The Tasting Panel magazine

January 2011

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IN THE BIZ A New Face in the Social Media Crowd by Rachel Burkons / photo by Amy K. Fellows MEET CROWDSTIR.COM, THE SOCIAL NETWORK BY THE INDUSTRY, FOR THE INDUSTRY Twitter, consumers increasingly rely on online marketing to keep in touch with their favorite haunts, discover new places to dine and drink and keep up with your businesses’ specials, promo- tions and events. But there’s a new kid on the online block that’s designed by an industry vet who saw an opportunity to bring suppliers, consumers and bar owners/restaurateurs together in one digital meetingplace: Welcome to the world of Crowdstir. After 22 years at a leading alcohol beverage wholesaler, StirMedia CEO Ashley Burnette saw that there was a gap between the ways in which brands, consumers and accounts could connect online. Burnette’s solution, Crowdstir.com, launched in September of 2010, is a multi-faceted platform that approaches social networking for the beverage business from three sides. O Tara Davis, Event Coordinator at Vigilucci Restaurant Group (left), with Crowdstir.com founder and CEO Ashley Burnette. Speaking of social media, be sure to check out THE TASTING PANEL on Facebook and Twitter! 36 / the tasting panel / january–february 201 1 First, it facilitates interaction between consumers and accounts. “From the front side, it helps consumers con- nect with accounts and the events happening in their area,” explains Burnette, but it’s the behind-the-scenes marketing tools Crowdstir offers to on-premise accounts that are really interesting. Although any bar or restaurant may create a free account that offers basic information such as hours, contact info, pictures, video and special features (as well as linking directly to the account’s website and/or Facebook and Twitter pages), paid subscribers benefit from the Crowdstir marketing calendar and bundled marketing tools that reach an account’s customers directly via email blasts, text messaging and other social media in a completely customizable way. For the San Diego area-based Vigilucci Restaurant Group, which owns and operates seven outlets, Crowdstir’s marketing genius has helped streamline the challenges of keeping the public in the loop about the various events and promotions tak- ing place. “They’re a great benefit to us,” says Tara Davis, Event Coordinator at Vigilucci Restaurant Group. “They provide each and every restaurant we have with its own individual profile, and from a marketing standpoint, that’s a really great thing.” Additionally, spirit brands that are legally precluded from promoting specials and events directly to consumers have benefitted from creating Crowdstir profiles that contain brand info, photos and video, and can be used to create event profiles to share with accounts, which an account can then promote on their own. “This form of targeted marketing allows an account to put the right promotion in front of their consumer,” explains Burnette. “Crowdstir helps connect brands to accounts, and accounts to the consumers they serve.” Many of Crowdstir’s services are free, so mosey on over to www.crowdstir.com to create your profile today! kay, bar and restaurant owners, here’s today’s “no duh” moment: Social media are important to helping your business grow. Between outlets like Facebook and

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