Our conversation with Jaclyn DeGiorgio continues.
We continue to talk about food, beverage and restaurants, but also about communication and strategy. One eye on social media and one on the real world, to try not to cause too much confusion...
- You have a blog, social profiles and for a while also a podcast. Which communication channel is most convenient for you and which is the most difficult to manage?
<<Surely, I could organize the management of everything better! I think the blog has been helpful because it has pushed people to contact me and has given me a lot of opportunities. I experience ups and downs with social networks : at the moment I am dedicating less time to these tools. I think they are very effective, but I'm not a fan of algorithms that make you spend as much time as possible glued to the screen "scrolling" the images.
I'll be relaunching my newsletter this fall . I've had a very hectic period and I've slowed down the pace of publications, but I'll get back to normal. I really like. It's an effective platform that has brought me opportunities and allowed me to stay connected to clients.
The podcast ( The Milanophiles ) is fun and a lot of work. More than I imagined, but I'm not complaining! I'm preparing the second season and I'm trying to manage my time so that I can dedicate myself to it as best I can.>>
- Podcasts have existed for years, why do you think they have only exploded recently?
<<I hate wasting time, so I love podcasts because they allow me to use my time wisely (they are multitasking tools that allow you to learn ). I always have a book with me, so I always have something to do when I'm in line, sitting in a waiting room, or when I have to kill time between meetings and appointments. Even at home, if I cook, clean or work, I listen to a podcast.
In Milan I walk everywhere. Obviously I can't read a book while walking, but whenever I'm out and about, I usually listen to a podcast or audiobook to maximize my time . I like podcasts because they're generally not a big commitment: episodes usually don't exceed an hour or two. Plus, they allow you to have a vast free audio library on any topic at your fingertips. You can choose to listen to the latest episode of a podcast you like or a random podcast episode about something that interests you. Unlike live radio, it's also completely self-contained: You don't tune into a channel, but you have a resource that lets you pause and resume later from the same place you left off . Most radio shows these days have podcast supplements where you can download any episode you missed, but there's something about thematic podcasts that makes them even more accessible. You can search and find the thing that attracts you the most.>>
- Is quality or a good communication strategy more important?
<<I support both, but quality prevails over communication . A good communication plan includes several facets. Restaurants that take themselves seriously want to get the right people involved to create “noise” – and there are ways to do this outside of social media (writing good press material, doing PR and sending media invites). However, I will talk about social media.
Nowadays, I think social media drives a lot of business decisions, and I think prioritizing social media is a little short-sighted if that's where all the energy is focused . Some places are designed purely for the sake of social networking, but may not take into consideration other crucial factors like quality and consistency: “who cares what this burger tastes like?” As long as it looks good on Instagram..."
I understand that social media is almost essential these days, but it shouldn't be the North Star. If that burger tastes lousy or has a different style than how it appeared on Instagram, it will be a disappointment to customers.
I think brands need to accurately identify who/what they are and their audience, and they shouldn't lose sight of that. Of course, social networks can be vital for building visibility, but they shouldn't be the axis around which everything evolves. It is essential that staff are happy and treated well : staff deal directly with customers, so they must give off good vibes. You don't just want to bring people to your place, you want them to come back and talk about you.
In the end, quality speaks for itself . You can bring anyone to the restaurant with a good communication plan, but if the quality is poor, people won't come back and will still talk about you: badly. If you offer quality, even if you don't have a communication strategy, people will still talk about you, and they will talk about you well. Quality is an integral part of building a company that wants to last in the long term . But without quality (both in terms of food and service), you don't incentivize customers to advertise to you through word of mouth. >>
- We are almost at the end of our chat, so I move on to the "ritual questions". The first: tell me three fundamental characteristics for doing your job.
<<Perseverance, curiosity and coherence.>>
- Fantastic... these are transversal qualities, which are beneficial in all professional sectors. And now the most important question of all. Tell us: what's your favorite dessert?
<<Sachertorte!>>
1 comment
Fantastic!!!!!!