Raul Hernandez speaks with Douglas Smith, the COO of America's Best Restaurants who advises businesses to make long-term marketing commitments for substantial results over time. He suggests popular restaurant marketing offers like free appetizers or desserts meant to encourage repeat customer visits. Doug emphasizes follow-up after the first visit and staying present in the customer's mind. He is inspired by independent restaurants' growth and encourages them to harness social media to attract more customers. Who’s The Guest? Douglas Smith has 30 years of marketing experience in radio and the last 4 years at America's Best Restaurants. He’s also a former high school and college sports play-by-play broadcaster in Texas. Doug’s been married for 27 years and the father of two great kids, Kyle who is 25 and Kaitlyn who is 19.   Episode Highlights How businesses learn to make improvements during the pandemic Challenges these businesses face during COVID-19 and how they sustain it Importance of having streamlined systems in place to handle unpredictable situations in the business world How big companies like Microsoft and Apple grew amid economic downturns The significance of community branding in businesses and personal connections with customers The importance of using digital devices for business promotion given their wide reach and cost-effectiveness Example of a successful Mother's Day marketing strategy employing more social interaction over traditional promotions Mindsets that business owners must have to transform their ventures into more sales and a better experience for their team Tactics to create a habit of repeat visits for the customers Episode Resources Connect with Raul Hernandez Ochoa https://www.linkedin.com/in/dogoodwork/ https://twitter.com/rherochoa https://dogoodwork.io/ Connect with Douglas Smith https://americasbestrestaurants.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsmithcincy/  Review, Subscribe and Share If you like what you hear please leave a review by clicking here