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You need to measure your marketing against the sales that it creates as a direct cost of bringing in new guests.
Do you know what happens when you throw a bunch of shit against the wall in hopes that something might stick?
The room smells like shit!
Take the time to calculate your marketing cost and make sure what you are doing is bringing you positive results.
Not sending emails to people who have given you their email address because you don't want to bother them, piss them off, or have them unsubscribe is ridiculous.
It's most likely not how many emails you send; it is what you are sending them.
Every advertising medium works best with frequency; your email is the same. Find people who want to be on your list, and make sure they hear from you at least once a week, even if you're just saying hi!
91% of new guests will visit you based on a friend or family member's recommendation.
These friends and family members are your superfans.
Your sales strategy should focus on building a network of these superfans so they can reach the people that most traditional advertising never will.
But don't just take our word for it; read the book.
Pat Flynn, Superfans: The Easy Way to Stand Out, Grow Your Tribe, and Build a Successful Business
Every Monday we send you a mashup of marketing thoughts, tips, and resources.
It's a quick way to start off the week with tips on how to keep your sales funnel flowing.
Identify three unique things about your restaurant.
Your three uniques are what sets you apart from the competition.
When you look at the competition in your trading area, a few restaurants may share one of your uniques. There may be a couple that share two of your uniques. However, there is no other competition in your trading area that have all three of your uniques.
Your trading area could be 5 blocks, 5 miles or for a destination restaurant, it could be the entire city.
The important part is you need to concentrate on marketing these items to help your restaurant stand out in a crowd.
Competing on price should be left to the fast-food chains.
If your restaurant isn't achieving sufficient revenue, it's not that your prices are too high; it's the value perceived based on the price is too low.
Price your menu in a way that allows you to be profitable and create a marketable experience that justifies that price based on the value received.
A good sales and marketing process will magnify the value of the experience.
Before you invest in a sales plan, make sure the product you deliver exceeds the value you charge.
Being social should be about building relationships, genuine connections.
It seems that restaurants spend a lot of time pushing out content in "hopes" that someone will like it. Most restaurants measure their social media strategy through engagement with the post.
So when someone comments from a different city who probably will never come into your restaurant, that is considered a win? That is considered being social and engaging with your guests?
Last time I checked, you can't pay your staff with Instagram follows.
There are many reasons why guests stop coming in.
Life circumstances
Relocated
Someone new opens up
The thing is that just because a guest visits frequently doesn't mean that they will be coming in forever.
You need a plan that brings in new guests consistently.
If you are paying for marketing with your time or dollars and you can't track how many new guests are coming in, then you need to reevaluate your strategy.
We have all learnt through the pandemic that relationships are the key to happiness.
We need to apply it to our business.
Your business will only win if it serves the customer correctly, helping them solve a problem.
Who that customer is, is so important.
Jon does an excellent job bringing clarity to that message.
As Jon Morrison says, "you can't be everything to everyone, you'll end up meaning very little to a lot of people" Now start With Who is an essential process in building a lasting business.
Every time you send out a weekly email, 10% of your contacts should come to dine with you that week.
Add 25 new contacts to your email list every week may only seem like an additional couple of guests.
But after a year, you have added 1300 new contacts and will see over 65 visits when you send out a weekly email.
The main point is you need to start.
Every slower starts with a seed; it takes time to sprout and turn into a beautiful blossom.
Got 60 seconds? Check out the video
Sharing your story creates a more profound connection than just the product you serve.
Superfans want to know more about you because they care; building a network of caring superfans will accelerator your ability to increase sales consistently.
Need help telling your story, reach out to Sydney @ https://www.slcreative.ca/
When you build a relationship, you need to learn about the other person; you need to understand them, you need to ask them questions.
Don't assume you know what your guests need or want. If you genuinely care about them, spend time listening.
You can't be everything to everyone, but you can be something to someone if you listen to your guests.
A restauranteur is in the business of taking care of so many people. From the guest to the staff, there always seems to be someone that needs your strength.
But what are you doing to recharge the battery and rebuild your strength?
It can't be said enough, the best way for you to take care of others is to make sure you are taking care of yourself.
And it is always ok to ask for help and support!
The experience someone has at your restaurant needs to be exceptional. When you base your restaurant on wining the transaction vs winning the guest, you will have difficulty building a sustainable business.
David Meerman Scott says in his book Fanocracy,
To be successful in a world where fans rule, we must be convinced that relationships with customers are more important than the the products or services we sell to them.
Building a relationship with someone who has never heard of your restaurant to a superfan takes commitment and a plan.
But don't just take our word for it; read the book.
Fanocracy by David Meerman Scott
