By Rick Hynum
Yes, the economy kinda stinks right now. But here’s a word to the wise: Even though you might feel the temptation, now is not the time to cut back on your advertising (if you’re leaning in that direction).
One of the biggest errors that restaurant owners make is cutting their advertising budget when business slows. It results in a self-fulfilling prophecy: “Business is getting bad, so I’d better save money on advertising.” In fact, if you do the latter, the former is all but guaranteed. The time to advertise is when you need the business the most. When times are leaner, it’s tougher to get consumers to spend their hard-earned money. If anything, that’s when you have to be more aggressive. Otherwise, you risk losing visibility—and the big chains, which never stop advertising, will grab your customers’ attention with their value deals while you’re floundering in near-anonymity.
Need an example? Here’s two: During the 2008 recession, Domino’s revamped its brand with a bold advertising campaign focused on product improvement and transparency, leading to significant sales growth and increased market share. Also in 2008, Pizza Hut launched a $10 large pizza deal, boosting business by 8%. For further proof, just look at the current proliferation of value deals from chains of all sizes. As Domino’s CEO Russell Weiner has said, “Leaning into our strategic pillar of renowned value has been key to our success in 2024, especially in the U.S.”
Related: Stop renting customers’ attention: How to build loyalty with a robust marketing database
In short, saving money on advertising is a surefire way to kill sales for an independent pizzeria, especially if the chains are doing the exact opposite. Staying visible keeps your pizza brand top-of-mind so that when customers do spend, they’ll think of your superior food first. So here are some ideas to keep in mind over the coming months:
Budget your advertising based on objective, not as a percentage of sales.
Many restaurant owners budget their advertising based on sales and as stated above, cut their ad budgets at a time when they need the sales the most. Instead, consider budgeting based on objective. In other words, ask yourself: What do I want my advertising to accomplish for my pizzeria, and how much will it cost to get me there? You can use a percentage as a general guide in budgeting, but that works better when business is strong and you’re working to capacity (which is the time to stash some money away for a rainy day).
Re-evaluate your existing advertising program.
During leaner times, it’s critical that you squeeze every bit of exposure you can out of the dollars you spend on advertising. That’s where social media can really pay off. In some cases, it’s totally (or mostly) free. For example, you can collaborate with local influencers, especially those who are passionate about pizza or other items on your menu, and leverage user-generated content by encouraging customers to share their own photos or videos of their experience at your pizzeria. And when your followers engage with you, show them the same courtesy—respond to comments and direct messages. Don’t just take their engagement for granted. Customers want to feel seen and heard.
Related: Matt Plapp: How to get customers to join your pizzeria’s loyalty program
Learn how to use Facebook and Instagram’s advertising programs.
Here are some tips for working with Facebook and Instagram’s targeting tools:
- Location: Set your ad radius to 5-10 miles around your restaurant to target local customers first.
- Demographics: Refine your campaign by age, gender and income level whenever possible—you’ll need to know this information about your customers in order to better reach them through social media.
- Custom audiences: Retarget people who have visited your website or social media profiles. Also, update your customer email list to reach out to past customers who may have stopped coming in.
- Budget wisely: Start small, do some testing and figure out what works and what doesn’t work. You might want to allocate $5 to $15 per day on a campaign with a specific goal in mind (such as online orders or driving foot traffic). If that’s working, you can increase your spend. Also use the A/B testing tool to try different versions of your ads. Video tends to perform better than photos but try both. Just make sure your visuals are strong!
- Track the results: Don’t launch a campaign and forget about it. Take some time to check your metrics every day. What’s the click-through rate? Are people clicking your ads? More importantly, are those clicks turning into sales? Try to keep your cost-per-click (CPC) low, below $1.
Related: Design your email marketing to drive social media engagement

It’s not good advertising unless it sells.
That means using bold visuals, such as photos of pizzas with gooey cheese pulls or a fresh, hot pizza coming out of the oven, as well as videos of your pies being prepared or sliced. Pick your prettiest pizzas to put in the spotlight. Just as importantly, you’ll also want to write engaging copy using evocative terms like:
Fresh
Crispy
Cheesy
Zesty
Creamy
Decadent or indulgent
Buttery
Golden-brown
Stone-fired or wood-fired
Sinfully delicious
Melt-in-your-mouth
Handcrafted
Light and airy crust
Perfectly charred crust
Rich and tangy sauce

At the same time, keep your copy short and punchy. And always remember: You need a call to action. Tell them exactly what to do next, or chances are, they won’t do anything. They’ll just scroll on by. So, before you create your social media ads—or any ads at all—think about the action you want your potential customer to take.
You can still build loyalty in tough economic times. Highlight affordability and value, invest in retargeting and loyalty campaigns to keep existing customers engaged, and track every dollar you spend. Above all, take every opportunity to show your customer why your restaurant is the best choice, especially when times are tough!
Related: Matt Plapp: How branding impacts marketing ROI and customer acquisition