Traditionally, restaurants — like the real
estate and auto industries — have relied
heavily on advertisements in print media.
Magazine and newspaper ads or flyers
inserted into local publications are ideal for
distributing coupons and promoting sales to
nearby consumers. But today, these types of
publications reach less people than ever as
subscription rates continue to plummet.
Direct mail is still a common practice in
most industries, and traditionally has had
a high success rate for the investment, if
sent consistently and repeatedly over time.
For most small businesses, though, sending
one batch of postcards may seem doable.
But strong results typically only occur with
multiple sends, driving your budget for
printing and postage way up.
Plus, flyers and postcards can easily get
lost in the overwhelming amount of junk
mail your potential customer receives on a
daily basis. And direct mail’s effectiveness
is low when not used in combination with a
discount or value offer, which may feel like
diminishing your overall brand if the price cut
is too severe.
The common thread for all of these
practices is expense, and the return on
investment (ROI) just doesn’t favor smaller
businesses anymore.
So, what to do? It’s time to think seriously
about the forms of advertising that produce
the best results for you.