Hot Fresh Marketing on a Plate!

Do you know your customers like the back of your hand? Put yourself in their shoes: look at your website, promotional material, design, menu, and all branding from the eyes of a regular customer. We know you LOVE your business, but try not to be biased. The only way to be better than the adjacent café or restaurant is TO BE DIFFERENT! How? Let’s talk about it!

The majority of people and customers are very spoilt (aren’t we?), they travel a lot, they experience new things daily and it is hard to surprise them. They are experts on how coffee should be made, they know the right taste of the most sophisticated dish and where the best grapes for the best wines are grown.

The most important thing you need to remember: customers expect to be ENTERTAINED!!!

It absolutely does not mean that you need to invite the circus to your restaurant or café! Every touch point with the customer should give joy, surprise, euphoria, wonder, delight – a long-lasting impression from the entrance of your café up to eating your food or drinking your coffee!

Here are some tips that you could use in your store or which could even help to inspire your own ideas:

Think the way your customers think!

Know what they read, how they talk, what events they attend, know their lifestyle! Speak their language in the way you promote and advertise your store.

Give them NEW experiences!

For example,use different aromas in your store, make outstanding latte art, present coffee in an exciting way, insert a toothpick with a funny message into sandwiches – all things to impress customers and raise their mood for the whole day. They’re likely to take a picture of what really impressed them and share it with 100 or even more friends, who will now come to YOUR store as a result!

Create an entertaining environment!

Don’t make customers wait in a boring environment until their order is ready. If the environment is not exciting, no food quality will ever get them back to your store. Place games on the tables, let them draw on the paper tablecloth, have free books to read, have free Wi-Fi, give them a chance to win a free macaron by taking part in a quick draw, show some video clips or funny videos on the wall, have music in the background, make a lounge corner with creative furniture and design…We are sure you could come up with great ideas that could suit your store or restaurant.

Keep customers’ mouths busy!

Give your customers a reason to talk about you, share pictures and posts in social media and write positive reviews. Word of mouth will always be the most powerful marketing tool…but you need to give them a reason to share.

You brand should have a personality! 

How would you describe your brand if it was a human being? Romantic, vibrant, bold, chatty, boring? What would your customers say if we asked them how they see your brand? “I don’t know, they just make sandwiches…” or “The brand is full of energy, it always surprises me, I can trust it, I just love to spend my Friday nights with it”?

Your staff members are part of your brand! 

Educate them on how to greet, talk to and entertain your customers; train them to make latte art/visually impressive meals; make sure your staff members know all the promotions of the store; and if you a have a chef, let him/her meet with your customers face-to-face.

Take criticism!

If you get negative reviews or feedback on your Facebook page, always be nice and try to ensure the best customer experience with your brand. Don’t let a customer stay with an absolutely negative impression, as word of mouth works both ways – they will tell 50 or even more of their friends! But ALWAYS take what you can from a complaint. If the pizza was like a cardboard, work on the recipe more, if the food was boring, try to make it more exciting, slow service – train your staff!

Live in the internet and social media!

It’s where your customers live! Live on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube; Let Google know about you – use Google Places, Google Advertising; use Yelp, Trip advisor, Urbanspoon, Dimmi, Bestrestarants etc. Let the internet scream about your store! You can do it yourself or consult a professional online marketer. The internet isn’t important at all…it is VITAL for your store!

……continue the list with your own points! The list could be endless, but at least start with something!

Start planning your hot fresh marketing ideas and serve it as a side with a plate of delicious food!

—-Article by Tatiana, Redmako Marketing Coordinator