Great Restaurant Marketing Expectations
You should avoid promising in your marketing materials what your operation can’t deliver consistently. It’s impossible to build repeat business if you’re in the habit of building up customers’ expectations only to pull the rug out from under those expectations once you get the customers in the door.
It’s critical to understand the difference between external and internal marketing. What you do externally to attract customers — from newspaper ads to radio spots to email campaigns— isn’t nearly as important as what you do internally to get them to come back. Before you waste money on external marketing schemes, you should invest an equal, if not greater, amount on solidifying your internal marketing, whose principal components are the quality customer service your staff provides and the marketing message you communicate to customers while they’re right there with you.
Your success rides on your staff’s ability to exceed the “Great Expectations” of guests entering your operation. You can start by delivering — over-delivering, in fact — on the promises made in your marketing materials.
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Restaurant Marketing with the One-two Punch
The mistake many business people make is to view a particular promotion as an end in itself. Effective marketing, however, isn’t a one-shot deal. Your goal should be not only to attract new customers, but also to encourage them to make purchases, enjoy the service or “experience” your staff provides and come back another day – with their friends.
Think of a one-two combination of punches in boxing when developing your marketing strategies. Don’t be satisfied with just getting people in the door. You have to sell them something while they’re there – and do it in a way that enhances their experience.
Add-on sales and upselling are key components of generating “One-Two Traffic.” In a restaurant environment, it’s important to train front-of-the-house employees, especially greeters, servers and bartenders, to suggest appetizers to go along with beverage orders, upgrade cocktail orders to include premium spirits, and recommend extras that complement entrées. Remember: If customers don’t know the special deals you offer, they can’t participate.
To train your staff to make the most out of the customers your marketing efforts attract, check out the Service That Sells! “Real World Selling” DVD series. Click here for more information, and view a clip below!
Restaurant Marketing Ideas for May
The weather is getting warmer, it’s time to heat up your sales! It may surprise you how many national observances are in May. And while many of us don’t “celebrate” them, they can be effective tie-ins for creative summer promotions. Here are some ideas to try in your operation:
National Hamburger Month – The entire month of May is dedicated to the burger. While it’s sponsored by White Castle, the hamburger began in Hamburg, Germany, and the holiday is considered an official “celebratory” month for everyone. Increase your burger sales this month and bump up lunch traffic with hamburger specials. Create different specialty hamburgers each week and post hamburger trivia for customer contests. Put all winner’s names into a bowl and draw the grand prize winner at the end of the month. The prize? Burgers for everyone, of course!
National Salad Month – If burgers aren’t your operation’s thing, May is also National Salad Month. Use the same strategies (create specialty salads, schedule different weekly specials) to make the most of this summer promotion.
International Pickle Week – May 15 through May 25 is International Pickle Week (even though it’s a ten-day time period!). Deep fry pickles and serve them as appetizers, offer unusual pickles with your deli sandwiches or stick pickles on a stick and promote them at the bar (“Beer and pickles?! “ Why not!).
National Strawberry Month – If you’re a family-service restaurant, this holiday is perfect for promoting summer desserts, fruit plates and breakfast and lunch sides. Offer special prices on homemade strawberry dishes and check into local “pick your own” strawberry patches. They may be willing to trade services with you, allowing you to promote “fresh-picked, local strawberries” while you provide your smallest customers with gift certificates to “pick your own quart.”
National Barbeque Month – While many people view this observation as an opportunity to fire up the grill, you can create barbeque promotions for your guests. Or, if you’d like to perk up carry-out and catering orders, offer sides that compliment barbeques. Then market it as, “You fire up the grill; we’ll serve up the sides!”
Mother’s Day Marketing: Violets Are Blue
Mother’s Day can be a prime marketing opportunity for family-oriented establishments. Here’s a great promotion you can implement with another business, preferably a local florist.
Invite families to take mom out for lunch or dinner at your establishment, where she will receive a free African Violet. It sounds a bit extravagant, but there are two levels to this promotion.
First, for short-term results, present a bounce-back coupon to all visitors on Mother’s Day, encouraging a second visit within no more than a month. Second, for long-term results, the violets will have a ribbon with both your name and the florist’s name. This plant is easy to care for and every time she waters it she will be reminded of your restaurant and the florist.
It’s best to look for a florist to partner with at least a few weeks before the big day. Other tasks for this promotion can be done ahead of time so you’re not swamped in the days before the event. Use the weeks prior to the event to prepare the ribbons, online and newspaper ads, email campaign and bounce-back coupons. The week before Mother’s Day, train your crew on the promotion, run the online and/or newspaper ad, and send out an email blast promoting the event.
Need help designing and executing your restaurant marketing plan? Whether you need a complete overhaul of your marketing processes or you’re just looking for some fresh ideas, Slam Dunk Marketing: From Rim Shots to Results has the expert ideas you’re looking for.
An Inside Job: How to Build Repeat Business
It stands to reason that your marketing strategies should include your front-line people. That doesn’t mean you should have employees dress up in chicken costumes and wave people in from the street corner out front. It does mean you should have them join you in the effort to build traffic. How do you get started? Call a staff meeting and ask what each person can do to generate new and repeat business. For example:
Acquiring new customers: Establish an incentive for employees to encourage friends and family to come in for cocktails or to dine at your restaurant. For each party brought in, the person responsible gets to put his or her name in a drawing for a prize at the end of the month.
Increasing the frequency of customer visits: How does your staff get guests who come in once a month to come in twice a month? Invite them. Sounds simple, but it’s an often-overlooked form of hospitality. Insist that hosts and hostesses thank every departing guest ¬— by name if possible — and always invite them back: “Come see us again, Mr. and Mrs. Miller!”
Greeting first-time customer to come back: Give your staff the power to pamper first-timers. A pitcher of beer or a complimentary appetizer might be in order. Or samples of house specialties. Or at least a thoughtful overview of the menu and wine list. Take care of your new guests and repeat business will take care of itself.
Involving your staff in the marketing process will promote ownership not only in the ideas generated, but also in the well-being of your bar or restaurant. Be sincere in your approach and odds are your employees will be sincere in theirs.
Excerpted from Pour It On: 52 Ways to Maximize Your Bar Profits. Click here to read more.