Can Mom and Pop Restaurants Successfully Market Online?
by Rudy Vener
Doris and Nat have a small Italian restaurant which they run with the help of their family and a couple of employees. They are a neighborhood hangout and provide takeout and pizza delivery to the mixed homes and stores within a half mile of their shop.
They did very well in the past, but recently, both a Pizza Hut and a Domino's moved into their area. Doris and Nat immediately felt the squeeze.
They couldn't compete with the advertising blitz these two giants constantly produced, so they knuckled down and focused on their core value, quality and service.
Even so, every time the big boys send out new coupons, they see their business dip.
They have nowhere near the marketing budget their big competitors have. They cannot afford the constant newspaper, TV, radio and media exposure that the large companies use to such advantage.
But Doris and Nat have overlooked one thing.
There is one media which they can use just as effectively and maybe better than the big chains.
The Internet is the great equalizer of advertising. With a little help, small businesses can benefit from it just as well as big corporations.
How? A lot of small restaurants have websites or participate in local business directories that give them an online listing. Is that what we're talking about?
Yes and no.
That's like buying a car and never filling the gas tank or taking it in for maintenance. It goes nowhere and eventually falls to pieces.
Instead, like your car, your website should be kept fueled and maintained to operate efficiently.
This doesn't mean you need to become an auto mechanic of the Internet. The vast majority of people never open the hoods of their car. And the vast majority of people don't create their own website and Internet services either.
Why Customers Visit Restaurant Websites
There are only three main reasons why someone would visit a restaurant's
website:
- To get contact information such as phone, hours or address.
- To check your menu or prices
- To place an order
It is easy enough to get a website which fulfills the first two requirements.
Unfortunately, most small restaurants stop there. This is like leaving a stack of brochures at someone else's tore and hoping customers will pick up a brochure, take it home, and call you sometime for an order. You may get a few new customers, but most of the brochures will simply sit there gathering dust.
The big chains know how to get the most out of their websites.
Contrast this with what the big chains do with their websites. The first thing you see on Pizza Hut and Domino's sites are the online order buttons, right at the top.
Is this significant? You bet it is.
Next look at their ads. They include their websites everywhere. They want people to visit their sites, take advantage of their online ordering and use their promotions.
Why? Because they have learned that once people order online, they do it again and again. Better yet, when people register to order online they provide their address information. the big chains can use this address to keep in touch with their customers.
Good for them, not so good for Doris and Nat.
They can get a website which lets them do exactly what the big chains are doing. Doris and Nat's website can now collect their own customer's phone, address and email information when their customers register for online ordering.
So far so good. But remember, Doris and Nat cannot compete with the big chain's advertising, so how do they let people know about their website and all it's benefits?
All their customers are in a relatively small location.
Doris and Nat quickly spread the word with these tactics:
- They had a big window sign made which announced their website, online ordering and an online coupon that let newly registered online customers buy a large single topping pizza for only $5.00.
- They had their website and online ordering announcement printed on all their takeout menus and pizza boxes.
- They included their website and an online ordering message on all their coupons, door hangers and the occasional newspaper ad they took out in the local paper. They also included the message in their yellow pages ad when it was time to renew.
- They bought a magnetic sign for their delivery car that mentioned the $5 online ordering deal.
- They put a fishbowl on their counter and invited all their customers to leave their email address to receive an electronic coupon.
- They sponsored a Free Pizza contest to encourage people to register for online ordering. This was picked up by the local newspaper and they received some free advertising.
- Their online ordering service provider created several local Internet ads and directory listings for them.
None of these tactics cost Doris and Nat much money. But it certainly got their web site in front of a lot of their community.
Now that they were collecting their customer's email addresses, Doris and Nat sent email offers including electronic coupons on a weekly basis. Neither Doris nor Nat were computer literate, but their online ordering service was happy to send out the emails for them.
Eventually Doris and Nat had their online ordering service completely integrated into their routine. They would keep their fax machine filled with fresh ink and paper. They would create a weekly special for email distribution. They and their staff learned to process the online orders which rolled off their fax.
Every time their restaurant appeared in print, their web address was close by.
In three months, Doris and Nat realized online revenues of over $1500 a month, and still growing.
But just as important, their customers were happy and coming back. Those who used online ordering were delighted. Especially the moms with crying children, the late night computer programmers, the secretaries who had to feed a department meeting, the commuters who ordered online from their office for takeout just before heading home, and a few members of the deaf community.
Like any marketing strategy, a restaurant's website cannot stand alone. Websites and online ordering must be part of the restaurant's complete marketing plan in order to be effective. But like a well fueled and maintained car, a good website can take you a long way.
About the Author
Rudy Vener is the president and founder of Pizza Galaxy. He has helped many restaurant owners build close relationships with their customers and increase sales with Pizza Galaxy's online ordering and Internet marketing services. Visit Rudy's website at http://www.pizzagalaxy.com to learn how he can help your restaurant or call for a free consultation at (203) 230-9662. See other articles by Rudy at http://www.pizzagalaxy.com/pizzatalk.html
