealerships selling new, high-prices cars.

If you’d prefer to choose a background music provider to help with music selection instead of going at it alone, rather than choosing a consumer music service like Pandora or Spotify, which could result in legal issues since they aren’t licensed for business use, consider using a service that offers music for business, like Dozmia for Business.

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Hookah Bar Music – Things to Consider when Choosing Background Music for Your Hookah Lounge

Hookah bars are great places to go to hang out with your friends, and music can compliment an already chill experience. However, the wrong type of music can actually cause people to leave, so it’s important that you select background music that results in a longer stay so your guests will buy more hookah, food, and drinks.

Here are a few things to consider when choosing music for your Hookah Lounge.

Make Sure it’s Legal

Many businesses choose to play music from consumer streaming services like Pandora, but playing Pandora in your business is against Pandora’s terms of use, and can result in the termination of your account. Playing Spotify for business use can lead to similar issues.

Aside from making sure you stay away from consumer music services when playing songs for your business, it’s important that you obtain the proper music licenses to ensure you’re playing music in your business legally.

Services that offer music for business use can simplify the process, and even help with music selection.

Need music for your hookah lounge??

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Coffee Shop Music – A Guide to Choosing the Right Cafe Music

Coffee shops and cafe’s are full of culture. They have loyal customers, and attract a following mainly on atmosphere. Music is very important part of any coffee house, which is why companies like Starbucks put so much emphasis on it and even have their own in-house music editors.

In order to compete, you need to make sure your atmosphere is the best it can be. Assuming you’ve already acquired the proper music licenses to legally play music in your business, here are some tips for choosing the right music for your coffee house.

Consider Independent Musicians

Independent music shows your customers that you put effort into your music selection. It shows that you’ve gone farther than scraping the surface of mainstream music, or simply made a station on Pandora for business use, and really gone into the deep cuts. Choosing independent music for your business is a powerful way for your customers to experience the culture of your brand.

Choose Complimentary Songs

When choosing music, it’s important not to deviate too much. So if you choose to go with indie music, don’t sway to hip-hop with the next song. Make gradual changes between songs and select only the ones that make the most sense for the atmosphere you’re trying to establish. As you go through your playlist of potential songs, listen to the music while sitting in your restaurant. If the songs make you think of a place similar to your coffee shop, you have the right songs.

Music can Make Customers Stay Longer

If you’re looking to influence customer staying time and purchasing decisions, music can help. By playing slower paced music, your customers perception of time is affected in a way that causes them to stay longer. However, if you’re looking to increase your rate of table turnover or reduce perceived wait times, fast paced music might make sense. Most importantly, by playing music that’s most complimentary to other elements of your atmosphere, customers will value your efforts and be willing to spend more on food and drinks.

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Cafe Background Music – Choosing the Right Background Music for a Cafe

From smoothies to sandwiches, cafe’s each have their own focus. With that focus, they have a style and atmosphere built around their product. Music is an important part of that atmosphere, and if used correctly, can reinforce other brand elements. Go too generic with your music, and you’re missing the opportunity to reflect your brand in a strong, emotionally satisfying way to your customers.

Here are some tips for choosing background music for your cafe.

Make Sure It’s Legal

Playing Pandora in a business setting can cause licensing issues, since it’s a service intended for consumers. Additionally, it’s important to secure the proper licenses from BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC. Playing music illegally can result in lawsuits that lead to massive fines, so take the time to ensure legal compliance to copyright law.

To simplify the process, consider using a background music service provider, like Dozmia for Business.

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4 Options for Getting Licensed Music for Business Use

Using music legally in a business setting can be difficult if you don’t understand the legalities of it. It’s important to approach playing music for your business in a way that keeps you in compliance with copyright law.

Here are 4 different approaches you can take to getting licensed music for your business.

  1. Get a license from BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC

If you want to curate and license the music on your own, and put together your own custom playlist, you can get licenses directly from BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC. Once you have the licenses, you’re legally able to play any song you want with full compliance of U.S. copyright law.

An important note: Watch out when using consumer facing streaming services like Pandora in your business. This can cause legal complications, as it’s normally against these companies’ terms of use.

2. Subscribe to a Background Music Service

Services that offer music for business use, like Dozmia for Business, can help with the legalities of using music in a business setting. Additionally, these services have experts that can help you choose the right type of music for your business, weather you own a cafe or a car dealership. It’s also important that you make sure you choose the type of background music service that best suits your technical needs.

Need music for your business?

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14 Bar Games, Activities, and Event Ideas to Entertain Your Guests

While atmospheric elements such as decor, lighting, and background music are important, entertaining guests is an vital part of running a bar. Many people return to bars for weekly trivia, pool, or other activities they can enjoy while socializing with friends. As long as your marketing techniques are working to bring in new customers, entertainment can keep them coming back.

Here are 14 games, activities, and events you can host at your bar.

Note: This article contains affiliate links where the author may receive a commission

1. Live Music

Live music is great way to bring new customers into your bar. Book a local or touring musician, and they invite their fans to your place for live entertainment alongside amazing food and drinks.

2. Dice Games

Dice drinking games are a simple, cost effective way to entertain your guests. Games like ship, captain, crew, Klondike, Tally-Hold, and Farkel can keep guests entertained in a way that lets them socialize with friends and other customers.

You can get some dice on Amazon here.

3. Table-top games

Pool, air hockey, foosball, and shuffleboard are fantastic games for maintaining a regular customer base. These types of games are ones people don’t often have room for in their house or apartment, so they have to go out to play them. You can even host tournaments for more serious players.

4. Name That Tune

Music related games are always fun. Name that tune is a game where you play a part of a song, and your customers have to write down the song and/or artist, with each being worth a point. The player who guessed the most correctly wins. It’s important to make sure you have the appropriate music licenses in place for this.

5. Trivia

Similar to name that tune, trivia is a game of guessing. Pick a topic that’s relevant for your audience, with fun questions and a high-energy host, and customers will be back for more.

6. Beat the Bartender

Get your staff involved, and let customers compete for discount drinks. Rock-Paper-Scissors, dice roll games, or a simple coin flip game can create deeper connections between your staff and customers.

7. Sport Events

If your bar is heavily influenced by sporting, show your support for local teams. Let them host unique events in your bar.

8. Video Games

Depending on the style of your bar, a video game night may make sense to attract a younger crowd. Competitive games like Halo or Call of Duty can draw more social gamers. While many young adults today have video game systems at home, going out and playing with someone new is something worth considering.

9. Music Games

Similar to sit down video games mentioned above, more activity based video games like Guitar Hero or Just Dance can make for a fun activity. These games also require your customers to move, which can result in greater drink sales when they become thirsty.

10. Wall of Records

This one is free, and can help bring in more revenue for your bar. Come up with different records your customers can set, such as “Fastest Time to Drink 50 Beers” or “Most Burgers Eaten in 30 Minutes” and add their names to the wall of fame. Customers who are up for a challenge will spend more in your restaurant.

11. Darts

Throwing darts is one of the most iconic bar games, and it’s cheap to set up. As long as you have the space, setting this up can provide for a great experience for your guests – or a hilarious one for those who lack coordination.

12. Karaoke Night

Lots of people want to be famous musicians, but many just want to perform for the fun of it. Karaoke nights can be a great way to involve your guests and give them an opportunity to shine.

13. Board Games

Games like Chess or Checkers can be painted on your table, and you can get pieces for a good price. Aside from 2-player board games, go for more social games like Monopoly or Clue The Classic Edition.

14. Group Party Games

Some games that are less competitive are simply more fun. Games like Telestrations or Catch Phrase can make for a hilarious night out.

Hopefully these ideas are helpful and inspiring for you to get something going in your bar.

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10 Apps for Restaurant Owners and Managers to Improve Productivity

1. Yelp – Restaurant Review App

Since many people find places to eat on Yelp, it’s important to keep up to date on your reviews, images, and comments. Be sure to claim your business so you can maintain your page with information relevant to visitors.

Download Yelp for iOS or Android.

2. Dozmia for Business – Music Streaming Service for Restaurants and Bars

While services like Spotify or Pandora may offer simple solutions, these consumer streaming services don’t offer licensed music for a business setting. It’s important to choose a music service that specifically offers music for business use.

If you need music for your restaurant or bar, check out Dozmia for Business.

 3. BlueCart – Supplier Management App

It’s important to keep your supplier ordering process as efficient as possible. BlueCart helps you with this by streamlining your orders into 1 simple step, as opposed to sending one order at a time to each supplier.

Download BlueCart for iOS or Android.

4. When I Work – Employee Scheduling App

Employees need quick and easy access to their schedules, and that’s what When I Work can offer with it’s mobile employee scheduling app. You can easily set up employee schedules right from your pocket, and they can check schedules quickly within the same app on their device.

Download When I Work for iOS or Android.

5. Hootsuite – Social Media Management App

It can be a pain to log in to every social media website every day, sometimes multiple times a day, to post updates. Hootsuite lets you manage all of your social media profiles from one account, and even lets you schedule posts throughout the day, which can save huge amounts of time.

Get Hootsuite on iOS or Android.

6. Freshbooks – Accounting App

Freshbooks is a cloud based accounting solution gives you the ability to manage your accounting right from your pocket. It’s important for any business to keep their books up to date, and as a restaurant owner, you want to be able to do this away from your computer.

Get Freshbooks on iOS or Android.

7. Evernote – Note Taking App

Incase you ever need to jot down something to remember later, Evernote can provide a great solution to this. While iOS and Android devices come with standard notepad apps, Evernote lets you tag notes for ease of search later on, and even embed pictures, tables, video, and audio. It’s also much easier to create to-do lists and share them with your employees.

Get Evernote on iOS or Android.

8. Wunderlist – To-do List App

Wunderlust lets you easily create to-do lists to share with your employees. This can cut down on management time, and make it easy for employees to know what needs to be completed for the day as soon as they come into work. Whenever lists are updated, twey’re automatically synced to other users devices.

Get Wunderlust on iOS or Android.

9. RescueTime – Time Management App

We all wish we had more hours in the day. RescueTime helps you find out where you’re waisting time throughout the day by tracking your daily digital habits, breaking everything down by application and website to help you set productivity goals.

Get RescueTime on Android.

10. Slack – Team Messaging App

Slack is a mobile messaging app that lets you easily communicate with your team. When you set up a group chat, you notify individual group members by typing @their-name, then your message to them. You can even send messages to the whole group with @everyone.

Get Slack on iOS or Android.

Mobile apps can increase the efficiency of many tasks. Apps designed for restaurants can help with employee scheduling, music selection, and even marketing automation.

Here are 10 mobile apps for restaurant owners and managers to check out:

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How to Legally Play Music in Your Business

Background music is an important part of a business. When used properly, it can create ambiance, reinforce a brands stance, and even increase sales through psychological influence.

Businesses have a few options when approaching the selection of music for business legally. Here are some to consider.

1. Get a Business Music License from BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC

The most common option chosen by businesses is the direct licensing route. This is when businesses get a BMI or ASCAP license and manage the music themselves.

If you’re managing the music on your own, getting a music license is legally required. Songwriters need to be paid for their works under copyright law. Keep in mind that using consumer streaming services like Spotify or Pandora for your business may cause problems. You can check out some common questions about music licensing in one of our previous posts.

2. Avoid BMI and ASCAP fees – Use Royalty Free Music for Business

If you’d prefer to save money, but still need music, you can play royalty free music in your business. While this solution can help you avoid paying the PROs, it will likely result in lower quality music, and can make it difficult to find a large variety of songs.

If you’d like to go this route, make sure you check if the music really is in public domain. Some music that’s listed as royalty free actually has an upfront fee from the creator, and if you make the mistake of playing music that isn’t really royalty free, you could find yourself in a lawsuit with the PROs that will result in massive fines.

3. Direct Licensing with Independent Musicians and Labels

This route can be used for businesses looking to build relationships within the music industry. While more time consuming, it may be in the best interest of small businesses to feature local artists if they’re interested in strengthening their stance on supporting the local community.

Working with independent labels directly may be more expensive, so it may be best for you to simply license the music from BMI and ASCAP or choose a music service for businesses. However, individual local artists may be willing to waive any royalties or accept a small payout for the exposure depending on their current level of popularity.

4. Use a Music Subscription Service for Business

Music services for business can simplify the entire process by offering a fully licensed catalog of music for business use. Additionally, these services can help with customized music selection to find the best songs to reinforce your brands personality.

If you’re interested in this option, check out Dozmia for Business.

Hopefully this provided you with some valuable information about the different options you have for legally using music in a business setting.

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Pandora for Business – Should You Stream Pandora in Your Business?

There are many services that offer music for business use, but many businesses choose to simply use Pandora. However, is this even legal? Can you simply stream Pandora in your business and pay BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC?

Here are a few things to consider about using Pandora in your business.

Is it Legal?

Streaming the consumer facing Pandora service into your business is actually against Pandora’s Terms of Use. They specified within the document that the app is specifically for personal, non-commercial use.

For legal music for your business, make sure you pay the appropriate business music licensing fees, and choose music that fits your business’s style. Alternatively, you can sign up for a background music service intended for business use.

Is Pandora Good for Business Use?

Pandora is amazing when used as a consumer. I’ve found hundreds of new songs over the years using Pandora, and many times I’ve gone on to buy these newly discovered songs. However, Pandora may not be best for a business setting for the following reasons:

Inconsistent song tempo.

Varying styles of music.

Repetition.

In addition to the above, thumbing up and down certain songs may open the recommendation algorithm to a wider variety of music. When choosing music for your business, it’s important to be specific with your choices of songs, and to consider the musical elements of the songs such as lyrics, key, and tempo. Pandora uses these traits to determine your tastes, but when it comes to a business setting, it can easily skew away from your brands style.

Custom music may be a better option in some cases, which you can do yourself by properly licensing the rights to use music from BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC, or by signing up with a service that provides music for business use, like Dozmia for Business

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Spotify for Business – Should You Stream Spotify in Your Business?

There are many services that offer music for business, and even build custom playlists for businesses, but could consumer streaming services like Spotify be a good alternative to a background music service?

Here are some things to consider before using Spotify in your business.

It May Not be Legal

Consumer facing streaming services like Spotify are intended for personal use, not commercial. Because of this, consumer streaming services are often not licensed for use in a commercial setting. Even if you pay for a subscription, a commercial license isn’t included.

More specifically, Spotify prohibits the use of their service in a commercial setting within their terms of use, meaning if you use Spotify in your business, your account could be suspended.

Spotify May Not be Best for Business Use

Spotify is good for personal use, but for business use, it may not be the best option. Music is often interrupted with ads, which can interrupt the atmosphere and can be distracting to your customers. Additionally, the recommendation system in Spotify is for individual users, and not intended for businesses, which means music may vary by tempo, key, and may even contain explicit lyrics.

If you’re looking to use music in your business, consider a service that offers music specifically for business use, like Dozmia for Business

[hiighcee]

14 Bar Games, Activities, and Event Ideas to Entertain Your Guests

While atmospheric elements such as decor, lighting, and background music are important, entertaining guests is an vital part of running a bar. Many people return to bars for weekly trivia, pool, or other activities they can enjoy while socializing with friends. As long as your marketing techniques are working to bring in new customers, entertainment can keep them coming back.

Here are 14 games, activities, and events you can host at your bar.

Note: This article contains affiliate links where the author may receive a commission

1. Live Music

Live music is great way to bring new customers into your bar. Book a local or touring musician, and they invite their fans to your place for live entertainment alongside amazing food and drinks.

2. Dice Games

Dice drinking games are a simple, cost effective way to entertain your guests. Games like ship, captain, crew, Klondike, Tally-Hold, and Farkel can keep guests entertained in a way that lets them socialize with friends and other customers.

You can get some dice on Amazon here.

3. Table-top games

Pool, air hockey, foosball, and shuffleboard are fantastic games for maintaining a regular customer base. These types of games are ones people don’t often have room for in their house or apartment, so they have to go out to play them. You can even host tournaments for more serious players.

4. Name That Tune

Music related games are always fun. Name that tune is a game where you play a part of a song, and your customers have to write down the song and/or artist, with each being worth a point. The player who guessed the most correctly wins. It’s important to make sure you have the appropriate music licenses in place for this.

5. Trivia

Similar to name that tune, trivia is a game of guessing. Pick a topic that’s relevant for your audience, with fun questions and a high-energy host, and customers will be back for more.

6. Beat the Bartender

Get your staff involved, and let customers compete for discount drinks. Rock-Paper-Scissors, dice roll games, or a simple coin flip game can create deeper connections between your staff and customers.

7. Sport Events

If your bar is heavily influenced by sporting, show your support for local teams. Let them host unique events in your bar.

8. Video Games

Depending on the style of your bar, a video game night may make sense to attract a younger crowd. Competitive games like Halo or Call of Duty can draw more social gamers. While many young adults today have video game systems at home, going out and playing with someone new is something worth considering.

9. Music Games

Similar to sit down video games mentioned above, more activity based video games like Guitar Hero or Just Dance can make for a fun activity. These games also require your customers to move, which can result in greater drink sales when they become thirsty.

10. Wall of Records

This one is free, and can help bring in more revenue for your bar. Come up with different records your customers can set, such as “Fastest Time to Drink 50 Beers” or “Most Burgers Eaten in 30 Minutes” and add their names to the wall of fame. Customers who are up for a challenge will spend more in your restaurant.

11. Darts

Throwing darts is one of the most iconic bar games, and it’s cheap to set up. As long as you have the space, setting this up can provide for a great experience for your guests – or a hilarious one for those who lack coordination.

12. Karaoke Night

Lots of people want to be famous musicians, but many just want to perform for the fun of it. Karaoke nights can be a great way to involve your guests and give them an opportunity to shine.

13. Board Games

Games like Chess or Checkers can be painted on your table, and you can get pieces for a good price. Aside from 2-player board games, go for more social games like Monopoly or Clue The Classic Edition.

14. Group Party Games

Some games that are less competitive are simply more fun. Games like Telestrations or Catch Phrase can make for a hilarious night out.

Hopefully these ideas are helpful and inspiring for you to get something going in your bar.

[hiighcee]

10 Apps for Restaurant Owners and Managers to Improve Productivity

Mobile apps can increase the efficiency of many tasks. Apps designed for restaurants can help with employee scheduling, music selection, and even marketing automation.

Here are 10 mobile apps for restaurant owners and managers to check out:

1. Yelp – Restaurant Review App

Since many people find places to eat on Yelp, it’s important to keep up to date on your reviews, images, and comments. Be sure to claim your business so you can maintain your page with information relevant to visitors.

Download Yelp for iOS or Android.

2. Dozmia for Business – Music Streaming Service for Restaurants and Bars

While services like Spotify or Pandora may offer simple solutions, these consumer streaming services don’t offer licensed music for a business setting. It’s important to choose a music service that specifically offers music for business use.

If you need music for your restaurant or bar, check out Dozmia for Business.

[hiighcee]

How to Legally Play Music in Your Business

Background music is an important part of a business. When used properly, it can create ambiance, reinforce a brands stance, and even increase sales through psychological influence.

Businesses have a few options when approaching the selection of music for business legally. Here are some to consider.

1. Get a Business Music License from BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC

The most common option chosen by businesses is the direct licensing route. This is when businesses get a BMI or ASCAP license and manage the music themselves.

If you’re managing the music on your own, getting a music license is legally required. Songwriters need to be paid for their works under copyright law. Keep in mind that using consumer streaming services like Spotify or Pandora for your business may cause problems. You can check out some common questions about music licensing in one of our previous posts.

2. Avoid BMI and ASCAP fees – Use Royalty Free Music for Business

If you’d prefer to save money, but still need music, you can play royalty free music in your business. While this solution can help you avoid paying the PROs, it will likely result in lower quality music, and can make it difficult to find a large variety of songs.

If you’d like to go this route, make sure you check if the music really is in public domain. Some music that’s listed as royalty free actually has an upfront fee from the creator, and if you make the mistake of playing music that isn’t really royalty free, you could find yourself in a lawsuit with the PROs that will result in massive fines.

3. Direct Licensing with Independent Musicians and Labels

This route can be used for businesses looking to build relationships within the music industry. While more time consuming, it may be in the best interest of small businesses to feature local artists if they’re interested in strengthening their stance on supporting the local community.

Working with independent labels directly may be more expensive, so it may be best for you to simply license the music from BMI and ASCAP or choose a music service for businesses. However, individual local artists may be willing to waive any royalties or accept a small payout for the exposure depending on their current level of popularity.

4. Use a Music Subscription Service for Business

Music services for business can simplify the entire process by offering a fully licensed catalog of music for business use. Additionally, these services can help with customized music selection to find the best songs to reinforce your brands personality.

If you’re interested in this option, check out Dozmia for Business.

Hopefully this provided you with some valuable information about the different options you have for legally using music in a business setting.

[hiighcee]

50 Restaurant Marketing Ideas and Tips for Owners and Managers

Marketing is one of the most important parts of any business. Your restaurant may have great food, an awesome atmosphere with great lighting and background music, and friendly staff, but if you aren’t able to effectively market your restaurant, you won’t be able to stay open very long.

Here are 50 ideas for marketing your restaurant.

Social Media Marketing Ideas and Tips

To generate more likes, shares, and followers, it’s important to create content that people find valuable in some way. Here are a few ideas for how to do that.

1. Food Photos

Sharing photos of food on social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest can be an effective way to gain followers and new customers. When social media users see images of delicious food from your restaurant, it’ll stimulate their taste buds.

2. Recipes

Many Pinterest users go on in search for recipes to try out at home. Creating a Pinterest board for recipes related to the type of food you serve at your restaurant can give these users a taste of what you have to offer.

3. Short Cooking Videos

People love when things are quick and easy. Create videos that show your potential customers how to create something quickly, like Oreo frequently does on their Vine profile.

4. Be Transparent

If your customers don’t know where your food comes from, or how it’s cooked or prepared, they might jump to conclusions on their own. Use social media to educate your customers before they attempt to educate themselves.

5. Use Relevant Trending and Niche Hashtags

On social networks like Instagram and Twitter, hashtags can get your post in front of more people. Use hashtags that are both popular, and within your niche to get your content in front of the right customers. For example, if you’re a coffee house in Jacksonville, Florida, add #Florida #Jacksonville #coffee to your post.

6. Ask Customers to Share with Hashtags

Pick a hashtag that contains your restaurants name, and have customers share photos of their food using that hashtag. This can build awareness of your brand among their followers.

7. Geographically Target Paid Ads

Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms allow you to target ads geographically. Run an ad containing a coupon code targeted for your city, and tweak it until it performs as you’d expect. NextRestaurant provides a nice guide to creating ad managing Facebook ads.

When you advertise, make it easy for people to get directions to your restaurant. Check out this guide for creating Google Maps links that can automatically generate directions to your restaurant. Once you create the appropriate url, direct the ad clicks to it, and the directions will be given automatically.

8. Treat Each Platform as it’s Own

Facebook isn’t Twitter, Twitter isn’t Instagram, and Instagram isn’t Pinterest. People use each of these platforms differently, so be sure to use each platform for it’s purpose to properly resonate with your target customers.

9. Respond to Messages and Comments

Social media is there for you to engage with your customers. If someone comments on a photo or sends you a message, respond to them. If someone asks a question and you don’t respond, they’ll see it as poor customer service and may never visit your restaurant.

10. Time Your Posts

Using social media management software like Hootsuite or Sprout Social can save lots of time. These services let you schedule your social media posts so that you can handle all of your social media management at one time instead of logging on multiple times throughout the day.

How To Be Found Online

People use Google to search for places to eat, and for reviews on those places. You want to make sure that if people are in Google Maps searching for things like “Places to eat near me,” then they’re able to find you. Here are some ways to accomplish this, as well as other ways to be found online.

11. Have a Website

If people do search for your business, they might search for contact info, menu details, or your location. Google also likes websites that provide lots of information. Here are some suggestions of pages to add to your website:

Home page with images and basic details like your address.

An “about us” page that tells your story.

A “contact us” page with your email address and phone number.

A menu page. This way, people can get an idea of the type of food you serve.

You can use services like Squarespace or Wix to easily create and update a beautiful looking website.

12. Create a Local ‘Google My Business’ Listing

Adding your business to Google My Business makes it easy for your business to be discovered on Google’s search engine and Google Maps. It also makes it easier for people to find your website, contact info, and even see images of your restaurant.

13. Be Found on Apple Maps

Many iPhone owners use Apple Maps instead of Google Maps, since it’s the default maps application for the iPhone.

Apple maps uses outside sources to list businesses inside it’s maps app, including Yelp and Localize. If your business isn’t already showing up in Apple Maps, here’s one way you can fix it:

Search for your location.

In the location detail click the “Report a Problem” link.

Choose the appropriate problem.

Choose “Other” on the Report a Problem screen.

Add your business data via the various fields and submit.

14. Spread Your Menu Online

You can allow your menu to be searched on Google so it shows up like this:

People search Google for generic terms like “Coffee houses in New York” or “Places to get buffalo wings” more than they search for specific restaurants, so having your menu online in a way Google and other search engines can index it properly can help you get found by more people.

One of Google’s major menu providers is SinglePlatform, as mentioned here. Trip Advisor and Facebook also use SinglePlatform for menu information.

There are other menu platforms you should consider submitting your menu to as well, including Zagat and Allmenus, since other platforms may be indexing these sources.

15. Build Links to Your Website

Building links to your website can help your site rank higher in Google, and can even drive more traffic directly to your site through those links.

For your restaurant, it could be valuable to build links on pages that list restaurants in an area. People actually click links on these types of sites, because they usually come across them looking for somewhere to eat.

Here are some examples of list posts:

Best Places to Eat in NYC Right Now

Cheap Eats in LA: Best bang-for-your-buck meals for $20 or less

10 Best Restaurants for Brunch in Los Angeles

Just search Google for list posts like these relevant to your city, and reach out to the bloggers to see if they’d be interested in coming in for a meal. After their visit, see if they’d be willing to add you to their list.

Links on sites like these can drive lots of traffic to your website and increase your restaurants rankings on Google, which can bring new customers to your restaurant.

16. Start a Blog

Blogging is a great way to get your website to show up in more Google searches. You can post weekly recipe’s, stories about working in a restaurant, and even allow guest articles.

Here are some tips about starting a blog:

Use your own domain. For example, don’t use a yourwebsite.webhost.com domain, because then any search engine optimization efforts (work towards getting your website to show up in search engines like Google) you put in will go to the web hosting domain.

Post regularly.

Use blogging software like Ghost. We use Ghost for our blogging, and it’s awesome. It’s really easy to write and edit articles quickly, and it seems to perform extremely well in search engine optimization efforts.

17. Build Links to Your Blog

One of the most important factors for ranking in Google is the number of links pointing to your website. There are many strategies you can use to get links to your site, and Backlinko.com provides awesome tips for this.

18. Restaurant Apps

Make sure you’re able to be found on any apps people might use to search for restaurants. Here are a few of the popular ones people often use to look for places to eat:

Yelp

OpenTable

FourSquare

Zomato

Zagat

LocalEats

Dining Grades

19. Get Reviews on Yelp, Google, and Others

Getting positive reviews on Yelp and Google not only help convince people to visit your restaurant, but also increase your rankings in searches on these websites. You want your restaurant to be highly ranked for generic searches like “restaurants near me” or “places to eat.”

Shopkeep provides some good ideas for getting reviews on review sites. It can be as simple as just asking customers who you know have had good experience.

20. Guest Post on Food Blogs

Guest posting on food blogs can be an effective way to generate awareness among food fanatics. Reach out to food bloggers in your niche about posting recipe’s for their readers. Guest posting on blogs is also a very effective way to generate links to your website, which can help with your search engine rankings.

Don’t Forget About Email

Icons made by Madebyoliver from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY.

Email lists are a powerful marketing resource. You can use them to promote new menu items, events at your restaurant, or even send out coupons. You can maintain a mailing list with services like MailChimp.

These next few tips focus on building an email list.

21. Your Blog

At the bottom of each post on your blog, ask visitors to sign up for your email list. If they like the content you’ve posted, they’ll want to see more.

22. Encourage Subscribers to Share Emails

Inside your email, include social sharing buttons or “Email to a Friend” buttons. This way, you’ll gain access to friends of your subscribers, and your email list can grow organically. At the very bottom of the email, also include a “Subscribe” button so that those receiving the email can easily subscribe to your mailing list.

23. Offer Coupons for Mailing List Signups

Offering coupon incentives through your social media channels can be an effective way to grow your mailing list. Once they subscribe, send them the coupon for a percentage off their meal, or better yet, offer something for free.

24. In Your Email Signature

If you send lots of emails, include a “Subscribe” link in your email signature. Some people you’re responding to in your inbox might be interested in what you have to offer, since they’re contacting you in the first place.

25. In-Restaurant Promotion

If you have table tents in your restaurant, mention your mailing list on one of them. Provide some sort of incentive, especially something that can give instant gratification, such as a percentage off their current meal for showing the waitress the welcome email. Make it easy for them by including a QR code for them to scan, or a direct url to enter into their browser to subscribe.

26. Automatically Add Loyalty Program Members

Including members of your loyalty program in your email list can be a great way to send promotions and alerts to people who are already interested in you.

27. Partner with Other Companies

Know another company that has a mailing list that might be interested in what you have to offer? Give them something exclusive to give to their subscribers, like a free meal or entry into a contest, if their subscribers sign up for your mailing list.

If you have an established mailing list, maybe you can return the favor. Just make sure your target audience aligns with theirs.

Build Customer Loyalty

image from business2community.com

Think about it:

Which would you rather have; 500 regular customers that spend $1 each month, or 5 customers that spend $100 each month?

On the surface, both are the same. Either option would lead to $500 in monthly revenue. However, it makes more sense to aim for the 5 customer option because acquiring new customers is expensive, and with each customer spending more, your revenue increases to a greater degree as you grow your pool of customers.

These next few are some tips will help you increasing customer loyalty.

28. Be In Front of Your Customers Daily

Find a way to be seen by your customers on a daily basis. This can be accomplished by getting them to follow you on social media, aggressive advertising, or letting them save your restaurants playlist with background music services like Dozmia for Business.

29. Start a Loyalty Program

It’s basic psychology: people are more likely to revisit frequently if they get free stuff. Restaurant loyalty programs can increase visits by up to 35%, so starting a loyalty program is a no brainer.

If you don’t want to create a loyalty program on your own, here are some loyalty program providers to consider:

Belly

FiveStars

Punchcard

Front Flip

Spendgo

Venga

30. Support Your Community

People connect with others who share their interest, and this includes businesses. If your restaurant fits into the culture that your customers are involved in, you can build a stronger emotional connection with them. Support the community, weather it’s local musicians, artists, or community events, and you’ll stand above other brands going for the same customers.

31. Create an Amazing Experience

When people come to your restaurant, give them a great experience. Have an incredible, unique atmosphere, friendly service, fix mistakes quickly, and, of course, serve amazing food. It sounds simple, but exceptional service can turn one-time customers into repeat customers.

32. Offer Something for Free

Five Guys gives away free peanuts, and Olive Garden doesn’t charge for bread. This works very well for both of these companies.

You could give customers cucumber water, fresh mint water, or any kind of fancy water for free. It’s small, but customers will notice, and see it as a gesture of appreciation.

Here are some recipe’s you can use:

Cucumber Water

Strawberry, Cucumber, Lime, and Mint Water

33. Put on Regular Events

People usually go out to eat so they can socialize with others. Weather it’s weekly concerts, game nights, or trivia, the social elements of these regular events can keep people coming back.

Find something that matches the theme of your restaurant, and your customers will make time to be there.

34. Keep Employees Happy

Employees can work as ambassadors for your restaurant. Their friends and family could be potential customers, and if they’re talking with people they’re close to about how unhappy they are at work, these people may not give you the time of day. However, if they talk about how great work is, their friends and family will be happy to support your restaurant. Here are some simple ideas for keeping employees happy:

Give them time off.

Give them benefits.

Recognize their efforts.

Maintain a positive internal culture.

Increase Average Check Size

Icons made by Madebyoliver from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY

Increasing the average check size can be an effective way to increase your restaurants overall revenue. These next points include some ways you can accomplish this.

35. Train Employees to Up-sell and Cross-sell

Up-selling is where you move customers up to a more expensive product. Cross-selling is where you recommend complimentary products.

Train your waiters and waitresses to understand menu items, and which ones go well together, so they can build the check while interacting with the customer by recommending different menu items.

36. Psychological Menu Pricing

If your restaurant is quick-service with menu boards, pricing can move customers up in item sizes. For example, if you have different drink sizes, make the price difference between small and medium bigger than the price difference between medium and large. Additionally, pricing large to small as opposed to small to large can make expensive items appear cheaper.

Here’s an example:

LG – $2.99 MD – $2.89 SM – $2.29

The customers thought process would guide them to the large item, since most customers think a small size isn’t enough, and the large is only 10 cents more than the medium item.

If your restaurant is of a sit down style with physical menus, removing cents from the prices can make customers perceive items as cheaper.

37. Music

The right type of music can affect consumers perception of price. Studies have shown that playing classical music instead of pop music in a high-end restaurant can lead customers to choose more expensive drinks, which can have a dramatic increase on the check size.

Business music services can help you choose music that results in increased sales.

38. Have a Separate Dessert Menu

If you show your guests the desserts in the same menu as the main course, then if your waiter or waitress goes to remind them about dessert, having already seen the options, they’re likely to decline. However, if the server is offering up a dessert menu with detailed images and descriptions, curiosity will make it harder for your guests to resist.

39. Offer Bundles

Bundling meals together on the menu can result in drastic spending increases. If guests see two items offered together at a steep enough discount, they’ll have a hard time saying no to the deal. It’s good for both of you: they get a good deal, and you get a bigger check.

40. Use Images on More Profitable Items

Whenever I go to a restaurant, I’m more inclined to buy items that have images, because I know exactly what to expect. I imagine most guests are the same. Menu items with images and detailed descriptions are more likely to sell more frequently, so make these your most profitable items.

41. Limit Choice

Ever heard of the paradox of choice? It’s a psychological theory that if people have too many choices, they won’t choose anything. If you want to sell a more expensive menu item, limit it’s options.

42. Make Items Appear Less Expensive

If you place a $40 item next to a $12 item, it looks very expensive. However, if you place that same $40 item next to a $50 item, it suddenly looks like a better price. Be thoughtful about how you place items on your menu, and about how it’s price may be perceived.

Other Ideas

43. Have Concerts

Concerts can be a great way to bring new people into your restaurant. Book musicians with a large enough fanbase and social media following, and it can really expand your brand visibility.

44. Build an App

Having a mobile app will allow you to be seen by your customers daily on their mobile device. You can even speed up the order process for customers by letting them place orders in advance through the app, and increase retention by sending them coupons.

Services like Mojo Bistro can help you put together an app quickly.

45. Text Message Marketing

Take the tips above about an email list, and apply it to a text message system. Text messages have a 98% open rate and a 36% click-thru rate, which are much higher than email open and click-thru rates.

46. Participate in Big Events

If there’s a music festival or another big event coming to your city, you can get involved by handing out free samples, or even catering the event.

47. Offer Gift Cards

Gift cards can bring in new customers. You can even look into selling them at other local businesses for increased brand exposure and customer acquisition.

48. Use a Daily Deal Site

Daily deal sites like Groupon or Living Social will expose your restaurant to thousands of people instantly. Just be prepared for the large volume of traffic.

49. Partner with Food Delivery Apps

Food delivery apps like Door Dash or GrubHub can help expand your reach by offering delivery. Customers may also discover your restaurant by searching for the type of food you offer.

50. Maintain an Awesome Atmosphere

Music, lighting, and the color scheme of your restaurant all matter. The atmosphere is the first things your customers experience, before they even taste your food. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so make it count.

[hiighcee]

13 Common Questions About Music Licensing for Businesses

Similarly to authors of books, songs are protected under copyright law to protect the songwriters. Because of this, it is generally illegal to play music in a public place without obtaining a license for the musical works. Many business owners are unaware of this, and don’t know that they need to pay a license to play music, or don’t know how to play music legally in their business.

Below are some commonly asked questions about using music in a business setting that can hopefully act as a guide for legally using music in your business, put together with help from Los Angeles music lawyer Jesse E. Morris, Esq.

Who are BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC?

BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC are known as the Performance Rights Organizations (“PROs”) that represent songwriters and music publishers in the United States. They act as the intermediary between songwriters and music users such as restaurants, retail stores, and music streaming services like Dozmia to protect intellectual property and make licensing music more convenient. They offer blanket licenses to businesses that need the rights to publicly use music. Businesses pay a fee to BMI, ASCAP, and/or SESAC to obtain public performance rights, and can use music owned by any of the songwriters and publishers they represent.

If you play music licensed by one of these organizations, and don’t have a license from them, you can potentially be held liable for copyright infringement, which can result in thousands of dollars of liability as well as costly legal fees.

There’s also a 4th PRO that you may need to pay licensing fees to called Global Music Rights. This PRO is relatively new, and is the smallest of the four, but they do control the rights to some of the songs you may play in your business, and may be worth taking a look at. You can search the songs they represent on their website.

If I pay BMI, do I also need to pay ASCAP and SESAC?

Not always. It’s important to realize that the PROs represent songwriters, not necessarily the songs themselves, so you only need to pay the PROs that represent the writers of the songs you’re using in your business. Unfortunately, most songs have multiple songwriters. For example, “Don’t Wake Me Up” by Chris Brown has 11 songwriters, some of which are represented by BMI, some by ASCAP, and some by foreign PROs, as you can see below.

If you’re using more popular music in your business, it’s likely that you will need to pay all three of the PROs.

In the above image, you may notice two additional organizations in the “Current Affiliation” column, SIAE and PRS. These are foreign performance rights organizations. There is no need to pay foreign PROs for the rights to use music in your restaurant here in the United States because BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC have reciprocal agreements with these organizations and transfer any applicable royalties to them.

The safe and easy way is to just pay all three of the PROs, but if you want to see what songwriters are represented by each of them, you can check their databases here (for BMI), here (for ASCAP), and here (for SESAC). If your entire playlist consists of songs only written by BMI songwriters, you only have to pay licensing fees to BMI.

You also have the option to work directly with songwriters and publishers, in which case you can license the music directly from them and avoid paying the PROs altogether. Before considering this, however, I’d recommend you speak with a music attorney. Jesse E. Morris, Esq., of Morris Music Law is the music lawyer who helped us get our music licensing straightened out, and I’d highly recommend him. Another option is to avoid all of the legal complications by signing up for a service that offers streaming music for business (like Dozmia for Business).

Are there any circumstances where I don’t have to pay a licensing fee to the PROs?

If you’re using music recordings that you own from a smartphone, CD, or streaming over the Internet, unless the provider covers licensing fees for you, then you generally have to pay to use music in your business. However, section 110 (5)(B) of the Copyright Act contains exceptions for businesses playing music over the radio or using a TV if you don’t charge customers to hear the music.

Generally, if your business is not a “food service or drinking establishment” and has less than 2,000 gross square feet of space or is a “food service or drinking establishment” and has less than 3,750 square feet in space, you don’t need to pay to use music.

If your business is larger than the above limits, to use a TV (with stations licensed by the FCC) or radio, and your business includes ONE of the following, you need to pay to use music:

For TV:

More than 4 TV’s.

More than 1 TV in any one room.

Any of the TV’s is larger than 55” when measured diagonally.

If the audio is connected to:

More than 6 total loudspeakers.

More than 4 loudspeakers in any one room or connected outdoor space.

If there is any direct charge.

The transmission or retransmission is further transmitted beyond your establishment.

For Radio:

More than 6 total loudspeakers.

More than 4 loudspeakers are in any one room or connected outdoor space.

If there is any direct charge.

The transmission or retransmission is further transmitted beyond your establishment.

Another exception is in section 110 (5)(A) of the Copyright Act, which allows transmission of music via “a single receiving apparatus of a kind commonly used in private homes.” This exemption only applies if no direct charge is made to see or hear the transmission and the transmission, once received, is not further transmitted to the public.

Do I have to pay to play music for employees?

Aside from the exemptions mentioned above, you generally only need a license to use music if it’s publicly performed. However, if your customers can hear the music, the PROs could argue that the public is receiving the transmission, and that licensing obligations apply. The safe option in this case is to pay for the licenses.

Do I have to pay a license for live performances in my business?

Unless the performers only play their own songs, yes, to have live music in your business, you need the appropriate licenses from the PROs. In the case of live music, it may be in your best interest to get licenses from all the PROs, as many musicians perform songs written by other songwriters.

You may also need a permit depending on where your business is located. In Los Angeles, for example, café’s need a permit for any live entertainment performances.

Do I have to pay artists to perform in my business?

While you aren’t legally required to pay musicians for live performances, it’s a good idea to. More established musicians look down upon venues that don’t pay for performances, so not paying lesser-known musicians for live performances can make it harder to book bigger artists later on. Additionally, your customers may think less of you if they find out you aren’t paying musicians for their performances. Paying performing musicians a small fixed amount or a percentage of sales that night can help you maintain a positive reputation among the music community.

My background music provider pays licensing fees already. Do I need a separate license for live music?

Yes. If you’re using a background music provider that includes licensing for the music, you still need to pay BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC for live performances, unless your background music provider can also provide licensing for this.

What if I play copyright free music?

If you use copyright free music, you don’t have to pay licensing fees, but be sure to check the Copyright Office, BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC’s databases to be sure the music really is copyright free or in public domain.

Can I use Pandora or Spotify in my business?

Music streaming services that are intended for consumer use, such as Pandora or Spotify, typically prohibit commercial use of their product, as per their terms of use. This is generally to protect them from any liabilities from the PROs. If you want to use a streaming service for your business, check the terms of use to see if they allow for this.

Even if you do use a consumer music streaming service, you’ll still have to pay licensing fees to use music in your business. Additionally, if you want to get rid of the ads that interrupt the music, you’ll need to pay for a premium subscription on most services. It might be more cost effective to subscribe to a music streaming service for business use.

Do I have to pay for licenses even if I bought the music or if I’m paying for a music streaming service?

Yes. Purchasing music downloads or a music streaming subscription gives you the rights to listen privately. Once you play the music in your business, it generally becomes a public performance and needs to be licensed. Keep in mind, the exemptions above apply only to radio and TV, not Internet streaming or playing music downloads.

Are licenses negotiable?

Yes, but it can be hard to get a different price on the licenses unless you have something to offer in return. If you want to pay less in licensing fees, it might be best to take the time to make a playlist of songs whose writers are all represented by only one of the PROs.

How do I actually get the licenses to play music in my business?

You can find the appropriate forms on the PROs websites.

BMI: http://www.bmi.com/licensing

ASCAP: http://www.ascap.com/licensing

SESAC: https://www.sesac.com/Licensing/obtainlicense.aspx

Do I have to pay for a license to use really old music in my business?

Yes, unless the music is no longer protected by copyright law and is in public domain, you need a license. If you think a song may be in public domain, you can search the PROs databases here (for BMI), here (for ASCAP), and here (for SESAC). Additionally, you can search the Copyright Office directly to identify the owners/writers of specific songs.