8 Quick Local Store Marketing Ideas To Get You Started

The economy seems to still be stalling in many sectors, so in order to keep your restaurant fresh with ideas, here are a few Local Store Marketing tips that you can quickly initiate to refresh new traffic and sales on a local level.

• Create a local happy hour that gives consumers discounts on snack items or beverages from 3 to 5pm to increase the afternoon daypart.

• Start a Facebook page for your specific store and encourage your local, loyal customers to “like” you.  Asking customers to “like” you on an existing POS item is an easy add and will create social buzz.

• Cross promote with local health clubs or gyms in your area – with the holidays approaching, it is not to soon to think about staying active and healthy during the winter months.

• Support or sponsor a local team, event or good cause – it doesn’t need to be a significant investment – but a local restaurant will get a lot of goodwill mileage out of a local tie-in opportunity.  Use your parking lot for a drop off point or an area for activity.

• Utilize bounce backs to your specific store with local organizations such as local businesses, schools, and churches.  If you have a current following from a local business – why not reward them for their loyalty with a bounce back discount.

• Activate your restaurant location on Google Maps – a must-have for local awareness and activation.

• Use “friends and family” discounts by giving loyal customers a handful of discounted offers that they can share with their friends – it spreads your message in an honest way.

• Free Product Drawing – Everyone loves the opportunity to win. An inexpensive and easy way to encourage increased sales and enhance your mailing list is to conduct a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly drawing for free product. Encouraging patrons to drop their business card for a drawing is an easy and effective way to reward customers.