Guard against the credit crunch with marketing

How do you brace against the credit crunch when you've already focused attention on cost reduction and business efficiency but you still feel concerned about the competition?

Catherine Hinchcliff, marketing controller for 3663 First for Foodservice, spent time with Tim Robinson at the Rose and Crown in Faversham to demonstrate how effective marketing can keep you one step ahead.

"A strong commercially based marketing plan should be able to drive traffic, increase spend and enhance profitability of the business," says Catherine.

"The Rose and Crown has a potentially strong point of difference to exploit with green credentials and support of local or ethical foods. The key is to drive awareness of this, and use targeted rather than general communication to trigger a response."

Key recommendations to marketing success​

"There are a number of steps that pubs can take to maintain consumer interest and footfall in their pub," says Catherine. "There is no magic plan or crystal ball that can tell you what you need to do, but sitting back and hoping that customers will flock to your establishment is a recipe for disaster."

Simple, straightforward and consistent communication is essential and there are quite a few tools at your disposal:

- Direct Mail: use this to attract new target customers with specific messages, e.g. try our new menu, new local dishes, key events coming up

- Key Calendar Events: identify, plan and advertise key events and theme nights through the year- they can add up to a lot of incremental sales

- Menus, Table Talkers, Posters and Staff are all opportunities to upsell your high margin dishes

- Sales Calls and Networking: visit local businesses or try to negotiate alliances to target event trade

- Your Website: extend and update your website regularly and consider adding information about new menu launches, events, special events, etc. Be aware of the feedback you are receiving on internet sites.

- Press Releases and PR campaigns: you can construct and execute your own PR to draw attention to special awards, events etc. You could for instance launch a competition that allows customers to choose the items that will be added to your seasonal menu.

Tools to building an effective marketing campaign​

"When it comes to marketing, it is sometimes easier to think of things you shouldn't be doing," says Tim Robinson from the Rose and Crown. "For instance, in our area newspaper advertising doesn't work. We ran a campaign at the beginning of the year that had a number of different offers and mechanics to entice readers to visit us. After monitoring the response rate, we found that it just wasn't delivering returns.

"Using networking opportunities as a way to gain an insight into other organisations' success stories is also very useful - you are bound to find someone somewhere who finds themselves in a similar position.

"Also use experts to tap into new viewpoints and opportunities. Catherine (Hinchcliff) spent some time with me and one of the tools that she explained in more detail was PR. It is one of those tricks that - if implemented successfully - will give you a strong hook and way into the press. Up until now I've been generating my own press releases and talking to her was really helpful because I realised why they were perhaps not as successful in achieving coverage for us as they could've been."

Catherine comments: "There are no hard and fast rules to marketing success but you can use a number of cost effective methods to improve your visibility and enhance the chances of a customer visiting your outlet rather than the competition."

Increasing awareness of the pub​

PR​

Anyone can write a press release but how do you make it hard-hitting and relevant to your local market?

Some key tips:

• Use creative headlines (10 words or less and a strong eye-catching title);

• Write in the third person, and in the present or future tense;

• Send information to the right person and personalise each e-mail - take the time to find out who has an interest or regularly writes about events, pubs, etc in your local newspaper and establish a relationship with them;

• Include good resolution images - a minimum of 300dpi, so if your camera has a five megapixel resolution or higher, it should be suitable for use;

• The first paragraph is key and should be a summary of the story, who, what when, where, why, etc.;

• Body copy should spell out the key selling points, other benefits, notable points of difference, details about any awards or accolades, a quote from the spokes' person, and the nitty gritty- special offers etc.;

• Remember that everyone is as busy as you are, so writing 'War and Peace' isn't going to get you more coverage and may end in the bin even before they've finished the first page. Keep the information as brief as possible and explain any extra detail you think may be of use in 'notes to editor';

• Notes to editor: use this section with care and include any other information you think may be of use such as company background, location, etc.;

• Remember to include your contact details: detailing name & position of person sending the press release, phone numbers, email & website URL.

Free websites: ​

The Rose & Crown is already detailed on a number of key websites and although good reviews are evident, not much mention is made of local foods or its green credentials, so Tim can encourage some other reviews that bring this to the fore. Google yourself regularly and constantly check that the latest information is on websites and update it as regularly as possible.

Advertising: ​

For a lot of small business advertising doesn't work - if you can't see a tangible result, stop. However, there is a key role that direct response advertising can play in driving awareness of your business. You could for instance use post-cards, designed to target your loyal customer base to 'try our new selection of local foods', 'book your wedding, christening, Christmas party', 'treat your mother to a country pub lunch', etc.

Tim also points out: "It is important to think carefully about your advertising, especially if sustainability is at the heart of your business." Print on recyclable card and don't send one out every week - target the communication carefully.

Signage: ​

This is one of the key ways for pubs to draw in traffic. With the Rose and Crown's out of the way location it is also very important to ensure there is adequate roadside signage or signage in the village of Selling.

Think long term - find strategic partners

You could also set up partnerships with taxi companies, florists, or cake designers whereby you supply information about them to your patrons and they in turn recommend you when speaking to their customers.

Website marketing​

The Rose and Crown can build on an already excellent website with 'call to action' by:

- placing menus on the website

- having an events and weddings section

- having a local products page

Think about what you do when you need to find information on the internet. Your first stop will most probably be Google. You need to make sure that your website pops up on the results page. There is no point having a website that is perfect and gives all the information BUT no one can find it.

Search engine optimisation or SEO is the current buzzword and apart from making you sound very knowledgeable when using it, this tool can help you improve your visibility on the internet. In the simplest of terms it is a way of writing and preparing your website copy so that as many search engines like Google can recognise what you do, so that when someone puts in a search like 'pubs selling area', you will pop up at the top of the search results list (or as close as possible it). It is a fairly simple pro