Big chain restaurants dominate the mass market when it comes to advertising – a fact of life that can sometimes make it diffi cult for smaller independent operations to be heard. Launching a restaurant marketing campaign for an independent means less money to spend and more to lose if the campaign doesn’t drive more business.
That means a successful marketing campaign has to stand out to be effective.
Independents can’t rely on constant coverage through big media outlets, and your voice has to be unique to catch attention.
More and more independents
have found success by marketing themselves with an edgy
campaign that grabs as much free attention in the press as possible and gets people talking.
Being a little controversial has the added benefi t of grabbing the attention of younger customers, who are capable of spreading the word very quickly through word-of-mouth and social media.
Of course, one billboard on a busy street isn’t much of a marketing campaign these days. Independent restaurants are forced to devote bigger and bigger budgets to their marketing campaigns in an age when advertisements are everywhere. That can be a scary proposition for a small or medium restaurant, but the payoff can also be huge if your campaign catches on.
One key to that success is hitting multiple channels with your message. If you’re going to spend the money and the time to develop a marketing campaign you hope will take your town by storm, then don’t sell it short by sticking to “old media” – newspapers, radio, TV, etc. There are many more channels out there that can be very effective, especially online. Don’t ignore email, social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, and websites, particularly your own.
A successful campaign will bring a lot of new business into your restaurant, which is exactly what you want. On the other hand, you don’t want all those new customers coming in and fi nding something different than the image your marketing campaign portrayed. The trick is to create a message that really
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stands out but that doesn’t change the fundamental culture of your business.
Tip #1: Be Controversial
An edgy advertising campaign is a great way to tell customers you’re different than those corporate chains, and many controversial ad campaigns have the added advantage of drawing local media coverage, which spreads your message for free. Of course, the line between edgy and over the top is very thin, so proceed with caution. You don’t want to fi nd yourself having to defend something your advertising said that others found offensive.
your restaurant isn’t. What is important to remember is that your audience sees the same old tired advertising coming from the big chains over and over again. The pump is primed for a message that’s fresh and different. Because you’re an independent operator, you have the fl exibility to outmaneuver the big boys and key in on the unique culture specifi c to your local community.
Being controversial just for the sake of controversy isn’t going to win you new customers, and will instead result in a lot of lost marketing dollars. But setting yourself apart with something unique that communicates directly to your neighborhood can be a real winner.
Tip #2: Use Several Channels
Diversify the places you advertise. Traditional media like radio, billboards, and newspapers aren't dead, just no longer king. The most effective advertising campaigns these days supplement the message pushed through traditional media with a diverse array of online channels.
Some of the places you should be backing up your marketing campaign:
Your Website.
This one’s a no-brainer. A well-designed website is your base camp for all online efforts, and it’s important that the content and images back up the message you’re promoting in other media channels.
Twitter.
Use funny little snippets and shortened links to drive Twitter traffi c to either your website or a specialized web page that mirrors the message of your campaign. The most important element of a Twitter account for your restaurant is getting actual customers to follow your feed. The best way to do this is to add a Twitter advertisement to the rest of your marketing campaign.
Controversial may not even be the right word here. Shock value advertising is far too short lived to effectively serve your purposes, especially since you’re probably spending a large portion of your budget on one campaign. Unconventional might be more appropriate – something that challenges people’s expectations in an unexpected way.
Nobody can decide what an appropriate message for your restaurant is but you, and nobody’s suggesting that you be something
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A “Follow Us On Twitter” button on your website and emails, and a similar element in the corners of your traditional media advertisements will help drive traffi c to your Twitter account, which you can then leverage to drive traffi c back to your website and restaurant.
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