Strategy #113
Get a Big Bang with Banners
One of the most cost effective marketing techniques in the pizza industry is signage. Some of the most effective ways of communicating the reasons why customers should eat at your pizzeria are banners. Banners can be used over a long period of time. They are easy to install and remove because they have grommets built in where string or rope can be used to hang them. They require little space to store.
Banners can also highlight monthly specials or promote a large pizza with one topping, highlight a new menu item or market any part of your business. Selling pizza at a school event? Hang your banners at football games so people can start wetting their taste buds when they see the banner. For sure they will be ordering by halftime. Weekend events are fantastic money-makers, but the most important things are to make sure the customers know who you are, where you are located, what the special promotion or event is and when you will be there. Whether it is the Super Bowl, World Series, Fourth of July or Valentine's Day, just unroll the banner and hang it. Let your banner do the work for you.
Banners can be made in many different sizes, shapes and colors. Signs 4 Less would like to help you create the banner that is right for your business. Most banners can be made and shipped in seven – 10 days. Compare these prices to what it cost for an ad in the newspaper, yellow pages or mail outs and you will see that signs are the only affordable way to advertise. Signs 4 Less would like to show you how to increase sales by just spending a very small amount of money. Just give Joe or Lynn Scardina a call and find out how they can help you. Do you deliver? How about magnetics for your delivery vehicles? Owners, how about magnetics for your personal vehicles? You might as well advertise your business while you drive around town. They start at as low as $30 per door. Give Joe and Lynn a call at 805-375-1999 and they will share some other ideas on how to increase your sales.
Strategy #114
Tattoos and Golf Balls Drive Pizza Sales
What do tattoos and golf balls have to do with marketing pizza? These products have proven to be successful marketing tools for the pizza industry. Giving customers something fun, tangible and free works! A recent study by Southern Methodist University has shown that customers reorder faster and more often when promotional products are used versus traditional coupons. In fact, customers reordered up to 18 percent sooner than those who received coupons and up to 13 percent sooner than those who received no promotion at all. Everybody loves a free gift; it's a fact of life. So why not set yourself apart from the competition and entice your customers with a free gift instead of a coupon. Kingston, one of the fastest growing providers of promotional products and corporate apparel in the U.S., knows first hand that promotional products help drive revenue.
Kingston, partners with Donatos Pizza, a member of the McDonald's family of restaurants and one of the fastest growing pizza franchises in the U.S., provides fun, creative solutions to promotional products and employee uniforms. Tom Krouse, Senior Vice President at Donatos said, "the custom online store Kingston developed for us makes the ordering and selection so easy. We sat down with Kingston to talk about marketing strategies; Kingston listened and came back with a number of great ideas."
Donatos creates a brand image and drives revenue through what they call "random acts of pizza". Their company branded PT Cruisers cruise neighborhoods and attend community events giving out free water bottles, temporary logo tattoos, golf balls and more from Kingston. "It's our way to give back to the community and market pizza in a fun way. The pizza business is so competitive, whenever you are able to stand out, people will think of you then they are ready to order," said Krouse.
A study by Schreiber & Associates showed that 39 percent of the people receiving a promotional product could recall the name of the advertiser as long as six months after they received it. Donatos Pizza is taking advantage of this concept by partnering with Kingston.
"What we like best about Kingston is their excellent service and their prices are very competitive," said Krouse.
What makes Kingston different from other promotional providers? Kingston provides a "one-stop-shopping" experience and offers faster delivery-many custom logo items are shipped to you within 24 – 72 hours. Strong relationships with quality vendors allow Kingston to provide you with quality products at competitive prices.
Call Kingston today at 800-406-6433 or visit their website www.kingpro.com to find out how they can help you build sales-generating promotions.
Strategy #115
Wireless Credit Card and Check Processing Creates New Opportunities
In this day and age, more and more customers are carrying less cash and opting to use credit cards or checks instead. There's no processing problem for dine-in operations, but what about delivery customers who are hungry and do not have cash on hand? If only there was some type of wireless credit card and check approval system you could afford. Well, now there is with Comstar Interactive Corp.'s wireless CHARGE ANYwhere payment solution.
Until recently, you used those cumbersome knuckle buster credit card imprinters for delivery transactions or had delivery drivers write down credit card numbers, or take a rubbing of the card, both of which were slow and created opportunities for fraud. The CHARGE ANYwhere solution processes transactions in about five seconds, reduces the possibility of fraud and reduces the processing fees you pay for unapproved credit cards and checks. Using the CHARGE ANYwhere solution is as easy as ONE: swipe the card, TWO: enter the transaction amount and THREE: click to submit. You can even add a portable printer to the units to print receipts anywhere. And your drivers can now carry less cash.
There are other applications, too. If you sell pizza from remote locations, such as festivals, arenas, schools, sporting events, from vending trucks or anyplace outside the store, you can equip your employees with the CHARGE ANYwhere unit and they can accept multiple payment options such as currency from gift cards, specialty cards, credit cards or checks. Chances are, you'll be the only vendor offering this option and will have the market cornered.
You can view encrypted transactions in real-time from a secure website hosted by Comstar, using its Transaction Manager Software and remotely manage multiple units online. At the end of the night, or whenever you like, all of the transactions processed through the CHARGE ANYwhere units can be downloaded into your computer or POS system. If you sell your product outside your restaurant and cannot accept credit cards, you are probably missing sales opportunities. Once customers know you can take this form of payment from virtually anywhere they will look for you in the crowd. If you aren't approving checks you accept outside the restaurant, you are taking a chance the check is good and paying a higher rate. Why not make your life easier and give Comstar Interactive a call at 800-211-1256 x150 and ask about the CHARGE ANYwhere solution, or visit their website at www.comstarinteractive.com.
Strategy #116
Give that Customer a Cookie!
Forget everything that comes to mind when you hear the words "fortune cookies." I am about to change your perception of how this product can be used. I am also about to show you some ways to use fortune cookies by Fancy Fortune Cookies to set your restaurant apart from the other guys in your area that you have probably never thought of before.
Most people think fortune cookies have to have a universal prediction about your future or some silly message inside, but they can do so much more. What if, at the end of the meal, customers were given their check along with a colored and flavored fortune cookie and the message said, "A decision in the future will bring much fortune. Good for 10% off a large pizza" or "Buy one lunch at regular price and get one free." As you can see, fortune cookies can be used like coupons, too. Don't think of them as fortunes, think of them as little sales people inside that allows your restaurant to be unique.
Here's another idea: Since you can have up to five different messages, you can give one of the "special" cookies to one person at each table with a "Good for one free after dinner drink" message. Since people don't usually drink alone, you now have a unique tool to help up-sell customers. What about this: since both sides of the message can be printed, have another company – such as the local video store – pay for the cost of the cookies and put "good for $1 off your next video rental at_____." Get the message? (Pun intended).
Fancy Fortune Cookies are not your run-of-the-mill fortune cookie. They come in 17 different flavors and 17 different colors. Blue, green, brown…any mix of colors you want. You can even get them in colors that match your logo. For more ideas or a list of flavors, call Fancy Fortune Cookies at 317-299-8900 or visit their website at www.fancyfortunecookies.com.
Strategy #117
Counter-Top Fryer Can Help Get Your Sales Cooking
Fried appetizers are a great tasting addition to almost any menu and can really help boost average ticket sales, but the drawbacks are the cost of installing fryers, hoods, vents, fire suppression systems and space constraints. If you want to add fried items to the menu without the cost burden associated with adding a traditional deep-fryer, a Perfect Fryer is the tool for the job.
An appealing appetizer menu stocked with items like calamari, fried ravioli, cheese sticks, stuffed jalapenos, fries, hot wings or any other fried item, provides customers with more choices and the opportunity to get a snack-like food before the main entree arrives. It also creates less idle time for the customers who are waiting for their pizza to arrive. In just a few minutes, they can be enjoying a great appetizer instead of looking around the room at everyone eating. In situations where you have a bar that stays open after the kitchen shuts down, the Perfect Fryer is, shall we say "Perfect", because the self-contained unit can easily be used by any of your employees without messing up the kitchen or getting burned. Kitchen sales can continue even after the kitchen is closed.
An appetizer menu loaded with tasty choices can dramatically impact your bottom line, too. Imagine the increase in revenues if you can add just $2 or $3 to each ticket. Which is more profitable and easier, getting customers to order more toppings or a larger pizza or inviting them to order an appetizer to eat while they wait for their pizza? It's also a great tool for creating bundled menu items. With the Perfect Fryer, you can offer complete meals that consist of a soda, pizza and an appetizer.
The Perfect Fryer consumes only two square feet of counter space, requires no hoods or vents, is odorless and needs no additional purchases. Perfect Fryer has four models to choose from and comes with the longest warranty available. For more information on the Perfect Fryer and details on how to get yours, call Perfect Fry at 800-265-771 or visit their website at www.perfectfry.com, or you can email them at profits@perfectfry.com.
