For some of you, spending money on marketing may be the last thing on
your mind, especially if business is slow and you're biggest concern is
paying your staff.
However, the slow times are when it's
the most important to keep your pizzeria's name in front of customers.
After all, that's when you need their business the most.
The
good news is, you don't have to spend a lot of money to promote your
pizzeria. With some creativity, a little time, and maybe a drop or two
of elbow grease, you can reach hundreds of potential customers and spend
very little--if any--money. Below are just a few ideas to get you
started.
1. Team up with a local charitable organization and
organize an event that raises money for a good cause. The organization
and local media will help to spread the word, and you'll be doing
something good in the process.
2. Claim your location on Google Places and
help your pizzeria move to the top of the listings in local searches.
This is free and should save you time when trying to figure out how to
boost your rankings on Google.
3. Become a member of your local Chamber of Commerce and
host a business networking event, catered by your pizzeria, of course!
Members of the Chamber are typically movers and shakers in the community
who can spread the word about your business and become customers who
later order for office lunches and parties.
4. Visit local businesses and drop off a couple of pizzas along
with some of your menus and a letter or flyer outlining your offers for
catering. You'd be surprised how many people will remember you for
bringing them pizza!
5. Offer to host a pizza-eating contest at
a local school function or during an upcoming fair. Your pizzeria
banner will be flying high over the contestants and all of the local
media will mention you.
6. Create a food challenge and a wall of fame.
Word spreads fast when people are trying to win something. Challenging
foods could be an extra-spicy pizza, a huge calzone, 20 mozzarella
sticks, you get the picture.
7. Run a contest online and in-store to create--and name--the next specialty pizza on your menu. Make it at least a month-long contest and get the local media involved to spread the word.
8. Enter your pizza into contests--both
online and at trade shows. The publicity you can garner from even just
entering a contest is phenomenal. Imagine if you win!
9. Host a hotel concierge night
and invite them to taste your menu. They'll be much more likely to
refer guests to the pizzeria if they've been there themselves.
10. Offer a taxi driver discount if
you're located in an area with a high number of taxis. If you become
the preferred pizzeria for taxi drivers, guess which pizzeria they'll
recommend when asked by their passengers.
11. Sponsor a local school sports team and feed them before or after the game. This will show your support in the community and give you new customers for years.
12. Offer a slice of the day, pasta of the day, or soup of the day and announce it each day on Facebook and Twitter. This will get tummy's rumbling when they see what you have on special.
What ideas do you have for getting free or low-cost publicity? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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