Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a new weekly series of PMQ-exclusive articles about pizzeria marketing from Matt Plapp, CEO of America’s Best Restaurants and Dryver Powered by Repeat Returns.
By Matt Plapp
Last week, we talked about what it takes to get customers to join your loyalty program. This week, I want to cover your program messaging. The emails, texts and ads you use in your marketing programs must be built correctly to ensure success. The messaging has to flow and be the same everywhere.
But first, we’ll travel back to 1997, when I proposed to Christy, my now wife of 25 years. I recall the day I got down on one knee like it was yesterday. It was June, and we had just arrived at Myrtle Beach. I had it all planned: We’d immediately go down to the beach to grab dinner, I’d make up an excuse to go down to the ocean, and then propose in the sand with the waves crashing down behind me.
I told her as we arrived at dinner, “It’s a tradition—I must get my feet in the sand the first night.” In reality, there was no tradition; I made that up. But I knew proposing on the beach would blow her away. As we walked to the water, I turned around and knelt, asking, “Christy, will you marry me?” She said yes.
Related: Matt Plapp’s 3-2-1 strategy: How to gain massive attention for your pizzeria
It went as planned. But it could have gone differently. On the way to the beach, we encountered crazy traffic and argued about something stupid, like young people do. Imagine if, in frustration, I ended the argument by proposing right then and there. What if I handed her the ring in the car while we were arguing? “Christy, here’s a ring,” I’d say, and in an angry, unromantic voice, add, “Want to get married?”
Yeah, that wouldn’t have gone too well.
Okay, so by now, you’re probably thinking, “Matt, what does this have to do with my pizzeria’s loyalty and marketing program?” It has everything to do with it. It’s all in the messaging.
The messaging must be on point, from the offer to the ask to the email follow-up. So, today, I want to cover what you need to do to ensure that your marketing program gets off to a good start and drives long-term sales success.
The Sales Sequence of Events
First, let’s examine the proper sequence of events:
1. You create an irresistible offer—one they’d feel stupid saying no to.
2. Your staff is trained to sell the program and gain enrollment.
3. Your online marketing, from the website pop-up to the Facebook ad, must share the same language your staff uses for in-store signups.
4. You have a follow-up nurture program, including the emails, texts and retargeting ads used to inform and excite your customers.
Your Offer
As we’ve already discussed, you need to have a fantastic offer. Don’t be cheap here and worry about making money on the first visit. A successful customer marketing program makes money on visits No. 2 to 100, not the first.
Once you’ve got a great offer, you must ensure it’s clear. I recently saw a restaurant ad that used a specific menu item to attract new customers. The issue is, unless you’re a customer of theirs already, you’d have no idea what the menu item was. As an example, one of our clients, Fox’s Pizza Den, has a menu item named a Wedgie. It’s their version of a hoagie, with its own twist (FYI, it’s delicious). The first time I saw the name, I had zero idea what it was.
So, while a free Wedgie might be an irresistible offer to current customers and would crush it, it might fall flat for new customers. That is why Fox’s doesn’t use it in its Den Dollars program; instead, they use promos, like free pizza and free breadsticks, that appeal to everyone.
So, on top of having an easy-to-understand offer, you need to be clear and transparent about what they’re getting. The ad above, which we created for the Dean’s Pizza program, does a great job of this. “Half-Price Pizza For You” is restated in a text overlay as “50% OFF.” It’s obvious what customers will get when they take the action.
Related: Matt Plapp: Why getting customers’ attention is easier than ever for pizzerias
Side note: Here’s a Facebook marketing hack. You’ll notice the “…See more” button on the ad. This is typically generated on Facebook ads and posts when you put three or more lines of text. This button is crazy important for the performance of your posts. Consumers love to click this button to see what they are missing, and when they click, it gives Facebook’s algorithm more data to go off (in order to find more people like those who clicked). Plus, it gives you more ad/post engagement, which is how you get your campaigns in front of more people. I suggest you have five to 10 lines of text below that. After the ad copy is written, add a link to the call-to-action or some contact information for your restaurant.
Your Sales Pitch
Your staff has to know your program inside and out. They must be well-trained in the program and be excited about it. But, more importantly, washing their hands before handling food has to be as important. It must be on their checklist, something they do for every single transaction.
I visit many restaurants; in fact, I eat at home only a few times per month. So I conduct a lot of “market research.” Most restaurant employees ask consumers the exact same question every transaction: “How are you doing?”
First, you and I don’t care about the answer. It’s a filler question. It does absolutely nothing to move the conversation forward. It would be best to replace that question with one about your loyalty program or their visit.
- “Are you a member of Matt’s Pi Society?”
- “Have you dined with us before?”
If they say no to the first question, here’s the follow-up: “Well, I know you want a free pizza for your next visit, then. You have a smartphone, right? Cool, grab it really fast and scan this.”
If the employee uses the second question first and they say no, they have not visited before, you then hit them with the first question to get them to join. If they say yes, you move to question No. 1 with the assumptive close: “Great, thank you. We appreciate your support. You’re a member of Matt’s Pie Society?”
It would be best to script these situations to make them easy for your team to understand. Then they must be excited to ask these questions. They must know that the success of your restaurant and their jobs depend on it.
Related: Attract, build and retain: Matt Plapp explains how to drive sales while building a lasting brand
Your Online Marketing
What’s happening in your store needs to be identical to everything you’re doing online. Your website, Facebook and Instagram need to tell the exact same story. And, on top of the details and messaging being the same, the colors and graphics must also match. I’m amazed at how often I see a different message and brand online versus inside a restaurant. Instead, you should act like Nike. Nike’s message is the same everywhere: “Just Do It.” The swoosh mark is the same everywhere.
It would be best if you were clear about what the program is all about, what they get, etc. You need to set up the expectations and be consistent with them throughout your marketing.
Fox’s Pizza Den does a great job with this on the image below, from their website. If you’re a customer who wants to join this program, you know what you’re signing up for.
Your Nurture and Follow-Up
“The fortune is in the follow-up,” Jim Rohn said. You must have an email nurture program built for your marketing programs. When customers sign up, they should get an email right away! Then, they should be put into a nurture program that automatically follows them—like autopilot—through their customer journey for the next 12 months.
If they don’t come in, you should have a win-back campaign that gives them nudges every three to four weeks. If they visit often, you should thank them and remind them of the perks that are just around the corner.
It would help if you also offer loyalty promotions that drive your best customers to increase your average check size, like double points when they spend $10 more on their next visit. Another great way to drive up your check average is to reward customers with easy future add-ons for free, like a free dessert or appetizer. This makes them try something new and fall in love with another item on your menu. (Again, remember: You’re not trying to make money on that first offer—it’s the later repeat visits that matter.)
Your nurture program should also include Facebook retargeting ads. These are ads that only target customers who are already in your loyalty program. Once you know someone is a member of your loyalty program, you can run ads to build brand awareness and remind them of the great program perks.
Text messaging is an excellent option for your long-term future as well. But be careful. Texting is very intrusive, and when you send customers too many texts or low-value texts, they will opt out.
When you build a nurture program for these customers and include them in other marketing messages, you’ll keep their attention more often. And the more attention you get, the more sales you drive!
Next week, we’ll examine marketing promotions in greater depth. I want to ensure that you understand the importance of not couponing your customers to death and only running promotions that build your database, drive new sales or increase your check average.
My name is Matt Plapp. I’m the CEO of Restaurant Marketing That Works. I’ve worked with thousands of restaurants since 2008 when I started this company, and over the next 12 months, we will help 2,500-plus restaurants with their marketing. This is the first of a new weekly column for PMQ to help restaurant owners understand the gold mine we have to market in 2024—and beyond.
