How To Differentiate A Small Business In An Overcrowded Digital World?
Ironically enough, in the era of digital, it is so easy to get lost. Thanks to GPS I always know where I am geographically. But when I look for something online I get lost in the thousands of search results and sites with recommendations but I still do not find what I’m looking for… Sounds familiar?
I was just visiting Paris and experienced it to the full. Finding a simple atmospheric cafe with tasty local food and merciful prices in Montmartre became a real challenge. The top of the search showed places with excellent SEO optimization. When I went to see them I ended up in tourist traps with a mediocre burger and chips for a hefty price and I-don’t-expect-to-see-you-again attitude.
The next day I tried to follow travel articles with lists of options. I looked at their websites, passed by a few, looked at the menu, felt the ambiance, and realized that recommendations of individual travel writers often reflect their own individual preferences. Or the cafe is simply not there anymore.
It was the time for my own personal search “in the field” as they say. So I went into the little streets, followed the intuition, and eventually stumbled upon a creperie with a distinctive look and many happy customers inside — “Little Bretonne”. It looked inviting, clean, and small but not squeezed.
What is special about it
The Little Bretonne has a very simple offer: buckwheat savory crepes as a main meal and wheat sweet crepes as a dessert. It makes it easy for customers to know what to ask, what to come back for, and how to recommend it to their friends. A unified offer is also an advantage for the owners. For them, it is easier to run the kitchen and keep everything fresh.
The prices varied from 5 to 15 EUR per meal. In the Montmartre, it is a very strong competition to nearby restaurants where you need to pay over 30 EUR pp to get full. Since it is a block away from the tourists’ traps, Little Brettone is visited by many locals or returning customers which is a signal for tourists, like myself, that I can trust their quality.
So how come with all the websites, articles, and recommendations — online I still cannot find the place that is actually worthy? Maybe it gets lost in the digital sea of suggestions. Maybe it is not digitally strong enough to compete with well-optimized but low-quality competitors. Maybe there are nightly nine other reasons but the questions remain:
What can a simple nice place do to get noticed? How do tourists looking for local specialty find them? How can those two meet?
