Denver Restaurant Marketing in a Down Economy (Part I)

Note: This is the first in a two part blog post about Denver restaurant marketing. This post discusses how Denver restaurant visits are down from last year. I also cover how Denver restaurant owners can boost their Denver restaurant marketing efforts through mobile advertising within the Denver metro area. The follow up blog post will discuss how to get a restaurant listed in Denver local search directories. I also discuss how these directories can be a highly effective way to market Denver restaurants and bring in a lot more diners.

According to a Denver Post Article, Parker: Eateries Traffic on a Diet, Penny Parker references a recent NPD study showing that restaurant visits continue to be on the decline. Restaurant visits in Denver metro are down 2 percent from last year - which mirrors the 2 percent decline of restaurant visits nationwide. These restaurant numbers are yet another indicator that the Denver economy is far from a real recovery.

How Does this Help Me Market My Denver Small Business?

If you're a Denver restaurant owner, you're obviously already aware of the issue and the need to stand out from your competitors. There are a couple of things that you can do to boost the number of diners that are coming in to your Denver eatery: Mobile Advertising and Online Marketing. In the first part of this blog post, I'll be covering Denver mobile advertising. My next blog post will cover Denver Online Marketing for Restaurants.

Denver Mobile Advertising for Restaurants

The Denver Post article mentioned that when discounts like coupons are used, it tends to increse the number of restauarnt visitors. The current state of the economy means that everyone is looking for a deal, and if you haven't experimented with discounts you probably should to get more diners into your Denver restaurant. One emerging way to experiment with discounts is through mobile advertising.

A mobile advertising campaign for Denver Restaurants works as follows:

1. Offer your diners a coupon/discount to participate in your loyalty club
2. As part of loyalty club conditions, provide an option to to opt-in for text notifications of weekly or monthly deal specials (no more than weekly or diners will opt out of your program.
3. Text message diners who opted in for your program with your weekly specials to encourage visits

This mobile advertising strategy offers an opportunity for you to market to your existing customer base efficiently, while at the same time providing them something of value. The mobile marketing campaign strategy for restaurants is already being used - examples from just the past week are provided here:

• Jack in the Box drives customer interactions via mobile social network - Jack in the Box has used text messaging as a way to bring in local diners to their restaurants. The offer: a free smoothie.
• Auntie Anne's Launches New Text Messaging Campaign to Connect with Holiday Shoppers - Aunt Annie's Offers an easy way for holiday shoppers to opt in to their email marketing with a text message.