10 Tips on Restaurant Guerilla Marketing
If you're restaurant is suffering a financial backlash because your customers are suffering from cabin fever - as most Northern Californians are after 22 days of rain - it may be time for a guerilla marketing campaign. A well planned campaign will increase business and, if effectively executed, will enable you to compete in a market flooded with competitors with their eyes on your dining dollars.
The principles of guerilla marketing are based on timing and imagination. The campaigns are developed on unconventional and often unexpected promotions. Once upon a time, email was king in the guerilla marketing world, but as of this writing – and it may change tomorrow – Twitter is king of the insty marketing promo.
Long before social media was the foundation for a quick, strong, and relevant marketing campaign, I used the travel post card as my marketing tool. One of my most successful marketing campaigns involved a postcard with a picture of a Hawaiian beach on the front. On the back of the card the greeting simply read: "Dear Mom and Dad. Thanks for the great honeymoon trip to Hawaii. But honestly, we would much rather have just gone to Chez Foley for dinner. Let's meet there Friday night. You make the res. Here's the number."
I sent that card to everyone in the zip code and my phone rang for weeks.
Today, marketing has become much easier and more affordable to implement. But it may take more than one broadcast – an email blast or a tweet – to perfect your campaign.
Dallas restaurateur Don Burks evaluates his weekend reservations every Thursday, and if they are looking weak he email blasts his 1,350 customers with a weekend special.
"When I began the campaigns I would discount the meal by a percentage. That didn't work," Burks said. "If we actually put a price in the email we can see an immediate response." On a recent weekend Burks emailed a petite filet special for $14.95, instead of the standard $29.95. Within the hour of sending the email he booked 65 reservations.
Here are 10 tips to help build and establish a guerilla marketing campaign.
1). Make sure you open a Twitter and Facebook account for your restaurant and link to those accounts on your website.
2). Develop a customer email list; promote your restaurant on Twitter and Facebook. You can accomplish this by asking customers for their email addresses, and to follow you on Twitter and Facebook. A card in the guest check asking for an email address works great.
3).Make sure your campaign has three essential elements: Purpose, target, and offer.
4).The purpose is not just to fill seats. That's the goal. The purpose is the event, the newly created menu item, or a celebration.
5).The target is the audience you are sending it to. Make sure you don't send a rib special to the Valley Vegetarian Club.
6). Offer something different. Make sure you bring your chef into the promotion. Consult with him on his ideas. It could be a multi course meal, a special dessert, or an imaginative cocktail.
7). Don't bombard your customers. Use guerilla marketing as an immediate business booster.
8). Find a staff member who has social media skills and pay them a weekly stipend - $25.00 and a gift certificate for dinner for two at the restaurant - to track the campaigns.
9). Be creative with the campaigns and don't be afraid to think outside the box. You are in the entertainment business, and if your campaign is boring it will reflect on your food.
10). Ask your staff to tweet their friends and followers, and suggest they follow your restaurant on Twitter.
