What is LivingSocial and How Can it Increase Business?

Social media and discount sites are becoming more and more important in restaurant marketing and advertising, and sometimes it can be hard to tell them apart or know what exactly it is that they offer. We’ve posted before about Groupon, one of the largest and most notable of the websites offering social media-targeted discounts to consumers, but LivingSocial.com is another valuable resource for restaurants looking for new business.

Everybody likes a good sale.

Another “Deal of the Day” style website in the vein of the more-famous Groupon, LivingSocial  is an online business and website that offers subscribers deals on local restaurants, hotels, etc. Subscribers receive a deal of the day via email each day and can choose to purchase the deal to receive a voucher. Purchasing a deal from LivingSocial is more or less the same as from Groupon — subscribers pay a small fee for a larger discount ($20 for $40 off, for example). The original purchaser can then send the deal to any and all of his email or social media contacts, and if three or more purchase the same deal, the original user receives his or hers for free. The voucher arrives the next day via email and can be printed or accessed via smartphones and tablets. Along with the original deals of the day, LivingSocial offers “Instant” deals in large urban locations, as well as “Escapes” and “Adventures” aimed at travelers.

Of course, LivingSocial couldn’t sustain itself if all it did was offer big deals to internet-savvy consumers. Because subscribers are offered deals only from merchants working with LivingSocial, the website offers restaurants (and hotels, etc.) the ability to reach a sizable portion of their desired market without interference from competitors; the deal is from you, not you and your three closest local competitors. If a consumer wants a chili-cheese dog, they can choose to purchase your offer or none at all, and that makes LivingSocial a great way to bring in new customers. And after you bring them in with the deal, you keep them coming back for full-priced meals with your great food and customer service.

Getting started with LivingSocial is as simple as visiting their webpage (here) and applying to partner with them. From there, you can target your desired customers and be provided with customer leads. There are no upfront costs involved, though LivingSocial does take a cut of the revenue involved with a deal. Their page offers more in-depth details about how the process works, but it’s simple without a doubt. And, according to them, 87% of LivingSocial users who redeem a restaurant voucher plan to return to the restaurant again, so it’s a nice way to bring in new business and, hopefully, get it to stay.

Check back later in the week for more musings from those of us in sales and marketing. Until then, contact Vanee Foods here.