ID3AS Blog
ID3AS in Action: Cottage Cafe
Their Story
The Cottage Cafe was a dream come true for owners Brent Poffenberger and Tom Neville, who had a goal of opening their own beach restaurant. The restaurant and pub opened for business in 1993 with a convenient location in Bethany Beach, DE, for vacationers and locals alike to enjoy.
The homey beach atmosphere and dedicated staff provide high-quality service along with their food. They’ve built a loyal customer base and an ideal spot for a vacation meal. D3 has been working with Cottage Cafe since 2008 to help create and maintain a website that accurately represents their restaurant. From there, our relationship has grown along with the popularity of Cottage Cafe.
Our Journey
Through the 90s and early 2000s, it was becoming more and more evident that a website was crucial for business success. Cottage Cafe was an early D3 client starting with the design and hosting of a business website. Eventually, websites become outdated and need a redesign for improved functionality. The redesigned Cottage Cafe website went live this summer, which is much more user-friendly, attractive, modern, and informative. Now potential guests can experience “love at first sight” while browsing the website, right before experiencing “love at first bite” at the restaurant!
Email marketing strategies for Cottage Cafe began in 2009 to highlight specials and discounted menu items for their growing customer base. D3 continues to manage and maintain the email newsletter list and provide updated templates to match the site’s redesign. Cottage Cafe sends off-season specials and emails around the holidays for promotions and upcoming events.
D3’s newest service, called Leadz, has been helping Cottage Cafe with lead generation and keeping its email database full of interested potential customers. When users visit the Cottage Cafe website, information from their public online profile is added to a CRM, and from there, Cottage Cafe can nurture the lead. This can be done in a multitude of ways, like email marketing, targeted ads, direct mail, and more.
Cottage Cafe also works with D3 to utilize geofencing ads. Geofencing advertising is location-based marketing that lets you reach smartphone users in specific geographic areas. Cottage Cafe targets the immediate Bethany Beach area for potential visitors in town. Once the boundaries of the geographic area are determined, we geofence specific hotels, condominiums, and communities within it. Then, D3 measures the number of people that see the ads and visit the restaurant, providing accurate performance data. When a customer eventually comes to the restaurant, they are then retargeted to remind them to come back soon . . . because one visit just isn’t enough!
Find creative ways to reach your customers. Contact D3 today!