WEDNESDAY / MARCH 30, 2016 / 1:00 PM
Teaching Your Franchisees the Importance of Digital Branding and Social Media
Marketers have been touting the benefits of digital marketing for years, but motivating franchisees to carve out time to learn the ropes can be difficult. This panel will show you a few tricks to share with your franchisees that will inspire them to become digitally savvy.
PANELISTS
Christine Ferris | Director of Public Relations and Social Media | Smashburger
Christine Ferris is a restaurant enthusiast who currently serves as Director of Public Relations and Social Media for Smashburger, one of the fastest growing fast-casual restaurant brands in the country. Christine manages all public relations and social media for the brand, where she leads in the development of campaigns and media relations activities to drive brand awareness and guide storytelling amongst media and consumers. Prior to leading the PR efforts for the brand, Christine was responsible for leading digital marketing efforts where she launched a new company website and developed strategies within email marketing to grow a robust database and drive in-store traffic and sales.
Jeff Jackson | Co-Founder & President | Billy Sims BBQ
Jeff Jackson is a longtime entrepreneur and is the co-founder & president of Billy Sims BBQ, the restaurant he created with his friend and NFL star Billy Sims. As co-founder of the restaurant, Jackson is responsible for growing the business and acquiring franchisees around the country.
Jackson started his first business venture as the owner of a sports card store in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he first met Billy Sims. The two later went on to create Billy Sims BBQ and now have close to 50 restaurants in the U.S.
Stacey Kane | Chief Marketing Officer | East Coast Wings & Grill
Stacey has more than 20 years of experience working with multi-unit restaurant chains. She joined East Coast Wings & Grill, a 35 unit brand in early 2015 as the VP of marketing. In 2007, Stacey started at California Tortilla, where she was known for her incredible creativity as the VP of marketing. Stacey also spent 11 years as a top-level media buyer for Subway restaurants. She has also serves on several boards, including the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executives Group Board. In 2012 and 2013, Stacey was named as a Top 20 Movers and Shakers by Fast Casual Magazine.
MODERATOR
Matt Silk | Head of Strategy | Waterfall
As Head of Strategy at Waterfall, Matt drives innovative mobile marketing programs for restaurants serving to increase consumer engagement, generate revenue and expand the brand’s footprint. These marketing programs integrate traditional marketing channels with the new and emerging technologies of today. Prior to Waterfall, Matt held senior positions with E*TRADE Financial including Director of Retail Product Management, where he was responsible for web brokerage and core user experience. He began his career at the Wharton Small Business Development Center, where he managed a portfolio of clients and provided one-on-one management consulting to entrepreneurs in the Philadelphia region. Matt received a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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