Learn How To Effectively Market Holiday Items And Other Restaurant Specialty Treats

The holidays are always an interesting time for a restaurant entrepreneur. The month of December means more people are going to be eating out, but it also means you’ll have to step up your game if you don’t want your competitors gobbling up all the customers.

Christmas, it’s a time to be bold with your restaurant marketing strategies.

For example, you have a particular product – say sweet ham or specialty holiday sweets – you want to market to customers this Christmas. How do you do it? How do you go about marketing aggressively without offending customers?

Here are some tips:

1.    Use signages
Position signages in the bathroom, at the entrance, inside the restaurant, or any other place that could accommodate them. Make sure the signages are tasteful and communicates the message effectively. Bathrooms are my favorite places to put up these signages, especially at the back of the stall or on the mirror.

2.    Website
After bathroom stalls, the second best way to communicate with customers is through the restaurant’s website. So make sure to put it up there as well. On the website you can explain everything about the product in detail and even entertain questions posted by visitors.

3.    Email newsletters
Website marketing and emails go hand-in-hand. Instruct your email marketer to create a series of emails that keep the product highlighted with every newsletter that goes out to your members. In the email, provide a link that sends users back to your restaurant’s website…

4.    In-house contest
A contest is always a nice way to attract attention.

Organize a contest where the main prize is the product you are promoting. The whole time the contest is going on put up a big sign that exposes your holiday product. Afterwards, for runner ups, send them a discount coupon or another offer that works for the product you’re promoting.

5.    Bag stuffer
Sneak a bag stuffer in every take-out and delivery bag that goes out your doors. Put one in every tray or in-house order as well. You’ll be surprised just how much this kind of exposure will affect your year-end product sales.

In the end there’s no such thing as a magic trick to help you make a good sale of your holiday product. All I can say is it takes pretty much the same what it takes to sell any other product – action and aggressive advertising.

If you can do this, if you can find the perfect balance between aggressive restaurant marketing and a favorable customer feedback of that marketing approach, you’ll be successful not just during the holidays, but you’ll be good to go all year round.