How to Generate More Restaurant Business FAST – Part 4
By David Scott Peters
As I explained in Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of this series of restaurant marketing ideas, you can’t wait for your customers to find you. You have to go to them. This next idea, Part 4 in the series, covers a traditional public relations idea of working with your local media. As an independent restaurant owner, you have to flex your local muscle and become friends with the local media. It will reap rewards for your business as they think of you the next time they need to do a free live remote, or have an opening for a guest, or need their holiday luncheon catered. You never know where the business will come from, but it usually starts with relationships. Read to find out more.
Freebies
Objective:
- Create awareness
- Implement trial
- Increase participation
Basic Idea: Work with local radio stations to give away catered office parties on air once every two weeks on a Friday in order to promote store’s catering abilities. Make sure the demographics of the radio station you choose align with your target customer.
Discuss the opportunity with the promotional director of the radio station. If desired, the number of office party freebies could tie-in with such things as the radio station’s call letters, the 12 days of Christmas, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day and more. The products could also be considered part of a “trade” for additional advertising for the business.
How to Implement: Approach radio stations with the office giveaway concept and offer to execute it during ratings periods which occur several times during the year. Consider your food costs when working with radio stations on office giveaways.
Other Considerations: Provide the morning and late-night DJs of local radio stations with drinks and baked goods and to the lunch time DJs, supply free deli sandwiches, pizza, etc., on a sporadic or regular basis depending upon the costs per DJ.
Whether you implement these ideas yourself, or hire a public relations agency to do it for you, I hope the ideas I have shared with you get you started on your guerilla marketing adventures.
Just remember, have your restaurant in order first, then GET OUT! You’ll be amazed at the kind of immediate response you can generate by getting out from inside your four walls.
David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert, coach, trainer and speaker, specializing in systems for independent restaurant owners. He is the nationally acclaimed restaurant coach whose unique “SMART Systems” approach to boosting profits has earned him the title of, “The man who can walk into any restaurant in America and find $10,000 in undiscovered cash before he hits the back door – Guaranteed!” Visit www.TheRestaurantExpert.com for more. Learn more tips, tricks and secrets in David’s free five-part e-course, “How to Explode Your Restaurant Profits NOW!” Simply sign up to receive the e-course at TheRestaurantExpert.com.
