Summer is half gone! Time to start school marketing plans.

The start of school in only a month away. It is time to start working on marketing plans for the schools. I have a few ideas but would love to know what others are planning.

I have 12 K to 9 schools and 1 high school within 1 mile of my store. Last year I was able to supply the canteen in 6 of those schools with slices once a week. This was a $1000 per week in total. By being in the school canteen it was a natural progression to be the suplier of choice when it came to the pizza parties. I made a deal with the parent councils so I could have a coupon printed in each school news letter. For every coupon redeamed I gave the school $2.

This year one of the schools is raising funds to replace the playground equipment. I have made up a package that includes coupons for BOGO pizza and $$$ off from other local businesses. The big thing in the package for me is the memo boards that I had made by Royce www.memoboards.ca . These packages will sell for $5 and all proceeds will go to the school. This will put my name and menu on over 1000 fridges in my coverage area.

So lets hear some of your plans.

Re: Summer is half gone! Time to start school marketing plan

BUMP

Re: Summer is half gone! Time to start school marketing plan

I prefer to think of it as, summer is half started.

You’re right though. As fast as time goes by in this business it’s time to make up some nice school folders and begin to meet with the right people in our area schools.

Re: Summer is half gone! Time to start school marketing plan

Hi guys;

There is an amazing opportunity for pizza shops to earn fantastic profits.

There are opportunities for school lunch sales, sales to corporations, sales to small and large businesses, sales in cooperation with local churches, sales to special activities and many other opportunities.

None of the above opportunities are available if you are not prepared to produce pizza in massive quantities in a very short period of time. It is to late if you undertake to supply the various opportunities available and find your self short of production capacity. Fail once to supply all the pizza required where and when needed and you will not usually get a second opportunity.

Asses your market, determine the potential and then incrementally solicit the market. Never undertake to supply an order you are not positive you are equipped to handle, do so and you probably be the undertaker of your own enterprise,

You can in the same space with the same ventilation system be prepared to produce 100 up to 400 pizzas or more per hour.

Be prepared to be successful.

George Mills

Re: Summer is half gone! Time to start school marketing plan

Have any of you guys with dine-in facilities tried to pick up the after school crowd? I realize times have changed in the last 20 years, but a place to “hang out” after school would be nice. Naturally, you wouldn’t get rich off them, but as long as you could sweep them out before the dinner crowd came in, it seems like it might be worthwhile.

Re: Summer is half gone! Time to start school marketing plan

Snowman, with all the after-school activities going on now, I think your idea is right on target.

Let it be a place the kids know they can come to for a quick pick me up before the big game or debate…just my opinion.

Re: Summer is half gone! Time to start school marketing plan

School starts tomorrow for us (the 18th). We are right across the street from a public high school! We’ve tried to get our pizzas in the school but they “don’t allow outside businesses” to provide food for the students in the cafeteria. That doesn’t mean that the kids can’t come to us. And do they ever!!! We have, though, gone to several private schools and have had much success with them. Just waiting for that extra money coming in starting at 12:25 tomorrow!!! YEAH!!!

Re: Summer is half gone! Time to start school marketing plan

School started yesterday here. We have 5 schools in our delivery area. In addition to letters for teachers listing pricing for parties and such, this year we did something extra. At about 1 pm I took two orders of cinnamin sticks to each school’s office and gave them to the admin staff, telling them that we know how chaotic the first day of school was for them and thought that maybe they could use an afternoon treat before having to deal with getting the kids out and on the busses.
We got several phone calls thanking us and two orders last night that mentioned how they appreciated the stix in the afternoon. Hopefully we bought some good will with the gatekeepers at the schools.

Rick