No Limit Agency CEO shares PR do's and don'ts

During the 10th annual Fast Casual Executive Summit on Oct. 18-20, Nick Powills, chief executive officer of No Limit Agency, and Lee Zucker, director of enterprise for SinglePlatform, talked the 400 session attendees through the best ways for fast casual operators to build buzz and gain a following, be it through content marketing, viral videos, traditional public relations methods or any other number of ways to grab attention for restaurant brands.

As more consumers use mobile devices when researching brands, Zucker believes that inaccuracies can hurt your brand—73 percent of consumers lose trust in a brand if it has inaccuracies online.

“The phrase ‘near me’ has increased 34 times in Google searches since 2011,” Zucker said. “And 86 percent of consumers view menus online before dining out. Nothing is more striking than a mobile presence for your brand.”

Powills stressed how every communications contact point a restaurant operator has with a consumer is the same as with media. The restaurant operator must be prepared when in front of media outlets.

“What does your restaurant look like? How does your staff interact with customers?” Powills asked the audience. “Building a strong brand foundation is critical to winning the communications game. Make sure you’re ready for PR when you get it, because when you get that PR moment, your staff needs to be ready for the flow.”