Posted in Technology on April 11, 2016
The power of the promotion* is undeniable. From fun sweepstakes to flavorful LTOs, pointed promotions can offer an easy-yet-strategic way to help you connect with customers, drive traffic and boost your bottom line. Plus, they’re a great place to start when you want to highlight new menu items, call out cool events or push rewards programs.
Connect Online:
Social media is a super-simple way to engage with current customers and expand to reach new ones. Here are some easy ideas to help you navigate the social sphere.
- Introduce new products and promotions on social platforms
Encourage patrons to pose in selfies with your new dish or tweet what they like about the concept or flavor. Offer a prize—maybe a $10 gift card—for the post with the most likes, shares or inventive #hashtags.
- Make it fun for patrons
Running a photo contest? Provide tabletop, photo booth–style props they can use for their LTO photos. Give a prize for the most creative post.
- Cross the social streams
Make sure to spread your message around. Post and share promo information and interaction on all of your social channels—that means Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and anywhere else you cultivate content. Tell patrons you’ll spotlight the most innovative post on your social channels.
- Follow through
Once you pick a winner, post about it! It’ll help add credibility to your operation and get patrons excited to participate in your next promotion.
Support in store:
Once you’ve driven traffic into your establishment, make sure staff is ready to talk about the promotions and get patrons excited to participate.
- Prepare staff
Gather your team prior to promotion launch to make sure they’re well versed in the talking points, rules and regulations. To get patrons excited, your team needs to be ready to answer questions, provide important promo rules and share prize details.
- Make the most of your merchandising kit
Post all of your promotion POS materials—like window clings, table tents and menu inserts—prior to the promo start date to ensure the excitement starts to build.
- Create a friendly staff competition
Offer incentives to the team member that sells the most of an LTO dish or gets the most promotion entries in one week.
So get out there and promote, promote, promote! Putting the time, effort and (minimal) cost up front can help you build your social reach and become a mainstay in your community and the go-to place in your neighborhood.
What’s the best promotion you’ve ever run? Tell us below.
*Restrictions may apply - check terms and conditions of applicable platform
