10 Magic Marketing Tips for Restaurants by Michael Hartzell - HTML preview

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10 Magic Marketing Tips

www.michaelhartzell.com

10 Magic Marketing Tips

www.michaelhartzell.com

WARNING: This eBook is for your personal use only.

You may NOT Give Away, Share Or Resell This

Intellectual Property In Any Way

may not distribute this report in any way. You may not sell it, or reprint any part of

it without written consent from the author, except for the inclusion of brief

quotations in a review.

Disclaimer

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical. Any unauthorized use, sharing, reproduction, or distribution is strictly prohibited.

Legal Notice

While attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibilities for errors, omissions, or contradictory information contained in this book. Michael Hartzell: This book is not intended as legal, investment, or accounting advice. The purchaser or reader of this book assumes all responsibility for the use of these materials and information. Michael Hartzell nor Better by Ten Productions assumes no responsibility or liability whatsoever on behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials.

After reading this short eBook, you may not be an expert but you will have insights about the

new technology and a few more options to consider for marketing campaigns. This is meant

to be more than just ideas. The purpose is to give you tools & resources to create an action

plan which includes the 5 W’s. (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How & How Many)

10 Magic Marketing Tips

www.michaelhartzell.com

Table of Contents:

Magic Marketing ……………..

page 4

The Invitation ……………….

page 5

Tip #1 – Free Live Video ……..

page 8

Tip #2 – Auto VIP Voice Coupon ….

page 9

Tip #3 – “Photo-Op” Fundraiser …..

page 11

Tip #4 – Free Guerrilla Calls ………

page 13

Tip #5 – Free Press Tips ………..

page 15

Tip #6 – Free Invitations: eVite ……

page 16

Tip #7 – Free Invitations: Internet ...

page 17

Tip #8 – Have a mentor ……………

page 19

Tip #9 – Ambassadorship …………

page 20

Tip #10 – Personalized Cartoons ….

page 22

Conclusion ………………………

page 24

10 Magic Marketing Tips

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Magic Marketing?

Can we take just a moment to talk about this term “Magic Marketing”?

Based on some definitions, “Magic” can seem to be something that mystifies, confounds and defies explanation.

To this end, we will review 10 Marketing Tips for Restaurants that defies the typical trends. None of which are “traditional” since I know you are probably interested in something new. Hopefully you will have the same success that will seem “magical” as others have.

Jim Rohn says it best: “Success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”

In many cases, marketing campaigns which have an amazing impact are connected with ordinary things.

After all, food service is a simple necessity each of us takes part in several times a day. People eat to sustain their lives. Customers choose where to eat because of what they believe. What do customers believe about your restaurant? Poor reputation and poor customer perceptions require more than

“marketing”.

If you are in the restaurant business, there is more than just a product to sell. Smiles, comfort and possibly quality of life are also a part of what you give. Providing an experience to remember (or forget?) is what will separate your restaurant from literally hundreds of other options.

10 Magic Marketing Tips

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“The Invitation”

Allow me to change the term …. “Marketing” into “Invitation”

 My challenge for anyone in the restaurant business is simple: Invite people as if you were inviting friends, neighbors and family to a party at your home.

o For such a party, you determine the Purpose / Theme of your Party. (Birthday?

Seasonal Event?)

o There is no doubt you are thinking about the number you would like to have show up.

o You decide how many invitations and what method might be used (letters, cards,

flyers, phone calls, text, email, etc).

o You contemplate how many days in advance to extend the invitations.

o Once you have presented the initial invitation, you and those who are interested talk it up, offer reminders and of course promise the best beverages, entertainment, fun, …

and possibly include reminders of the last party and how “it will be even better”.

The successful party is executed by the host (you?) and hopefully most of those who were invited showed up. If your reputation is poor, you are unpopular, the invitations are made at the wrong time, or there is a history of boring, lousy parties in the past… then the crowd will not be so big.

So many factors go into creating a successful party. Possibly one of the biggest

celebrations is a wedding where there are professionals who handle every detail

to ensure a successful event.

Your restaurant business is not so different than a “party” at your home. You

have a place to come for special experiences. Therefore, make invitations to those who are in the area, entice them with the very best and treat them like friends, neighbors and family. Their business is your livelihood which makes them very important. The difference of course: at your restaurant there is a potential party each and every day!

10 Magic Marketing Tips

www.michaelhartzell.com

Since ultimately the goal is to have response rates much beyond the typical / traditional methods and thus seem “magical”, we will continue with using the term “Invitation”. Having a Unique Personal Invitation extended to a person, a group, a team creates a response rate much beyond the traditional numbers.

Especially since it gives your potential customers what they want and need: special service, value higher than their expectation, and being treated as important.

Each “Invitation” will be more successful if it includes:

A promise

A claim

Proof

An offer

A call to action

Visuals to support the above

If you are missing one of these on your “Invitation”, your response will be lower. Many times people exclaim: “no one came after I advertised”. With so many “advertisements” to choose from why would someone who is looking for a meal choose yours?

We are not here to dive into the construct of advertising. Each restaurant has its own mission and message.

Instead we want to look to NEW methods that seem magical to extend an invitation.

Are you ready?

Here are 10 Tips which are rarely utilized by the typical restaurant business.

Why?

10 Magic Marketing Tips

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No time to learn. No time to create an action plan. People stick within their comfort level. A perception of risk. A belief that it takes more work. Another reason is because the concepts are brand new. Of course there is always the question of COST.

Relating to this last barrier “Cost”, the following tips are meant to offer opportunities which have low or no investment up front. Of course we know there is always a cost…. instead of cash, it might be in the form of time. I have yet to see where no time, no effort or no money invested gives a return with more sales and profit.

As you read on, you will see the tips are focused on methods which require fewer funds up front and rely more on innovation. How much does a marketing campaign cost if $2,000 was invested but the campaign brings in $6,000 in revenue? At this point, marketing is not a cost but simply a cash flow, part of the process of increasing sales.

As with any Magic Trick which confounds an audience, these will require preparation, practice, precision and timing. It may have looked like magic when a bunny came out of the hat, but you know there were hours of preparation that went into creating the feat.

10 Magic Marketing Tips

www.michaelhartzell.com

Tip #1

Use Live Video Feed to bring the world to your business.

o Yes, you can have a LIVE video feed where hundreds, even thousand can come to your

business.

o You can offer proof that your place of business is the best, the cleanest, the safest, the most unique. You might even have signs changing in front of the camera which offer 10 minute

specials. You can provide entertainment, education, and training; connect people to people.

o What is the Cost?

FREE for some and up to a few hundred dollars a month. It depends on the quality and

how much expertise is on your team.

o How can this be done?

First, you must have a high speed internet connection. Cable, DSL or T!.

Any newer computer and a webcam (I recommend digital, autofocus) will do the trick.

Once you have these, there are several website that offer a FREE service.

www.justin.tv, www.stickam.com, www.ustream.tv are all sites which offer services for FREE.

They each have simple set up instructions, forums and support.

Each offers a “page” on their website you can tailor to your needs or if you have a

website, you can embed your live feed.

o If you have phone service, you could set a camera up in front of the phone and allow

customers to see samples of the products you serve and/or the person who is taking the

order. If you want to have some fun, why not have drawings LIVE in front of the camera?

Video is becoming a standard for internet marketing and LIVE video feeds are available now. As with anything new, allow for a learning curve, practice and training for your team. This can be a very powerful marketing tool yet to be maximized for any business.

In the 70’s and 80’s print media was a backbone for making invitations. Everyone had a home phone and there was no such thing as the internet, fax or cell phones. Digital cameras were non-existent and databases were only for the most sophisticated companies. Here we are 20 years later and many businesses are stuck in the old methods of mass printings and mailings. There is a place for print media, but today with technology, there are more opportunities than ever to reach out.

10 Magic Marketing Tips

www.michaelhartzell.com

Tip #2

Automated Voice Coupon Calls to Your Historical Customers

 Did you know that you can reach 1,000 of your customers in a matter of hours with

precision? With an automated phone call, you can reach out to each of your customers

with a VIP Voice Coupon.

 If you could reach out to 3,000 customers with YOUR voice, with an offer specific to your

community, or an update to the “party” at your business, would that be helpful?

 This new technology has already offered some pizza restaurants increases of 20% +. Why?

It is a Unique Personal Invitation on their phone.

 Using the right message to make your customers feel appreciated and reminding them of

your commitment to make them smile in a matter of minutes is possible.

 You have total control, no money up front, no investment into inventory or equipment.

 Where can you find out more from a reputable company to execute such a campaign?

Fidelity Communications Retention Link or here at my website: VIP Voice Coupon Checklist Link

 What is the COST?

Less than half of what you would pay for a direct mail piece. 15 cents for each completed

call.

Along with a VIP Voice Coupon Call to your past customers, you receive in depth reports

to show your ROI after the fact. Few who sell advertising can offer this benefit.

 Since you will be calling customers from your own historical database, you have every legal right to make a contact by phone. Following up with your past customers to treat them like

VIPs is your goal. Yes, some companies make calls that are not appreciated. Your business

is different since its goal is to serve and leave smiles!

This is a method to reach out to your current customer base. It is well documented that keeping your current customer base happy is very important and less expensive to get a response from

vs. those who have yet to try your products.

10 Magic Marketing Tips

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Let’s add more thought to this TIP. There is high value in your database which

includes addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. Treat your list like GOLD. In these times of high technology and the ability to track people’s likes & dislikes, what they are interested in, what days they like to order… it becomes much easier to extend an invitation which will be of interest.

Stop sending invitations to those who are not interested. Know your customers, follow up and do what you can to keep them! Surveys are a very popular method. If you make them fun, even better. Google again becomes a great tool to search for “surveys”. Find one, adapt it to your business and have your customers tell you about their favorite holiday, favorite sport, and favorite pet. The survey can then double as an entry form with a space for name, number and email address.

If you do not yet have a customer database and are unable to know when their birthday is, what they enjoy or what they might need, how can you make an invitation to meet their needs or

wants?

10 Magic Marketing Tips

www.michaelhartzell.com

Tip #3

“Photo Op” Fundraiser

 This program takes a combination of

the latest technology tools to execute,

but if you have the right type of

operation and community, it can be a

high impact campaign.

 What you will need:

Digital camera

A quality, fast color printer….

 Or a Printer / mail house with fast turnaround (I recommend Printing

Solutions in Portland, OR. Link to Printing Solutions ) Fast quality, personalized service with low minimums

A database source with the ability to center around a specific address.

 I recommend InfoUSA. This company has some of the best resources available to sort your data prior to your own specific needs prior to

downloading.

 Now what to do?

 Connect with your community. Choose & contact schools, group, organization, PTA,

Coach, etc.

Ask them to allow a photo session of their group in front of their building, field,

etc. This is best done during a special event, concert, game, or fundraiser they

are having.

Place a small headline which says your business supports this group with their

photo. Include: “See other side for more”.

10 Magic Marketing Tips

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 Have their photo on the front side of a half page post card. (8.5 X 5.5)

The other side has your offer, claim, proof, contact, etc.

The back also includes a commitment of support for each coupon / offer

redeemed which goes to the organization.

 Use the database source (InfoUSA?) to make a list of addresses within 1 mile of where

the organization had the photo taken. Library? Exhibition Hall? School? So many

options!

Send each address one of these unique, localized postcards with an offer of

support.

 You can decide what amount to contribute to the organization for each order. I

recommend that you make it worth their while and not do less than $2 each.

 Why? Because the group will alert the community to watch their mail and order.

 This mail piece receives word of mouth several times from the organization.

 At the end of the campaign, you write a check based on redemption to the organization

and present it in public.

In this case, you are sending out a post card within 48 hours of taking the photo, with the

purpose of connecting and supporting. It no longer becomes just another piece of mail.

What are the chances of this invitation going on the refrigerator vs. others? Will the community recognize someone in the photo? The longer they save your invitation, the more accepted you are and more likely they are to order from you. I recommend doing this for more than one week and with quantities which will create a win-win-win. 10 years ago, the concept of taking a quality photo, printing it on a direct mail card and sending it out within 48 hours was not possible for the small business. Technology allows you to move quickly like never before.

10 Magic Marketing Tips

www.michaelhartzell.com

Tip #4

Guerrilla Calls – Invitations, Recognition and Awards for Community

Every community has a local activity center, a calendar, a local newspaper, a library with an event calendar.

Every community has an “underground” where people gather in groups to share common

interests, solve problems and do team activities.

A very energetic person who is equipped with a phone, award certificates and a great attitude

will make a big mark.

Here is how to implement your campaign: Each day, pick newspaper articles which recognize accomplishments and efforts in the community. Clip these articles out. Call the person(s) and let them know how amazed you are at their accomplishment. Extend an invitation to them.

Offer an Award Certificate to them, their team, their group…. Offer a special group “deal” to accommodate any celebration they might have. Offer them your thanks for being so great at

helping in the community.

As to the calendars of events, most have dates, times, numbers in group, purpose of event, etc.

Some are in restaurants, others are not. Where there is a group of people, there is usually a need for snacks, meals, etc. Where there is a group of people there is one person who is

probably handling everything with too much to do.

If you make 10 calls each day to recognize accomplishments connect with people on a calendar,

by the end of one year, there will be almost no one who is active in the community who will not know your restaurant’s name.

Track each call with a very simple log which includes the 5 W’s. At the time of contact, a variety of things could be offered. Mailing out a VIP Card, a Certificate of Recognition, a sample of product are some examples. Offering the opportunity to have a “direct hotline” can connect

them with you a little more and if your system allows for it, a “future credit” towards their next p

10 Magic Marketing Tips for Restaurants by Michael Hartzell - HTML preview

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