For Best Shop Success
As a pizza shop owner, we know that you have limited time – and that most (if not all) of your time and energy goes into your pizza and your shop’s upkeep. But, your customers – and potential ones, are also so important to your shop’s success, and one of the biggest ways you bring in new customers is with effective and eye-catching marketing, whether it’s physical or digital. Today, we’re quickly taking you through the most important things to know and remember (especially as a small business) when picking the right marketing partner platform(s) for your shop.
So Many Platforms, So Little Time
As marketers, we understand that once you start looking, you quickly realize that there are way too many marketing tactics to choose from, and even further, a ton of tools specifically made for each tactic. Between email, direct mail, website, social media, billboards, and more, it can be hard to choose. The most important thing to keep in mind when choosing the right marketing for your shop is that you don’t have to do it all to make an impact. Sometimes it just takes one or two tactics and tools to get the most for your money and get your name, and your most popular item, into the minds and hands of potential customers.
Get to Know You Customer Base
Before jumping into any one marketing tactic or platform, do a bit of research (or have a marketing specialist or company help you with this). Get some data about your target audience or those in your area, or even try just getting to know your customers a bit better. Ask them what they like about your shop. What brings them in? What’s their go-to menu item? Look at online customer reviews, too, and see what is most often said about your shop.
Also, how’d they find you? What originally brought those loyal customers into your shop, and why’d they keep coming back? What are their needs, wants, and pain points?
Additionally, look at your sales. What items are most popular, and what coupons or deals are most often used? All of this will give you a better perspective of your customers and will help you market to them and others who haven’t found you quite yet.
Choose Your Marketing
Once you have a good understanding of your customers, don’t just go with any marketing you see first or know something about. Take some time (even if it’s just 30 minutes) to search around and find marketing that best fits your shop and its customers.
One part of your marketing strategy will likely be a way your customers have already trickled in (for example – if customers claimed they saw you in a magazine ad, that may be your first move). Your next move with marketing may be based on your target audience’s age range, where they find new places to eat, or based on how many new people are moving into your area each month. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s a good use of your budget and that it comes with some sort of reporting.
Like we said, you don’t need to do it all. Don’t try a ton of different marketing if you don’t need to. Sometimes all it takes is one or two platforms, because often less platforms with bigger impact and targeted approaches will bring in more revenue than a bunch of randomly chosen and aimlessly placed marketing.
Go With Experts
Finally, once you know what kind of marketing you want – pick a person, multiple people, a team, or more a company that’ll help you achieve your marketing goals. Decide on a budget that makes sense for you and your shop, and don’t just go with the “cheap guys”. Think about ROI and what a truly effective campaign or campaigns could do for your shop. Sure, a platform you’re interested in may seem like a bit of an investment up front, but it could give you the highest ROI. One higher cost platform could be better than three inexpensive ones. You get what we mean.
There are also many cost-effective marketing programs out there that can be tested and executed based on your budget – even ones that provide a price cap option. Try asking around and seeing what others in the industry have heard about, are using, or even trust and have good experiences with.
We’d suggest going with experts in whatever marketing tactics you choose (for example, a company that solely focuses on social media marketing, or another that just hones in on direct mail). If the platform’s team or marketer has a focus, they’ll know the right tactics to use and the right customers to target. Plus, they’ll likely provide care, years of experience, and detailed reporting so that you know exactly how your marketing tools are doing.
Call Us
If you find that direct mail’s what your shop needs and what your customers will respond best to, we’re real people looking to help real shops bring in the right customers with our easy-to-use online platform. Contact the ZaHub team to get started.
