Neighbourhood or Local Store Marketing for Restaurants

Updated September 8th 2013

Neighbourhood Marketing is the ideal and cheaper alternative to mass media advertising. Your customers live within 3-5 miles and this method will be effective in generating repeat business for your restaurant. When effectively planned it can attract new customers and boost profits.

Neighbourhood marketing which is commonly referred to as Local Store Marketing (LSM) aims to attract customers from the local community. It is a very cost effective and proven tool that helps you achieve long-term business relationships with the community and local customers. The key to a successful LSM marketing program is focus; apart from focusing on a given geographical location it should also target a given group. This marketing technique is a long term strategy that needs one to commit a lot of effort, time, and creativity. A good LSM strategy is sure to boost sales in your business for a long time.

A global brand such as GOOGLE has, after a decade, started to focus on local business advertising solutions. Among Pay-Per-Click offers, they are underlining the new Adwords Express services, which simplify the configuration of an Adwords campaign while improving the targeting on local markets.

For your Neighbourhood Marketing strategy to be successful you need to get involved with the community. Ensure that your restaurant participate in local events and also supports local charities. Such actions send a positive message to members of the community and in the long run make your restaurant the preferred choice.

Another effective way of getting involved with the community is by developing lasting partnerships with local businesses. These partnerships build your exposure and credibility. The best partners are those that interact with your target customers.

Personal selling also plays an important part towards the success of your Neighbourhood Marketing strategy. By putting your personal touch and face on the business your brand will look more trustworthy. You can visit local businesses with samples and menus and ensure you show them how much you cherish their business and support. You can even exchange contact information and inform them of all the other services you offer at your restaurant. Have your employees distribute door hangers and fliers in the neighbourhood by handing them to individuals rather than leaving them on people’s cars and doors without permission.

A successful Neighbourhood Marketing strategy also depends on the relationship between you and your employees. Your employees most likely come from around the community and as such they interact freely with members of the community. They give out a lot of information about your establishment and how you relate with them. Happy employee’s means positive information, whereas on the other hand unhappy employees can be your ruin. Try to resolve your issues with employees before they get out of hand and cause negative publicity. Proper employee management has numerous long-term benefits to your restaurant.

Social media also plays a very important role in Neighbourhood Marketing programs. In today’s digital world NM goes beyond the traditional methods and extends to enhancing your restaurant brand on social sites like Facebook and twitter. By actively engaging loyal and potential customers from within the community you generate interest in your establishment and in the long run it will boost your sales.

There are a number of things you need to consider if you wish to run a Successful Neighbourhood Marketing campaign.

• First you should make an annual plan- you need to have a long-term NM plan that features all specific details including the budget set aside for the program and how it should be implemented.
• Evaluate your success- you need to check the impact of the NM campaign on your business. This can simply be done by conducting a marketing assessment or by following your sales trends.
• Finally you need to be flexible- ensure that your business strategies are dynamic and open to change with the current trends. Your restaurant has to keep adapting any new favourable changes in the market and also involve the community.

 

Neighbourhood Or Local Store Marketing is all about creating new and developing old relationships with individuals, businesses and organizations in the community. It enables you to promote your brand locally at no cost. It’s an on-going process that seeks to improve exposure and sales that requires long-term commitment. Once you have developed your plan and the time it would take, the best course of action is to stick by it for that period and you are sure to see positive results.

Written by Daniel Grossmann