In the previous post, I mentioned that restaurant owners give up on marketing, or maybe aren’t effective at it, because they give up on their messages. They run out of things to say, and all they can think of is a discount (which they don’t want to do, and doesn’t usually produce the desired results).

So how can you keep your message fresh without flooding the market with coupons? Consider the marketing mix, then consider your editorial calendar. Then combine the two.

• Facebook and Twitter reach a particular audience and have their uses.
• FourSquare offers a way to reach new audiences.
• Coupons and flyers to targeted audiences (complementary audiences) tailor your message.
• Standing ad buys in local magazines or (very) local newspapers can be altered.
• Facebook, online ads, and search engine marketing can be altered regularly.
• Email is not dead and is still a good delivery channel (btw, can your customers read your message or is all your copy hidden in pretty pictures?).

Whatever your mix, make sure you get enough frequency of message to be effective (more money is wasted by underspending on advertising than on overspending).

Next, consider your editorial calendar. It’s easier to come up with messages in advance, but sometimes they’ll just happen.

• Do Texas Hold ‘Em Night if you must, it’s better than doing nothing, but consider widening your options.
• Host a Toys for Tots drop off during the holidays (this is PR worthy also).
• Choose off-beat ‘holidays’ (think National Bald Day – emails, tweets, FB posts will get forwarded and re-posted).
• Limited Time Offers can be a pain in the butt. But if you have seasonal menus they’re a great kick-off to each season. If you source locally, you can usually get deals on different items each week. They’re well worth it if you condition customers to expect new items.
• LTO’s don’t have to be limited to items that aren’t typically on your menu. Highlight an old favorite, especially if its an app and serves as a loss-leader.
• Plan a community event calendar of your own. The work has already been done for you, just choose the ones that your customers are most interested in and plan in advance. If you promote their event to your customers, they’ll likely reciprocate.
• If you have nothing else to say, give a shout out to some of your customers. “Bill M. bowled a 300 last Tuesday; Sherry S. walked 60 miles for breast cancer; Local firefighter, Tom W., was recognized by the Mayor.” If you don’t know this stuff, why not? Chat your customers up, create a dialog via Facebook.

Then you simply take this month’s message and plug it into each of your monthly channels. Incorporate an offer (one that modifies behavior) for your local flyers and all of a sudden you have a 12 month marketing plan. And you’ll always be sure you have something to say.

Supporting non-profits can be a great way to build your business. Your support brings about community goodwill and shows that you care about your area and customers. And your support will draw more traffic into your store. There are also personal benefits – giving will make you and your staff feel good.

On the Restaurant Business magazine’s blog there’s a quote from Alyssa Prince, community relations director for the National Restaurant Association:

“Restaurants need to think of charitable involvement as a partnership rather than a sponsorship,” says Prince. “Hardly anyone just writes checks anymore. Successful partnerships can benefit both the charity and the restaurant.”

This quote comes from a thoughtful article that gives more ideas and ways to get started partnering with a charity.

Intown neighborhoods are usually pretty tight groups. They’re a lot like the suburbs I grew up in where neighbors know each other and when someone is sick the social network springs into action to supply meals and support.

Case in point: Dakota Blue in Grant Park. They work with a local church so that, when the church is scheduling meal drop offs to a family that has recently had a death, a birth, or a traumatic experience, they call him first.

He volunteers for the first night. He cares about them, they care about him. (Another restaurant I work with does this same thing and has received at least 3 catering orders specifically because he does this for the church.)

Six Feet Under rose to the occasion when the Grant Park Conservancy was restoring a fountain. Donate $2 and get a cut-out fountain to write your name on and post to the wall (like Shamrocks for MD). Cheesy, a little. But the local press picked it up and the local residents already knew he was doing it.

Lastly, Applebee’s franchisees report increased customer loyalty due to community involvement and events, of which the company did more than 15,000 last year. A company spokesman said that franchisees are “involved for all the right social reasons” but “we also think there’s a very strong strategic reason to be involved.”

If you’re not involved with your community, or you don’t have a local store marketing plan for your restaurant…why not?

Rubio’s Mexicana Grill offers spirit nights and fundraisers for local schools and organizations. The key to their increased customer counts during such events – give away a higher percentage. 10%-15% is standard, but Rubio’s goes up to 20%.

“It brings more people in,” says Larry Rusinko, senior vice president of marketing and product development.

I think the trick here, and something that Mr. Rusinko has clearly grasped, is that the effort is the same whether you offer 10% back to a charity or organization, but the return is so much different. Goodwill, customer support, and charity/organization satisfaction (along with that of your own), are much, much higher when you don’t skimp on the donation.

Think like a customer, not like an owner. Give away what you would want to receive, not what you’re hoping to get away with.

Case in point, Shane Thompson, Shane’s Rib Shack, used to donate a night’s tips to a local charity, cause, or person in need. He would match the “employee contribution” from the tip jar out of the till every night. Customers on subsequent weeks would ask when he was going to do it again, and would thank him for caring about the community.

That’s customer loyalty. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

Grand Traverse Pie Co. ran a promotion where a certain percentage of sales went to the Komen Research Foundation. Beginning on National Pie Day in January and ending on Mother’s Day, company representatives said that sales were up about 10% during a time of year that is normally a lull in the pie business.

Apparently there are some franchisees won over to the dark LSM side.

PJ’s Coffee did something similar. Not only did a franchisee sponsor the Relay for Life and back it up with their own store team, but they sold coffee at the event (proceeds to the event) and took donations in-store.

Community goodwill, and a little press, went a long way toward increased customer counts lasting for more than a month.

Delta Air Lines has a big pink plane, flight attendants don pink uniforms during the month of October (men wear pink pocket squares) and they sell pink lemonade onboard flights to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Their employees want to be involved and Delta is supporting the causes their employees support.

Next up, how all of this giving actually increases sales (imagine that).