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The 1P of foodservice marketing
By Paul Herron
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Marketers talk about the 4Ps of marketing (product, place, price and promotion) and while the traditional marketing Ps still form an important backbone to a marketing plan, foodservices have long known that marketing success is all about 1P – perception. For years restaurant critics have proclaimed some establishments as worthy and others short of the mark – establishing a perception in the minds of potential patrons. So how do you maximize perception? Leverage social media.
1. Mobilize your market
Most people trust a recommendation from a personal friend more than they would trust the word of a professional critic or an advertisement. Your best customer may in fact not be the people who order the highest margin items and frequent your establishment the most – in fact it may be the person who drives traffic to your establishment through influencing positive viral commentary. Positive and viral word of mouth is a marketer’s panacea and your marketing plan should leverage some of the newer technologies that can help create positive referrals.
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These folks are called your Social Influencers. Of course, the other side of the equation is: how do you address negative experiences? As we know, negative experiences actually travel faster than positive ones and there are some tricks to mitigating negative comments through moderating postings and providing opportunities to turn potentially poor experiences into positive outcomes. Even if you don’t have the time or budget to proactively manage the social community, you can at least learn about the negative comments and address them where required.
2. Leveraging technology to increase your sales
Leveraging social media doesn’t need to be expensive. Facebook is the largest of the online social websites and about one in three Canadians have a Facebook page – does your establishment have a fan page? If you have a fan page, have you linked your website and your fan page together?
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Have you tweeted to your patrons? (Do you even know what that means?) Do you know which of your fans have recommended your establishment? These are your highest value customers. How can you find out if they are in your restaurant to ensure that they continue the great viral referrals? If all of this is a foreign language to you don’t worry, there are several resources to help you consolidate and learn from the voice of your patrons.
Some tools of interest to grow revenue and support your social media experience include:
1. Email broadcasts to encourage your patrons to come to your restaurant during off peak hours or for special events (for example send them an offer to view the Can. / U.S. gold medal game at your place).
2. Text (SMS) broadcasts are quicker and less expensive than email and have the same potential upside.
3. Tools like E3 use viral technology to grow your user base and encourage more patrons to come to your establishment.
By leveraging your brand through social media applications, such as Facebook and Twitter, you will establish a positive perception in the minds of potential patrons.
About the author:
Left Brain Marketing has been providing marketing solutions to grow revenue to the foodservice market for many years. Check them out at: www.leftbrain.ca
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