The technique which if often most difficult for hospitality professionals is: online sales. But it is a great way to market your venue and usually to very low costs compared to the numbers of your target audience. Some platforms even make it possible to promote your business for free.
So where should you promote your business online:
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Your own website
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Social media platforms
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Email/newsletters
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3rd-party websites
Creating your own website is essential. How difficult it is depends on what you want and need. You can already start with easy to use website-builders for a few bucks per month. All it requires is some time. Of course you can ask DenTheMan to build you a fancy website as well.
Through social media you can easily keep your customers posted about what is going on. Share your specials and incentives for free and reach a potentially enormous audience. For best results you can spend some money on paid advertisement. This works really well if you know what you are doing since it comes with a lot of variables and technical skills. If you are not sure, find some help from a marketing professional.
Newsletters through email can definitely boost sales. A personalized message can be send to hundreds of addresses for free by several online programs. All you need is a database. Collect the email addresses by using your social media pages to ask for these addresses. Have a sign-up possibility on your website as well and perhaps use the customer card for a special deal.
3rd-party websites offer marketing. This is their specialization and their reach is massive. This creates a lot of potential but comes with a price. These websites offer deals to their clients and your business needs to pay for it.
A quick example:
You have a 3-course menu for $40,00 a person. Now the 3rd-party website can offer this menu to 100.000 potential customers(email addresses) in your area. You have to give an incentive in form of around 50% discount. This means customers can buy your menu for $20,00. Now the website needs to make money so they charge 50% of sales, leaving you with only 25% of your original sales price.
Your menu will now make you $10,00 instead of $40,00. If your percentages are right, this should be right around break-even. But you will hundreds or perhaps thousands of extra customers in the near future.
Personal note:
If you are not sure how to run your online marketing, find someone to help you or browse through my database on topics or people willing to offer advice and or services. I am all for websites which offer these ‘deals’, but you have you use them. Because they will sure use you to make money. If you can come to a good agreement which works for you as well, go for it. But be sure to check out all my tips on working with these 3rd-party ‘deals’ websites.
Sincerely,
Den The Man