|
|
Recently, I came across this request from a pizza parlor owner on one of the business mentoring groups I participate in. I’ve tweaked it for privacy: I own a pizza parlor in a busy food court in a Chicago mall, and I’m trying my best to keep afloat. I think social media is going to be the key to my success. I want to become a social media maven and use it to advertise for free. Any social media mentors willing to help me, please get in touch. Unfortunately, this business owner is under the influence of social media. He believes it is the answer to all his problems though he has no understanding of how it works. As a result, he is jumping on the desperate wagon and is unable to look at his business objectively. He’s forgotten how to make good business decisions. This particular pizza parlor is located in a busy mall. Busy mall equals hungry shoppers and foot traffic. So I’m wondering why he would choose to ignore the people walking past his pizza parlor for the allure of social media? Of course, he can ultimately use social media, but not in the way he thinks. And he has a lot of work to do before he can even consider turning to social media.
For now, the best place for this business owner is behind the pizza counter rather than behind his computer. Thinking Outside the Pizza Box It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run, a great starting point is thinking about “what you know” and “what you have” And then focus on “what you need.” Let’s assume this Pizza Parlor Man knows how to make great tasting pizza and can deliver it efficiently Timeshare Owners Email List to his customers. What he has is foot traffic and free competitive intelligence. His objective is to turn those feet towards his pizza parlor by using the competitive intelligence around him. He is within sight of all his competitors. He can see how busy they are, who their target customers are, their busy periods, and so much more. What he needs is people to try his pizza and convert to customers. Clearly Defined Target Audience Of course, I don’t have insight into the competitive intelligence. But even without it, I can make assumptions to identify his target customers clearly.
Remember, the trick is to specialize. Not to try and sell to everybody, even in a busy mall. My suggestion for Pizza Parlor Man is to target three specific audiences: Families with children—parents shopping with their children Mall staff—anyone who works in the mall, shop managers, salespeople, etc. Office workers—people who work in nearby offices Being Different is Good Now that he has a clear target audience, he can create marketing programs for each. But before he does, he should differentiate his pizza parlor from competitors and implement a taste-test strategy. Here are suggestions on how he can be different: Provide the friendliest and best customer service possible Hire charismatic staff who will engage with customers His employees should look like they love making pizza Create an atmosphere of fun and high energy Create a party-like atmosphere; it can be infectious Clean the place until it sparkles Ensure employees look good; uniforms pressed, hairnets neatly tied, etc. Try Before You Buy The food business pioneered the try-before-you-buy-strategy. It’s an oldie, but a goodie. Just ask Costco. Their customers are obsessed with free samples.
|
|
發表於 2024-4-30 14:58:44