I read earlier this week with great joy, that a company called MyQBuster is set make stressful nights out in busy British hostelries a thing of the past.

The technology is mobile-based and very easy to use. You simply text your drinks order to the bar from where ever you’re sitting, a pin code authorises payment from you pre-registered mobile phone, and for a 10% tip, the drinks are swiftly delivered to your table.

Sound good? I’d like to take it a few steps further…

Getting off the tube at Piccadilly to meet some friends in Soho:

• I want to search for a pub or a bar within a ½ mile distance using GPS so my device knows where I am.
• Because the service I am using is connected to the EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) or cash registers of bars in the area, I can further refine my search to a bar that’s not too busy because the system can tell that at that moment there’s not much business going through the register. 
• I’d like the place to be a little upmarket, taken from average price of drinks served at bars/pubs participating in the initiative.
• I’d like there to be a 70/30 female/male split, again assessed from the types of drinks being served.
• I want to be offered an incentive to go into any of the shortlisted bars or pubs. 1st round free!?
• And I’d like to have a table ready for me and my friends, after our devices lead us there with directions spoken through stereo speakers, in the voice of Austin Powers.

We can then order drinks through our phones, leaving less time waiting at the bar, and more time to flip open our laptops and talk to each other via Facebook!

Some good ideas? Or are they totally legless?

Top line takeaways from the report on UK SMBs in the online space:

SMBs are saving Search Marketing for a “rainy day”:

 - 34% are planning to use it “in the future”
 - 20% have never “got round to it”

Many are resistant to trying out Search Marketing:

 - 92% of SMBs have not even tried to set up a campaign, even though 78% are aware of the online tools available to them

Of those who have investigated it:

 - 44% thought it was too time consuming
 - 33% though it was too complicated
 - 56% though it was too expensive

Nigel, Trade Marketing Manager for adCenter in the London says:

“UK SMBs are missing a trick by not investing in search marketing campaigns.  The misconceptions that exist in the industry, search marketing is holding back potential SMB revenue.  This is surprising, considering the majority of people questioned use search engines and yet they are not investing in search marketing to grow their own business. 

In today’s world, just having a website is not enough – you have to drive traffic to your site to ensure you are front of mind with your potential customers.  Search marketing is one of the most cost effective ways to achieve this.”

What an opportunity?!*£$

Check out the full report here: Search Marketing for Small Businesses

Check out the adCenter Blog for more on this SMB Research

I just secured mel.carson (at) live.co.uk by signing up to the new domains at the Windows Live Overview Page

Hurry while stocks last!

…I’m going to do it all again next week!

Quite a few of us Microsoftees will be speaking at Search Marketing Expo - Danny Sullivan and Chris Sherman’s inaugural London conference under the SMX brand.

The conference, taking place on 15th & 16th November at The Hilton Metropole in London, is aimed at:

 - Advertising Budget Holders
 - In-house search marketers
 - Brand managers
 - Paid search advertising planners and buyers
 - Organic search optimization specialists
 - Web technology experts

We’ll be covering a number of sessions on:

What’s new with search advertising? – Me

Creating search ads that convert – Colm Bracken – Lead Search Media Analyst

Search ad testing & tactics – Max Whiteford – Editorial Policy Analyst

Dealing with the penalty box – Nathan Buggia – Product Manager Live Search

If you’re thinking of coming Register Here using the promotional code SPSMX07 to get 10% off the entry fee!