Digital Marketing Evolution and Empowering Women in the Restaurant Industry with Erin Levzow

In this episode, host Eric interviews Erin Levzow, a versatile consultant with extensive experience in digital marketing for various industries, including technology, retail, and hospitality. They discuss the evolution of marketing from traditional to digital, the importance of data analytics, and effective strategies for managing both online and offline retail environments. Erin also shares insights into overcoming common marketing challenges like tech consolidation and maintaining brand identity. Additionally, Erin introduces her podcast, 'Bite Size and Bossy,' aimed at empowering women in the restaurant industry, emphasizing the need for women to actively seek opportunities and share their stories.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:13 Erin Levzow's Background and Experience

00:44 Modern Marketing Challenges and Strategies

01:48 Digital Transformation in Restaurants

02:13 Offline Retail Tactics and Data Utilization

03:43 Navigating Market Uncertainty

06:22 Engaging with Erin for Marketing Solutions

07:43 Promoting the 'Bite Size and Bossy' Podcast

10:24 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Jeremy Julian: 0:00

So Erin, how are you?

Erin Levzow: 0:01

I'm good. Thanks for having me.

Jeremy Julian: 0:02

So you're, you're, is it weird now that you're on the other side of the mic mic often doing the uh, I

Erin Levzow: 0:07

mean doing

Jeremy Julian: 0:07

the interview thing.

Erin Levzow: 0:08

I like asking the questions, but I mean, I'll talk anytime someone wants to talk to me.

Jeremy Julian: 0:12

Awesome. I love it. introduce yourself to our audience that, for those that don't know you. Oh, well, but they should,

Erin Levzow: 0:17

yeah, I don't, maybe someone doesn't know me, but Erin Levzow, a consultant, work on a lot of different things. I have consulted for technology companies, retail, restaurants, um, memory care, lots of kind of run the gamut, hospitality. And then prior to that, I've been in marketing digital for Wingstop, Freebirds Del Taco, uh, Jack in the back. Hotel, hospitality, gaming at casinos for 10 years. So just kind of run the gamut.

Jeremy Julian: 0:44

Awesome. So define for our audience, present day marketing because marketing has changed over the over time and kind of where do you see people struggling? Um, because really it's gonna go in long term to the conversation of kind of the uncertainty of where things are at in the space. So,

Erin Levzow: 0:58

I mean, it's a great question. So originally when I started in marketing. Peop I started on the digital side and people would be like, oh, CMOs all have a traditional background. They billboards, they understand brand identity, which is great, but I was understanding digital and how to actually drive revenue. And uh, it turns out that's actually the CMO of the future, right? It's all data analytics, understanding what you're doing and how it drives results. And someone told me the other day like, oh, it's still true. The 50% of our marketing works, 50% doesn't. We just don't know which part. And I said, that's not true. Actually. You can monetize that. You can see the analysis. So I think where we were before was we hit a little bit of a black hole. And now it's not to say we don't have dark spots, but it's definitely got more clear on how we can analyze everything.

Jeremy Julian: 1:48

Yeah. Well, and I think in, in restaurants particularly,'cause they're, they're offline retail. So online I think everybody's got that. Yeah. Everybody, you know, they look at the pizza brands or now, you know, wing stock. You talked about doing some digital work with Wingstop, like everything's going digital. I almost never go to Wingstop and go order at the counter. Well you don't, they make

Erin Levzow: 2:04

it fresh. So it's like eight to 14 minutes just to get your wings. Exactly. So you're like,

Jeremy Julian: 2:07

I have an order on my way. And they make it so easy. And so I think that a lot of restaurant brands envy that position. Yes. But for those that haven't gotten to that place where they're identifying the guests, gimme some tactics or some strategies that you've seen people make effective in an offline retail world.'cause it's a, so it's a struggle.

Erin Levzow: 2:23

Great question. Basic level. Look at your Google Analytics and look at who's coming to your website. Male, female age, demo, all of that will tell you that that's like your most basic level that you should be doing. But fast forward, you can do like. Cubic foot traffic study. So you can say like, I ran all this media who actually walked over this line? Right? Because turns out we all carry around a tracking device and it knows where we're at, at all times. And I asked at a conference one time, I said, everybody hold up their cell phone. I said, now pass it to the person. To your right. No one did. Why? Because this has everything in it. This is my baby. I'm not giving this up for anything. I carry it with me everywhere. And it's tracking me. And so you can work with companies that help you figure that out. So let's say you just viewed an ad, right? It used to be like, oh, well I can't see you if you just viewed it. No, I know what ad you viewed when you viewed it, and if you walked through my restaurant or drove through my restaurant, anything like that. So it's. Still possible versus what was able to happen before. Well,

Jeremy Julian: 3:21

and it's amazing to me when people are like, well, how did they know that I was, my phone is following like, you're like, we know

Erin Levzow: 3:27

everything. Like,

Jeremy Julian: 3:28

I'm like, do, do, do. Are people really that ignorant? I'm saying that not disrespectfully, but are you really that ignorant to not think that your phone and Google and Facebook and or Meta and, and all of these people are tracking what you're doing? And so there is attribution.

Erin Levzow: 3:42

Absolutely.

Jeremy Julian: 3:43

So for those that are maybe behind the eight ball or in a place where, you know, again, we're at RLC right now while we're recording this. A lot of the talks have been about the uncertainty of the, of the market. They're talking about traffic, challenges,

Erin Levzow: 3:55

tariffs,

Jeremy Julian: 3:55

all of it. Yeah, tariffs, all of it. Every, you know, consumer confidence is down for those. Like, what are some key things that you see a lot of brands missing as it relates to getting out in front of the consumer to bring in new guests or bring back repeat guests that you're like, Hey, if you are not doing the blocking and tackling, here's the top three things that you need to make sure that you do.

Erin Levzow: 4:13

Uh, tech consolidation. So as a big part of it, so everybody tells me like, oh, I don't have enough data. And I'm like, but do you or do you not? Like, do you have the insights? What, what are you really missing? And so a lot of times brands will come to me and say like, I want you to audit my tech stack, or I want you to audit. I, I think I have a social media issue and I'm like, no, you don't. I said, and I look at everything and I go, we actually need to consolidate this. You can't keep thinking you're gonna pull data from here, pull data from here, pull data from there, and whether it's deterministic or problem probabilistic data and then piece it together and go, I see the whole picture of the customer.'cause you don't. Mm-hmm. The more we see people come together and like build that full view of the customer and not just with like. A CDP where they go. I think I pumped it all in. And uh, the other thing I think people mistake is they go, oh, we have an API, oh, we have an integration. I'm like, what does that mean? And you start to layer into that, like what does that mean? Did you bandaid it? How is the data flowing? What is real time? Mm-hmm. Um, all of those things. I think the other thing is brand identity. So people when sales go down, they flee from their brand identity.

Jeremy Julian: 5:16

Yeah. Instead of doubling down on who they are and what made them

Erin Levzow: 5:19

correct, they immediately are like, you know what Groupon called? And I'm like, no.

Jeremy Julian: 5:22

Yeah, exactly.

Erin Levzow: 5:23

So like it's, or I'm a

Jeremy Julian: 5:24

pizza place and I need to now start selling some other product is like, stop.

Erin Levzow: 5:28

Oh, we used to have that where some of my franchisees would sell like cookies. I was like, we don't sell cookies. And they're like, I know, but I'm just trying to like, make up revenue. I was like, that's a dollar cookie. Like, what? What are you doing? Mm-hmm. So. It's who are you, what do you believe in, and how do you put that message out there and then, getting like culturally relevant, right? uh, I always joke that one of the brands I worked with had an icon, someone who, spoke highly of the brand that they paid to speak highly like an ambassador, and that person was. The franchisee demo, but not the customer demo. So like, who are you talking to? Who are you getting in bed with? And um, I think when you do all that, it all comes together. But understanding the data you have, the data you need. Mm-hmm. And then going out to, I mean, lookalike audience targeting is still a thing until cookies really go away. And then your brand identity and then understanding who's speaking about your brand.

Jeremy Julian: 6:21

Love that. Um, how would they engage with you to help their marketing team? Because one of the things that I continue to find is that marketers have, they, unfortunately, some of them come to the shows like this and they might learn a trick or two, but you're kind of in it, you're in the thick of it all day, every day. And so really, I don't wanna say accelerating what they can do.'cause oftentimes they get stuck in their rut. And they don't. And it is not a bad thing. It's what's worked. It's worked. Mm-hmm. But you know what, we're now in a place where uncertainty is happening. So if they wanted to engage with you so that you could throw some accelerant onto their marketing team to get them to that next level, what does that look like?

Erin Levzow: 6:53

so you can set up a smoke signal, whatever you want. Um, but uh, you can find me anywhere. Erin loves it at Gmail. Very easy to get in contact with me. But it could start anywhere from an audit to, let's really figure out the root cause of what's bringing you to me.'cause oftentimes it's kinda like if someone says like, how are you? Typically someone says, good.

Jeremy Julian: 7:13

Yeah,

Erin Levzow: 7:13

but are they like, is everyone really good? And so you have to ask, how are you like three times before you get to the, oh my God, your wife's leaving you and this is happening, and what's going on with your life? So you get to the root cause. And that's the same with marketing. When someone goes, I need this. And you go, okay, why? And you get excited with them and then you really feel out what, what is the root cause? So email me, talk to me social media. You can watch tiktoks of my daughter and I dancing, whatever you want, but I am happy to help whether it's project based, opinion based, whatever it might be.

Jeremy Julian: 7:42

Love that. And, uh, I guess plug your podcast.'cause I'd love for people to hear about the podcast. I know that's your little, your little side project that you guys have been working on. I know all the, all of your friends that are on your, your podcast, unfortunately I'm not in the right demographic as they say. Well, to be on the show, I mean, you're an ally, you're an ally. I'm an ally, absolutely.

Erin Levzow: 7:59

Bite size and bossy. So it's all about lifting women up in the restaurant space. Love it. And it started because there are lots of podcasts, right? You have podcast, a lot of people have podcasts and they're great. Sure. But I said, I've never been on a female hosted podcast, I don't think. And we were talking about it and Tammy Billings, Chrissy Ola, and myself, and I asked someone, I said, why uh, aren't there more? And they said, well, women just don't raise their hands as much, which. Drives me absolutely nuts because we complain that like we need a seat at the table, but then we're not willing to take the seat. So we have to like step up. I have one of those and women, if you're listening, you step up.

Jeremy Julian: 8:33

I have one of those, you know Allie? Yeah. I constantly continue to push her out front. I'm like, stop. Go talk. Get out

Erin Levzow: 8:38

there. So like no one's going to come and hand us something. And we're tea taught as an at a very early age that someone has to hand us the opportunity. No one's handing us the opportunity. You have to go take the opportunity or say, I'm ready. I'm in line. I want to be. And so we did that and. I, we didn't know how it would do. Right. Um, it's a podcast. It's unstructured. We talk about lots of different things, including like my hot flashes, right? We talk about everything and within two weeks we had PR companies saying, how do we get our execs on there? Within four weeks we had sponsorships rolling in, and I didn't. Know what we are doing. And I'm like, they said, send me your sponsorship deck. I said, oh, I need a sponsorship deck. Okay. Um, but what I did know is that our goal was to lift women up in the restaurant industry, whether through our male allies or with the women being able to sit at the table and tell their true, authentic story. And that's our goal. And people have flocked to it. In fact, I think. We might be the fastest growing podcast in the restaurant space, which has been really unbelievable and kind of a whirlwind. But, Chrissy, Tammy, myself, it's really about telling other people's stories and then of course sharing, uh, kid drama. So

Jeremy Julian: 9:45

I love that. And I, I am a subscriber. I get the privilege to listen it. Oh, thank you. And yeah. Uh, I remember when Tammy Tammy's been on the show a couple of times. Yeah. And so it's been fun to. Fun to, to watch her kinda kind of grow into that because she's like, how does this all work and stuff? No,

Erin Levzow: 9:57

we're lucky and we all have very, it's, I always liken it to like the view, you watch the view and everybody has a different opinion and Chrissy, Tammy and I are so vastly different but still have a love for one another that we can come to the table and we agree to disagree and that's what makes it interesting, right? If we all got on a podcast every week and went, oh yeah, we all agree on that, it wouldn't be exciting and interesting, but like we actually come with our authentic selves and that's. Who shows up and sometimes we are a shit show and sometimes we're put together. I

Jeremy Julian: 10:23

love that. Well, congratulations on the success of the show. I'm excited to see, uh, I'm excited to get this out to the world.'cause quite honestly, what you do professionally outside of the show, everybody's gonna be struggling with it, um, coming into the future. Yeah. And so I think it's a, a great opportunity for not only you to get your name out there, but to really help brand some The show really was created'cause the restaurant industry has helped me and my family to get to the place where we are. And so it's like, how do I help give back? To help people do that for, so, oh

Erin Levzow: 10:48

my God, thank you so much. I love that.

Jeremy Julian: 10:50

Awesome. Well thank you very much, Eric.

Erin Levzow: 10:51

Thank you.