Formula Marketing has been featured in Expertise.com’s directory of digital marketing agencies serving San Diego, and we’re pleased to see our name on the list.
We work with many businesses with all sorts of marketing challenges. Some want to bring more people through their doors. Others need help getting noticed online or making better use of their advertising budget. A lot of our work starts with figuring out what’s already working, what isn’t, and where there’s room to improve.
The Expertise.com listing highlights something that’s been part of Formula Marketing for years: our experience in hospitality, particularly restaurants and hotels.
You can view Formula Marketing’s profile in Expertise.com’s Best Digital Marketing Agencies Serving San Diego directory, where our listing includes information about our services, customer reviews, and hospitality marketing experience.
A Recognition We’re Happy to Share
Expertise.com publishes directories that help people compare local service providers, including marketing agencies.
Our listing mentions Formula Marketing’s digital marketing services and the restaurant industry experience of our co-founder, Sara Spark, who has spent 25+ years managing restaurants and hospitality clients. That background is a big part of how we approach our work. Having experience inside a restaurant gives you a different understanding of what owners and managers deal with every day.
A busy Friday night doesn’t necessarily mean the business is doing well throughout the week. A restaurant can have thousands of Instagram followers and still struggle to fill tables. Additionally, a beautiful website isn’t particularly useful if customers can’t find it.
These are the kinds of problems we think about when working on a client’s marketing strategy.
Every Business Is Different
We believe every client should be given an individual marketing plan. A restaurant opening in the Gaslamp Quarter has different priorities from an established hotel looking to increase direct bookings. Even two restaurants in the same neighborhood might need completely different approaches.
Our digital marketing services include SEO, paid advertising, social media, branding, public relations, website development, and much more.
Before deciding what to recommend, we need to understand the business, its customers, and what the owner wants to achieve.
Hospitality Marketing Is About More Than Good Photos
Food photography and attractive social content certainly have their place. People want to see what a restaurant looks like before making a reservation.
But there’s quite a bit happening behind those photos. A restaurant might need to improve its Google Business Profile so people searching nearby can find it. A hotel might need stronger website content to explain why guests should book directly. A new bar could benefit from local media coverage and partnerships that introduce it to the right audience.
For a restaurant experiencing slower weekday evenings, we would first identify the factors affecting customer traffic before suggesting additional advertising. Is the restaurant visible in local search results? Are business hours and menus accurate and up to date across online platforms? Is the content engaging enough to encourage customers to dine during the week? These are the questions that help dictate how a budget is best spent.
Take a Look At Our Work
If you’re considering hiring an agency, we’d always recommend looking at its previous projects rather than relying entirely on what the company says about itself.
Our client case studies include work with Greystone Steakhouse and Birdseye Rooftop; projects that required different combinations of content creation, brand storytelling, public relations, and digital marketing. They’re useful examples of how much the work can vary from one business to another.
A campaign designed to introduce a new venue isn’t going to look the same as one focused on strengthening an established restaurant’s reputation.
And it shouldn’t.
What We’d Suggest Before Choosing a Marketing Agency
Being listed on Expertise.com is encouraging, but we wouldn’t suggest choosing any agency based on a directory listing alone.
Take some time to look at the work they’ve done. Ask about their experience with businesses like yours and what they’d recommend changing first.
It’s also worth discussing budgets and expectations early. If an agency recommends paid advertising, ask what results they’ll measure. If they’re suggesting SEO, ask which improvements they’ll prioritize and how progress will be reported.
A good marketing campaign strategy should be something you understand and feel comfortable discussing.
You shouldn’t leave a meeting wondering what you’re actually paying for.
Thanks for Being Part of Our Story
We’re glad to see Formula Marketing included in the Expertise.com directory. It’s a welcome acknowledgment for our team, and we’re grateful to the businesses that have trusted us with their marketing.
If you’re looking for a San Diego marketing agency and want to talk through what your business needs, we’d be happy to have that conversation.
Please feel free to reach out and let us know what we can help you with!