Posters and bulletin boards are no longer in focus as Court Street’s businesses and their consumers are going online to stay connected.
Several uptown restaurants and bars in Athens, including GoodFella’s Pizza, 6 W. Union St., are using Facebook and Twitter to reach out and inform loyal followers.
“I find that (Twitter) is a very useful free tool,” said Rachael Ritchie, owner of GoodFella’s Pizza. “I use a lot of pictures (because) people like to see what the pizza looks like.”
The pizzeria has garnered more than 4,000 Twitter followers by simply tweeting out the slice of the day, representing the highest amount of participants compared to other uptown establishments.
Continuing the trend, Troy Gregorino, booking agent for Donkey Coffee and Espresso, 17 ½ W. Washington St., said social media tends mainly to entice loyal customers rather than new clientele.
“I get the sense that a lot of people who are regulars probably come across (our specials) on Facebook or Twitter,” Gregorino said. “(Those posts) can particularly peak their interest and on any given day that might have been the thing that gets them interested enough to stop in the shop and pick up something new.”
However, Josh Thomas, owner of Brenen’s Coffee Cafe, 38 S. Court St., said that Twitter can, in fact, attract new customers by retweeting.
“What we do is we tweet out something that’s funny … and if someone likes it and laughs and chuckles at it, they’ll retweet it,” Thomas said. “You may retweet it to your friends, 100 of which have never even been to Brenen’s, and usually what happens is … you get more followers.”
The coffee house also utilizes other media options, Thomas said.
Brenen’s has created a smartphone application available on Google Play and the App Store, sending push notifications out to users. The app is used like a punch card, allowing customers to scan a Quick Response Code when purchasing a drink or sandwich.
After customers build up enough credit, they will be awarded a free item with their next purchase.
Matt Spolar, creative strategist for Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery, 24 W. Union St., said the pub uses Instagram to connect with customers not only in Athens but also with “Beer Geeks.”
“These beer geeks, like myself, are also somewhat tech geeks so they are on social media,” Spolar said. “We’ve had a lot of return on our Instagram account. People are sharing photos and adding us so we get to see where our beer is ending up.”
Spolar said they also use social media to check out any hype surrounding an upcoming event.
Spolar said the temporary relocation of the pub’s Celtic Night to the brewery has generated positive feedback. The bar was made aware of that after a fan tagged Jackie O’s Instagram account, complimenting the newfound personal entertainment.
“At the end of the day, we can put as many posters as we want around this town, but I guess I’m just an advocate of the digital age,” said Jackie O’s Press Manager John Hicks. “(Social media has) been a spectacular inexpensive tool.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
