Marketing without Advertising
Low-cost and no-cost ideas for promoting your restaurant

You don't have to run an expensive ad campaign to get more customers in the door. Try these suggestions for raising awareness of your business and building customer loyalty.

• Get listed. Make it easy for those who are trying to find you. Make sure your establishment is listed in all appropriate guides and listings (Web directories, yellow pages, tourism guides, chamber of commerce, etc.).
  
• Talk to your customers. Ask your customers how they learned about you. Follow up and find ways to take advantage of niche markets that you appeal to.
  
• Don't play by the rules. If you are competing with a bigger business or a chain, consider using their size against them. For instance, honor your competition's coupons. (They pay the printing costs, you get the customers!)
  
• Use technology. Start a Web site. Keep your site simple
  -- it needn't be expensive -- but DO include a menu. And make sure to submit your site to search engines so people can find it.
  
• Collect customers' email addresses. Keep customers up to date on news and events at your establishment and offer them special deals and incentives through online-only promotions. (Warning: DON'T send too many emails, or continue to send emails to people who have requested that you stop. This can turn a happy customer into an ex-customer in a hurry.)
  
• Get involved in the local community. Find a way to make a personal difference in the community you serve. It pays dividends in customer good will.
  
• Cultivate referrals. Don't underestimate the power of word-of-mouth. Offer better service and innovations that your competition does not, and don't be shy about asking your customers to tell a friend. People who like your restaurant want you to succeed. Sometimes they just need a little reminder to help spread the word.
  
• Be distinctive. Don't be afraid to be different. After all, you want people to remember you. Why make changes that make you more like the competition?
  
• Be straightforward. If you do choose to run an ad, be straightforward and honest, never deceptive. Avoid fine print. This helps build customers' trust.
  
• Project confidence. Some aspects of success are all in the mind. Believe in your business. Hire employees who believe in your business. Project confidence. People love a winner.