What happens when a new restaurant concept comes to town?
BUZZ happens! That’s right the news paper runs a story, then people go to the new restaurant and tell their friends about it. Now days, with social media, people write about it on their Facebook page or share review on some of the online restaurant review sites.
Now days there are not a lot of new restaurants going in and there is a big BUZZ deficit. The newspaper still wants to run articles about restaurants so give them a reason.
Here are five steps to getting your BUZZ back!
1. BUZZ needs a theme: Think about topics that are of interest to the media and the general public in your area. Here are some examples:
a. Help out a good cause: Right now most states are cutting back on school funding. Teachers are ending up paying for more and more of the class materials. Have Teachers appreciation day and give 10% of your sales to a local school for teacher supplies. Or, if you can work it out with the teachers; have the teachers be your wait staff and they keep the tips and you donate 10% of your profits.
b. Celebrate your anniversary: The media really would love to run positive stories about the economy. If you have been in business for 5, 10, 25 years make it a big deal and make sure everyone knows you are still around because you are good at what you do!
c. New ways to attract business: Think of innovative ways to attract business. The media loves to cover stories about interesting ways small businesses can bring in customers. For instance; I heard a story about a small business that paid an employee to go to a nearby gas station and pump peoples gas and wash their windows for them. The employee also handed out coupons to the business. It was hugely successful and the media covered it!
2. BUZZ takes planning: Don’t just try to wing it. Once you have your idea, you need to sit down and make a plan. Think about what preparations your staff is going to need? Is there printing that needs to be done? Balloons to order?
PR releases to write? Plan out each step and how long you need to prepare each step. A lack of organization will show and the media will not want to be involved it you are not organized.
3. BUZZ takes
PR: A well written
PR release will go a long way toward getting you the media attention you want. Take your time and write a good
PR piece and make sure it gets delivered to all your local media outlets.
4. Don’t forget your social media tools: If you have an E-mail list and a Facebook account, make sure you get the work out. And, don’t be afraid to ask you fans to spread the word for you.
5. Make your BUZZ look special: It’s amazing what 50 balloons, a banner, and some streamers can do to bring in the business. Make it look like something special is going on and you will get people feeling like they are part of something special.
This shouldn’t be a one time deal for you. You should try to come up with at least three things per year to boost your BUZZ. So, it is very important that you keep your plans and after each event take a little time to write down what worked and what didn’t work so well. The more you do this the easier it will become and the less time it will take. For instance, once you have a good plan for helping out with local disasters, you can quickly respond to help a family whose house has burned down.
It really comes down to you being part of the community. It takes effort, but it is good for the community and good for your business.
5 steps to getting your BUZZ back!
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