Congratulations to two of our clients who were recently features on top podcasts in the restaurant/food industry. Michael Benson, CEO of Southern California Restaurant Design Group, was Yelp for Restaurants and discussed the formula for building a winning restaurant, and future trends in restaurant design. Take a listen here – https://restaurants.yelp.com/podcast/michael-benson-restaurant-design/ Javier Correa Jr., President of Sombrero Mexican Food, was featured on Restaurant …
marketing for restaurants, retail and lifestyle
COVID-19 Virtual Restaurant Workshop
Join Darlington Marketing along with Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath, California Restaurant Association leadership, and San Diego officials to disucuss the roadmap to reopening your restaurant. We’ll be discussing both the expected regulatory landscape as well as strategies to adjust and thrive during this unprecedented time. For more information and to RSVP, click here.
Heating Up Your Winter Business
Are you experiencing a winter business slump? When the holiday season ends, customers seem to quickly trade hot chocolate for green juice and stretchy pants for workout leggings. They adjust back into work, school, better spending habits, and tidying up the home. Whether you experience a winter with below freezing temperatures or a San Diego winter with 75 degree sunny days, many people …
California Small Business Day™ 2019 Honoree
On Wednesday, June 19th, Darlington Marketing was honored by Assembly member, Tasha Boerner Horvath, at California Small Business Day™ as Small Business of the Year in District 76. Darlington Marketing was celebrated for their hard work and dedication to the community. Left: Cyndi Darlington, founder of Darlington Marketing Right: California District 76 Assembly member, Tasha Boerner Horvath Based in Encinitas, Darlington Marketing specializes …
6 Takeaways from Social Media Day 2019
Over the summer we attended Social Media Day San Diego. This annual event features experts, speakers and the latest innovations in the world of social media marketing. Here are 6 key takeaways from Social Media Day San Diego 2019. 1. User Generated Content Outperforms Brand Content User generated content (UGC) is the result of well-made products and great experiences. It’s what customers can’t …
Marketing Tips for Prime Day 2019
Starting Monday, it’s Christmas in July. Okay, not quite; but it sure feels like it for Amazon and anyone who is an Amazon Prime member. Starting July 15th and lasting a full 48 hours for the first time ever, Prime Day is about to sweep the globe once again. As Prime members purchased over 100 million items last year during Prime Day, we …
Top North County San Diego Restaurants – Featured in Locale Magazine
Our President was recently featured in Locale Magazine as a local expert! Check out Cyndi’s favorite North County San Diego restaurants, including Amici’s Ristobar, Lazy Acres Market and the always fabulous Dija Mara! Pick up the June issue and flip to page 28 – or click here to read. Happy eating!
Restaurant/ Social Media Trends for 2019
2018 is soon coming to an end, which means it is time to think about what trends will be taking over the restaurant industry in 2019! In 2018 it was all about being fast, convenient and affordable. 2019 predicts some new dining trends – 1. Farm-to-table and then some- This trend has been at the forefront for some time, but 2019 predicts …
How to Maximize Your Brand For The Holidays
The holidays are upon us, so break out the mistletoe, let’s talk turkey, celebrate with champagne and start branding! What is seasonal branding? Seasonal branding is a key to making a company successful during this busy time. It is the extension of general branding – anything from logos to graphics, to social and in store promotions. Here are a few simple suggestions of …
Come Join Our Team!
Looking for part time marketing work? We would love to consider you as part of our team. The job description is below. Please apply by sending a resume as well as cover letter to info@darlingtonco.com with a subject line of Marketing Coordinator Position. Position – Marketing Coordinator Location: Carlsbad Schedule: Flexible Commitment: 15-20 hours per week We are a leading San …
Come intern for us!
We are hiring a Marketing Intern! Learn a lot, earn class credits AND get paid! Location: Carlsbad Schedule: Flexible Commitment: 10-15 hours per week Darlington Marketing is a leading San Diego marketing firm providing strategic marketing and branding for restaurants and other lifestyle brands. We specialize in supporting emerging businesses. Core competencies include strategic planning, managing creative needs, media planning, local store marketing, social media, website …
How to Capture an Audience’s Attention in the Summer
Summer is always a tough time to get a customer’s attention. So many distractions! So much sunshine and vacation time! What’s a small business to do? Close doors and head to the beach? Of course not! There are various ways to use marketing to attract an audience mid-summer. Patio seating. Live music. Air conditioning. But everyone does that. The key to truly capturing …
Are You A Super Star Admin. Assistant?
Looking for part time admin. work? We would love to consider you as part of our team. The job description is below. Please apply by sending a resume with a brief cover letter to info@darlingtonco.com with a subject line of Administrative Assistant Position. Administrative Assistant Location: Carlsbad Schedule: Flexible Commitment: 10-20 hours per week Darlington Marketing is a leading San Diego …
3 Ted Talks To Keep You Motivated This Year
With the new year comes a great opportunity to start off with a refreshed and inspired mindset. Whether you are a marketer, starting up a new business, or just trying to figure out the next steps of your career, we can all use a little motivation every now and then. Here are three must-watch Ted Talks to keep your year going strong. …
We are hiring!
Looking for part time marketing work? We would love to consider you as part of our team. The job description is below. Please apply by sending a resume as well as cover letter to info@darlingtonco.com with a subject line of Marketing Coordinator Position. Position – Marketing Coordinator Location: Carlsbad Schedule: Flexible Commitment: 15-20 hours per week Darlington Marketing is a …
Find Yourself with Google’s Most Popular Searches
What are Google’s most popular “how to” searches? Last year’s have just been released, in a fascinating new site from Google News Lab. It’s no surprise – people still don’t know how to tie a tie. Or boil an egg. And the age-old dilemma of how to kiss is still top of mind for many. Still, as silly as these Google searches seem, …
Darlington Marketing + City of Encinitas = Small Business 102
We’re excited to partner with the City of Encinitas to present this Small Business 102 seminar next week. We’ll be joined by our friends at Lighthouse Digital to talk about all of the latest digital media trends; Sara Wacker discussing PR for your business and Stefanie Mullen who will simplify the world of social media. Hope to see you at this great FREE event!
Top Four Marketing Planning Tools for 2017
With 2017 right around the corner, now is the time to start planning. There are so many marketing tools out there, which are the best for your business needs? Here are a few great tools to consider in 2017 to make your marketing program more productive and effective. Best of all, they’re all extremely affordable or even better, FREE! Getting Started: …
What are Instagram Business Profiles & How Can Brands Use Them?
The next big thing for marketing on Instagram is the option to switch brand pages to Business Profile pages. Instagram provides many benefits for doing this to both brands and consumers Contact Button – allows your followers and viewers to easily reach you directly through Instagram. You can provide a phone number, email, or location here. Type of Business – now your followers can …
The Power of the Snapchat Geofilter and Lens
What’s that cute puppy filter you keep seeing on everyone’s social media? It’s a lens that only appears on Snapchat. Geofilters and lenses are being used to explain and provide more for storytelling. With geofilters and lenses, Snapchatters can make a boring story entertaining with a simple filter that reflects how they’re feeling or where they are. Geofilters and lenses are becoming so big, …
Three Ways for Small Business to use Pokemon Go
Looking for fast, cheap and easy ways to use Pokemon Go for your small business? Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past week, you’ve heard and seen a ton about Pokemon Go. From groups of kids out on the street with their phones, to horror stories about people walking off cliffs in search of Pokemon, to fantastic tales of businesses being overrun …
These two major changes will make social media way easier
As I photographed the glass of wine on the balcony overlooking the ocean, I knew it would be a spectacular Instagram post. I proudly clicked the camera icon and voila – it was up with the appropriate #happyhour and #woohoo hashtags. Imagine my horror when, five minutes later as I checked for likes, I realized I had posted it on the account of my …
Talking football on Women Lead radio
Cyndi was recently asked to be a guest on Women Lead Radio, a media outlet for the Connected Women of Influence association, discussing football for women. What, you may ask, could this possibly have to do with business and marketing? As you may know, Cyndi’s hobby (and some would say obsession!) is writing about football from a women’s perspective at Hail Mary Blog, and she is …
Small Business Social Media Workshop
Join us for a workshop focusing on Small Business Social Media. We’re partnering with our friends at Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Association to cover the anatomy of a great Instagram post, how to create Facebook ads that target your local audience, and much more! We’ll cover which channels work for your business, how to attract and engage followers, and converting clicks to sales. Lastly, we’ll …
Help, I Can’t Find My Business On Google! 6 DIY Tips To Improve SEO
Google continues its reign as king of search and SEO continues to be a buzzword for small and large businesses alike. We recently read a few great pieces outlining some recent changes in Google’s algorithms and how they affect search rankings. What are the changes? Google Search is now showing only the TOP THREE local listings, making it even more important to rank highly …
8 things NEVER to put in an email subject line
These days it can be hard to get people to open and read your e-mails since people’s inboxes are quite simply overrun. And unfortunately, there’s no magic bullet to assure that your communication will reach its intended recipient, but crafting an effective e-mail subject line is an important first step to getting your message both through spam filters, and read by the end user. …
Free Small Business Marketing Workshop
Cyndi will be leading a monthly Small Business Marketing workshop with the San Diego SBA. Please join us the second Tuesday of the month for this free, hands-on and interactive workshop. They workshops do fill up quickly, so RSVP early through the SBDC Business Center at www.sandiegosmallbiz.com.
Case Study – 8 Tips To Throwing a Fab Fundraiser!
Everyone likes a party and with the dog days of summer upon us, what could be better than drinking a cold beer by the beach with your dog? How about doing it while raising money for a great cause?! We recently did just that, helping our client, Sydnee’s Pet Grooming, plan and implement a successful fundraising event that benefited Second Chance Dog Rescue. Here …
Is Instagram the new Facebook?
With more than 300 million active users, Instagram, our favorite photo-sharing social media platform is getting ready to follow in its parent company’s (Facebook) footsteps, which is scary for users and exciting for advertisers. Look for upcoming changes in three key areas: Advertising – Instagram ads will be available through a new Instagram ad manager as well as through Facebook’s interface later this summer. …
Creating Mind Blowing Collateral On A Shoestring
They say the devil is in the details. Collateral materials are often an afterthought for a small business owner with time and budget constraints, but as a company, you are only as good as the materials you present. How many times have you seen a smart business owner send the completely wrong impression with materials that lack not only style, but the basics of …
Making a “Taste of” Pay Off
These days, it seems every town, organization and afficiando group is holding a Taste Of. Whether it be a progressive event held in your trade area, or a larger celebration held at an event venue, there are many ways to maximize the benefit of Taste Ofs. After all, you’re spending money on food and staff time, often coupled wiht an entry fee. So assure …