I HAVE A SMALL PIZZA SHOP IN P.A NEXT TO ABOUT FIVE DIFFERENT PIZZA SHOPS THAT ARE BIGGER THAN ME, AND HAVE BEEN THERE LONGER, HOW WOULD YOU PROMOTE, ON A BUGET
Pound the pavement - get to know the people and customers - Doorhang - doorhang doorhang - Locally market your store with business to business flyering - ONLY and ONLY after you know you are supplying the best possible product that can be made in your store.
Marketing can only begin to work after you have streamlined your in store operations.
Sample you product and go make some friends…by this I mean to go to the businesses within a five minute walk and go introduce yourself. These are you core lunch prospects. Don’t just get to know the owners of the area businesses, but get to know the staff who work there and order lunch every day. Once or twice a week, bake a pizza and a sub and cut into small pieces and call them about 11 and let them know you are bringing over some food and go sample it. While you are there, drop off some magnets and menus and maybe a business card or two with a free order of breadsticks or free soda written on the back for their next order. Whenever you have an order screwed up, don’t throw it away, go give it to one of your neighboring businesses.
Another idea is go talk to non-competing businesses like hair salons, oil change shops and places like this. Buy a fish bowl and make up a sign saying “drop you business card for a free pizza drawing each week compliments of (business’s name) and (your pizzeria)” and collect the cards each week. Take all the addresses off the cards and mail them a menu and incentive offer (don’t forget to give the free pizza away too). This is also a good way to get an email database for email marketing. \
If you just opened, call the local newspaper and pitch a story on the struggles of a new or local independent pizzeria and their battles with the major corporate chains (offer to feed the reporter too).
Those are just a few ideas, but I am sure there are some others here in the Think Tank that can offer more tips or suggestions.
Try offering something that the others don’t, Tony. Maybe a little coloring page printed right off your printer for the kids or maybe one of those new fun box lid supports that are toys or just a copy of a hand written thank you note that you change every week or maybe just a free sample of a specialty pizza slice that they will remember. This along with walking to the local area businesses and asking for some patronage as suggested earlier, will all surely make you stand out and be a little special over the competition… GOOD LUCK!!!