By Lise Wilson
Who doesn’t love a great slice of pizza? It turns out Americans eat 100 acres of pizza every day, the equivalent of 350 slices a second. No wonder you got into this business, right?
But making your brand stand out is challenging, especially since roughly 80,175 pizzerias operate in the U.S. today. However, you can rise like yeast above the crowd by making delicious pies while also prioritizing design and other touches for your brand, making it unique and memorable.
Pizza, a $46.98 billion business nationwide, is a staple in Americans’ diets. To attract more attention and customers, here are five ideas to consider:
Related: Meet the marketing madman behind Hot Tongue Pizza
Share Your History
Consumers love a good story. Perhaps you make pizza for a living because your great-grandmother or uncle taught you to toss the dough that went into making an amazing pie or shared a family recipe for homemade sauce. Or maybe you first made pizza for friends, and they said it was so tasty that you opened your own restaurant or even chain. Storytelling does more than convey a tale—it draws consumers in and creates emotional connections.
Consider key elements in your history and integrate them into your pizzeria’s design and signage. For instance, Chick-Fil-A incorporates bits of heritage throughout its locations. Founder Truett Cathy’s first job was selling ice-cold glass bottles of Coca-Cola door to door from his little red wagon, so customers will see this incorporated into the design of some of the company’s restaurants. Such information is endearing and creates an emotional connection to the brand.
Perhaps pizza-making goes back generations in your family? If so, you could enlarge, frame and mount photographs of your ancestors to show your heritage and longevity in the industry. Add captions to tell the story of how your brand started and grew.
Wear That Delivery Badge Proudly
With third-party services like DoorDash and Uber Eats, food delivery is commonplace, although anything but new. Milk delivery started in the U.S. with industrialization. Gen Xers and Baby Boomers might remember the delivery of Charles Chips potato chips and other food items during their younger days.
Pizza delivery became popularized in the 1980s, with Domino’s Pizza guaranteeing orders in 30 minutes. Since then, pizza delivery has been prolific. And when delivery comes from the restaurant, patrons can often bypass the added food-delivery service fee.
Pizza restaurants have long been known for delivery, so highlight your direct-to-door capabilities that come without the added costs.
Know Localization Resonates With Guests
Customers who feel connected to community-based restaurants and retailers are more likely to return. For example, if a restaurant or retailer sources locally made cheese or fresh tomatoes for inclusion in their products, it will resonate with guests. Likewise, if a local business has ties to the community, highlighting those ties can make a lasting impression. Create a “Backyard Hospitality” wall, with contents that highlight the local community and your pizzeria’s place in it. If you own stores in multiple markets, make sure to focus on each individual community to make the residents feel special and “at home.”
Also consider what sets your brand apart and shout that message out loud so you aren’t drifting in a sea of plenty among pizza joints—marketing matters. Every community has its own feel and facets.
Perhaps your high school baseball or softball team has won the state championship, and you are a sponsor. Let patrons know. Maybe you source locally grown veggies to top your pizzas. If so, you should display that information on menus or include a blackboard with a note about the local farm providing the veggies each day. Add features and elements that naturally link to your brand to attract more local customers and prospects potentially.
Related: Why pizzerias need to kick up their loyalty marketing game
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Provide Personalization Beyond Toppings and Crusts
Although customization is prevalent in restaurants and retail experiences, personalization has always been something at which pizza places excel. Patrons should be able to order exactly the toppings they want and have a choice of crust thickness and even type—think regular, gluten-free, cauliflower crust, and so on.
But you can take personalization a step further with a loyalty program that incentivizes repeat business and increases customer retention. This program can also arm pizzerias with valuable customer data and insights that can be used for personalized promotions, prompting increased sales and loyalty.
Highlight Charitable Giving
Many brands choose a charity of choice and encourage employee volunteerism, fundraising or donating toward that brand. For example, pizzerias around the country have gotten involved with Scott Wiener’s non-profit, Slice Out Hunger, using pizza to combat food insecurity.
If your restaurant supports a cause, whether a local initiative or something more significant, like the American Cancer Society, make it known and consider fundraising by asking patrons to contribute. And if you’ve got a personal reason for supporting a particular charity, let your customers know!
Make the Brand Experience Memorable
In sum, Americans’ love of pizza is not going away. It’s the go-to food for parties and sports gatherings and served in millions of households daily. To make your restaurant stand out, incorporate the five initiatives into your design and overall brand.
It has been said that pizza is a hug in a slice and the food of the gods; it’s always the answer, regardless of the question. Americans’ cravings for pizza are clear. You just need to make your pizzas and brand experience unforgettable.
Lise Wilson is vice president of retail strategy for Miller Zell.
