Tips to Improve Marketing

Marketing a Family Restaurant

The value and earning capacity of a family restaurant largely depends on the quality of its marketing efforts. But great marketing takes a lot more than hanging a shingle and hoping for the best.

Small-mindedness has no place in great marketing. In fact, a strong marketing strategy can give a small business high visibility in the marketplace.

In general, good business owners make good marketers. However, the most visible brands are always on the lookout for the marketing tactics competitive family restaurants utilize in the marketplace.

Promotional Calendars

Sloppy marketing programs have no place in growing family restaurants. Instead of offering special promotions on the spur of the moment, we recommend creating a promotional calendar for the fiscal year. Although you can adjust the calendar as needed, advanced planning makes it easier to connect your company's marketing tactics to sales objectives, inventory levels, staffing, and other areas of the business. Many list vendors appreciate promotional calendars because they are useful for timing the delivery of the resources your business needs to meet strategic objectives.

Sponsorships

Event and team sponsorships are a proven method for raising the public profile of family restaurants. Successful sponsorships create connections with customers; ineffective ones alienate customers and drain your marketing budget. A strategic sponsorship targets actual family restaurant buyers. To minimize costs and multiply outcomes, consider teaming up with a complementary business to co-sponsor targeted events.

Improve Your Business Sign

Good signage is a Business 101 concept. Despite the fact that family restaurants are very different from each other, sign content should focus on some common industry themes in addition to the details of your business. Visibility, branding elements and other considerations are all factors in the design and size of your operation's business signage.

Given the fact that signage in family restaurants has unique characteristics, avoid glossing it over as an afterthought. Talk with somebody who knows a lot about business signage advice and get their input before you create new business signs.

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary