Local restaurant owner, Scott Wise was featured on the cover of a recent issue of the IBJ.  The article detailed Scott’s unique approach to the business; his successes and failures.   Through it all, Scott stayed true to his vision, following his gut instinct in direct opposition to advice and opinions of others.

The result?  Scotty’s Brewhouse is a popular destination for students, families and singles in Muncie, Bloomington, and right here in Indy.

One of the things Scott does extremely well is leverage social media, particularly Twitter:  From the article:

“[Wise’s achievements include] effective use of technology—from weekly e-mail blasts to near-constant Twitter chatter—to promote his restaurants and connect with customers.”

I met Scott about six months ago, and have followed his activites on Twitter since.  I think he has found the perfect balance between Scott Wise the person and Scotty’s Brewhouse the business.  ‘He is just as likely to post a comment reacting to something someone said as he is to be promoting his restaurant. The result, is that customers who follow Wise on Twitter feel like they know him.

What if your business doesn’t have a “personality” behind the brand?  Can you still use social media to reach new customers.  I think the answer is a resounding yes, as you can see in this article from  Inc Magazine.  National chain Tasti D-Lite, built initially by strong celebrity endorsements, now focuses on encouraging all their customers to talk about them, and Twitter is the perfect venue to expand that conversation.

The lesson?  Whether you are a national or local chain, Twitter should be an integral part of your marketing plan.

And if you want to keep up with Scotty, you can follow him @brewhouse on Twitter. If you stop by the resturant, be sure to have the Fried Pickles and tweet about it when you are done!