I have performed a lot of research into local Tucson, Arizona restaurants and I keep seeing the same trend over and over. I also have found that this “trend” is not isloalted only to Tucson, but is nationwide, worlwide even. This “trend” is the ineffectiveness of their marketing techniques, especially when it comes to internet marketing. Most local restaurants stick with tried and true marketing such as print ads in small local papers, monthly direct mailers (Value Pack for example) or the occational 30 second radio ad. In my opinion, anything “print” is becoming extinct. Readership is down drastically, cost of ads keep rising and the effectiveness of print ads run only approximately .5-1% on a 10,000 mailing. Not much of a ROI (return on investment). Local radio ads generally receive a more targeted response but are too costly for most small local restaurants and tend to run infrequently or during “off hours” where they are basically rendered in-effective. To battle this dilema, one must turn to advertising methods rarely used by small / medium sized local restaurants. To many restaurant owners, the internet is unexplored territory and feared, only by a lack of knowledge.
Statisics show that 82% of home have internet and that more every day are turning to the interent to search locally instead of using the yellow pages. It makes total sense to explore the powers of the internet and integrate these powers into your marketing plans. There is a whole new world out there, one which “newer generations” were weened on. They expect your business to be online. if it’s not, chances are they will pass you right by.
Now….having a website is one thing, but having a website that actually works for YOU is another. Honestly, way too many local restaurant owners who had the forthsight to put their business online, paid a bunch of money for basically a “digital business card”. If you do have a website, ask yourself….are you happy with it’s performance? Does your website generate income? Does it have the abilities to “capture” existing and NEW customers…growing your client base? It makes me mad to see that so many hard working, well intended local restaurant owners got “hosed” by some fast talking, self serving web designer. Here is a little secret….while there are web designers who do create beautiful websites, most web designers are the “techy” type, who know little, if any about how to effectively market your business. I liken it to buying a 2009 Jaguar…..but not having the gas to put in it. Meaning, you can have the most gorgeous website out there….but if it’s not set up with the proper search engine techniques, or proper internet marketing weapons…..no one will ever find it. Marketing on the internet is an artform within itself.
There are ways an experience internet marketer can suggest to change all this. There are tools we use that can turn your “postcard” website into a customer generating, cash magnet. there are methods we use (we = experienced intenet marketers) that grow your customer base, keep existing customers returning, creating greatly improved customer relations and loyalty….which in turn….fills those empty tables!
You can have this easily by harnessing the powers of the internet and integrating internet marketing into your business. It makes total sense to me and it truly is alarming that more local small businesses, not only restaurants, do not use these marketing techniques, especially in the “internet crazed society” we have today.
And the best part of all this is that it costs a fraction of conventional marketing methods. Open your eyes Tucson to a new, improved, unexplored, profitable way to market your business. The internet is the future. get your business on board before it passes you by.
Next….we will explore more ways to effectively market your restaurant business by using “Mobile Marketing Techniques”.
For more information on how to effectively, efficiently market your restaurant, visit our website: TucsonMerchant.com. Sign-up for your FREE consultaion today.
