When it comes to marketing expenses, you can’t expect to spend zero dollars on marketing your business and still expect to set sales records.
Restaurants are a perfect example of this at play in the real world. Understandably, it costs a ridiculous amount of money to start a restaurant. From renovation fees to obtaining licenses, opening a restaurant can be a huge investment. In fact, RestaurantOwner.com did a survey and found the average cost to start a restaurant was $451,966. It’s no surprise that once an owner is finished spending nearly half a million dollars they’re reluctant to invest anymore into the business.
But that’s just it. You don’t drop half a million into a venture without expecting an eventual return on that investment. Marketing is just a way to protect the investment.
An open sign in the window isn’t enough to drive people to your business. And that’s what you’ll be attempting to do, drive crowds. You’ll need to move people from one place to another. From their home to your tables. You can’t do that without engagement. Restaurants should be starting social media profiles before they even begin renovating. They should be tweeting and updating daily, building interest with pictures and stories. They should be sending press releases, blogging, spending dollars on excellent branding, previewing the menu, inviting food critics and planning an awesome grand opening. They should have a plan.
Instead, they are exhausted from spending money so they open unceremoniously. And then they fail.
Don’t fail. Have a plan. Execute that plan. But don’t try to have your cake and eat it too.