FSR August 2022

Your Take BY SHARDUL KIRI

Marketing, Minus the Big Budget Restaurants don’t need a dedicated marketing team or unlimited resources to get the message out and engage with guests.

SINCE 2003, I have been navigating my way through the world of brand build ing, first as creative director for some of the world’s largest corporations and most recently as a chief marketing offi cer in the hospitality space. Transition ing into the realm of independent restau rants forced me to think creatively about how to use the tools and resources I had at my disposal to make the most impact on our bottom line. Understand your data Lean marketing teams of just one to three people require marketing efforts to be tar geted and strategic with minimal time and energy wasted. Properly analyzing your customer data is a good first step toward maximum efficiency. When there are limited resources and budgets, you’ll want to determine what data is going to be actionable and then take small, itera tive steps to act on this information so you can measure and respond quickly. Look to accumulate data based on what technology is available, and then use that information to implement sim ple, creative, and budget-friendly mar keting tactics based on guest behavior. This approach reduces wasted hours and wasted dollars.

any marketing strategy, and being able to build a tech stack that provides ample information without overwhelming your team is key. When you have limited man power, the focus should be on determin ing which are the most accessible data points that can drive immediate conver sions. Historically, I’ve found the most applicable insights have come from loy alty programs, POS data, and reserva tions data. EVEN LEAN TEAMS CAN BUILD STRONG MARKETING STRATEGIES. IT ALL BEGINS WITH MINING DATA AND UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMER BASE. ŏ$V PDUNHWHUV LW LV RXU ƓUVW task to draw customers in and engage them with our brand.”

get the highest engagement from your audience, the focus should always be on building the brand, especially when you have limited marketing dollars. If you can convert someone into a loyal mem ber of your brand community, you won’t have to be as aggressive with discounted promotions. Budget restrictions often limit you from marketing to the masses, so it’s essential to define your target audience and then create a tailored brand and

Target your audience, segment your audience As marketers, it is our first task to draw customers in and engage them with our brand. In doing so, we can accumulate data through a variety of channels (web site, social media, email marketing, in store, etc.) and study their habits. To

Use technology effectively Technology plays an important role in

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AUGUST 2022