Irina Jordan is Head of Demand Gen at Chowly, a company founded in 2015 with a mission to simplify technology for restaurants. As its website explains, “implementing restaurant technology is no small task, but without it, a restaurant can be left in the dust as consumers demand more digital interactions with their favorite merchants. While large chain restaurants have IT staff to help, smaller restaurants are often at a disadvantage in this regard. With Chowly, restaurants of all sizes can have access to the latest technology to optimize sales and operations.”
Because my own journey into digital marketing began with a restaurant-oriented startup I launched while an undergraduate at college, I was very glad when Irina agreed to chat with me for the eMarketing Association. She has a lot of insight — not just into the restaurant industry and restaurant technology but into best practices applicable to marketing and demand generation in any B2B context.
Our talk covers a lot of topics, including:
- The unique challenges of modernizing the restaurant industry, where operators are very busy, often lack technical expertise, and need guidance on how to adopt new technologies.
- The importance of understanding the nuances of the restaurant industry and tailoring marketing strategies accordingly.
- The importance of integrating offline and online data for targeted marketing efforts.
- How direct mail has made a comeback during and after the COVID pandemic.
- The value of providing educational content in direct mail campaigns, focusing on keeping the mail piece somewhere the recipient can use it regularly (Chowly provides a useful “checklist” that restaurant operators can place in a visible location).
- Why it’s important to be cautious about attending trade shows unless they are definitely worthwhile and can provide ongoing value.
- The importance of partnerships in the restaurant space.
- How generative AI systems (and AI-powered search engines) are validating the past efforts of marketers to organically optimize their internet presences.
- The value of owning the brand narrative through content and visuals.
- The value of high-quality networking opportunities, such as face-to-face dinners, where attendees can have meaningful interactions with their peers.
