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Scott Mader Articles

Written by: Scott Mader

LSM Is Catching Fire - Click To Read Article
If you happen to read the restaurant news magazines and internet articles, you will notice that many restaurant franchisors are "more than interested" in Local Store Marketing. They realize that the successful franchisees in their chain have demonstrated skill at building business through networking in their local community. And they have noticed that institutional advertising is largely in-effective and expensive. For experts and students of Local Store Marketing, the secret is that Local Store Marketing has been around for quite a while. Nothing is new in the LSM world for those who have practiced and studied the technique. If you read about a tactic or think of a new way to attract customers, chances are that I've seen it. If you own a restaurant and don't understand Local Store Marketing- get educated quick.

Track, Track, Track - Click To Read Article
Never spend a dollar on any advertisement or marketing tactic unless you have set up a sure fire way of tracking that ad when it returns to your store. That means all ads, tactics, etc. are coded. This is why coupons are so vital to Local Store Marketing. Coupons exist to drive business and to give you a tool for tracking what is working. At a bare minimum you should know exactly which tactics are working, how many dollars they generated minus the cost of the tactic, thereby leaving you with a marketing return on investment. The days of shotgun marketing are over, despite what your local ad rep tells you.

The Man Who Sold Hot Dogs - Click To Read Article
One of my favorite tales and rather timely, enjoy.

The Magic Bullet of Marketing - Click To Read Article
Marketing on a local level must be a process. Almost all of the restaurant owners, operators and managers I work with in the trenches discuss marketing as an "event" or a "series of events", designed to produce instant sales and instant gratification. They search for the magic bullet. The promise of this magic bullet comes as a trojan horse from the advertising sales reps that hammer them with terms like "saturation", "shelf life" and other such sales tactics. Sometimes the magic bullet suggestion comes from an advertising agency hired to boost sales quickly. These agencies like to throw around concepts such as "branding" and "image building." These magic bullets begin to get expensive. And any results that come in are very short-lived. Eventually the truth sets in...you can't purchase a magic bullet for marketing your restaurant,no

The Importance Of Making Connections - Click To Read Article
In my efforts as a local store marketing mentor to restaurant franchisees and franchisors, I often find myself prodding them them to "make a connection" when they are visiting someone for the first time. Here's a quick illustration... Recently, my brother was in Manhattan on business. As he stepped off his cab, he had two blocks to walk to his destination. He is often approached by people begging for money and this time was no different, a man made his way toward him-but this beggar was different. The beggar extended his hand to reveal four quarters,and asked my brother, "Can you give me a dollar bill for these four quarters?" My brother paused for a moment, took the four quarters and handed the man a dollar bill. A moment later, the beggar smiled and said, "Sir could you spare a quarter?" Make a connection.

Market Like You're A Dentist - Click To Read Article
Interesting marketing advice for your local business.

Local Store Marketing: New Hope For Restaurants - Click To Read Article
Local Store Marketing is quietly becoming the marketing option for all franchised restaurant chains. And I should know, I have spent the last 8 years building a company to serve this exact need. I have a few theories on why LSM is so popular, let me lay a couple of them on you right here... Theory 1) In today's world, diner's CRAVE old fashioned service and attention. If a restaurant owner goes out into his or her local village and becomes popular- they will drive business to their place in a New York minute. Theory 2) With money being tight, restaurant owners are forced into being creative and efficient with advertising. The mass marketing companies are having a very hard time selling ads for $1,500 per month that bring back 12 coupons on a good day. Interestingly, technology makes this personal, customer service possible!

Local Store Marketing- A Process - Click To Read Article
If I can impress one key thought on a restaurant operator with regard to Local Store Marketing- it is this... ...Local Store Marketing must become a process NOT an event. By way of example, a trip to one high school to setup a fundraiser, only to have 12 people show up does not indicate that fundraisers are useless. That action only indicates that one attempt failed. A better approach is to attempt 3 fundraisers every month. The law of averages will favor the process. Most restaurant operators that struggle market out of negative emotions, they react and engage in random events of marketing madness that they hope will result in a home run. Plan multiple Local Store Marketing tactics for the year. Settle for base hits each month and you'll sleep like a baby.

Local Store Marketing Is Hard - Click To Read Article
It can be difficult. There are absolutely certain personal traits necessary to conduct Local Store Marketing… You must have a certain level of energy. You cannot be a hermit. You must enjoy meeting people and creating new partnerships. You must have the vision to see why you are making this commitment and how big the payoff will be. You should be a little impatient and desire bigger and better things. If you cannot commit to some actual legwork and extra effort… Local Store Marketing won’t work for you. Your only chance at moving forward is to hire, barter or bribe someone else who will put out extra effort. It could be that you are more content with writing checks for advertisements and hoping that they will bring back more than 1 or 2 % return (which is really a 99 or 98% failure rate).

Image Versus Identity - Click To Read Article
The image of a company can be purchased and crafted much like an illusion that a stage magician performs. The identity of a company is the real version of what customers see and experience when patronizing a company. Huge difference. It is quite possible and often likely that companies that have paid for an image have quite a different identity. Grassroots marketing people like your's truly discover and bring out the true identity of the businesses we represent. Here's a quick example; an area has an Avis Rental Car location which has an image of "We're number two, so we try harder." But also in the area is Joe's Rental Cars, a local guy who serves free hot dogs and always has cars in stock. The first has an image, the second has an identity. Image is fleeting and expensive, identity keeps customers talking and coming back.

Get Out Of The Branding Business - Click To Read Article
The success of marketing your restaurant or franchised restaurant can be measured by how many friends you have made in your local community. It's really that simple. It makes little difference if you are a pizza franchisee who is one of 300, or you are Mama's Pizza and an individual operator. You must network your local community to succeed. Period. If you are writing checks for ads, if you are advertising on the local theater movie screen, if you have a radio spot, you are WASTING cash. This is true, even if you own a recognizable, branded franchise location. The only brand you should be concerned with is your own. And the only way to build your own personal brand is to get out of your office chair, or from behind the bar and go into your community.





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