4 Marketing Myths You Need to Abandon

Is your restaurant marketing stuck due to outdated marketing habits? Stick around as I'm about to blow the lid off four marketing myths that you need to abandon starting today. Hey, Donald Burns, the restaurant coach. Welcome to the Restaurant Coach podcast. It is secure for the common restaurant. So let's talk about marketing today. I'm sure you've kind of heard these phrases before. You gotta drive traffic, you need to get more butts in seats, you need to stay top of mind. Do any of those sound familiar? I'm sure they do, because those are the same things that most the marketing gurus out on the Internet throw those words around all day in an attempt to get you to buy their systems. Now, marketing your restaurant or bar is not as complicated as they would like you to think or believe. Now, is it a challenge to stand out in a crowded market? Yes. Is there a secret combination that's going to turn your restaurant marketing into a gold mine? No. The situation is really similar to like those diet gurus who possess, you know, the secret to losing weight. And there really isn't a secret at all. You just basically eat less food, burn more calories each day if you can, get in some exercise, be conscious of the crap you eat and drink. It's not a big secret. Well, marketing is a lot like that. Awareness, emotion, consistency and frequency are the four things you want to focus on. So let's break down the four common marketing myths and the truth behind them. Myth number one, it takes a lot of money to market effectively. Alright, this one comes from those marketing agencies that are trying to sell you their real complex marketing services. And for a couple thousand dollars a month, they'll post to your social media account. So traffic becomes a river carrying brand new fresh guests to your door. If only that were true. Throwing more money at a problem like lack of traffic doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get a return on that investment. Yes, posting consistently is a good move and they're going to make sure you have a steady stream of generic content floating around on your social media pages. Just remember that even a broke watch is right twice a day. The shotgun marketing strategy is kind of as outdated as ads in the yellow pages. So here's the truth. While the Internet is a crowded place, you don't need a lot of money to make noise. You just need to know how to make noise that's going to get people's attention. That requires you to be a little creative, a little courageous and a little weird. Yes, being weird selves. For example. Now you could post which the Standard, which I mean, boring. Stock photo of chicken wings and a pint of beer and say, come on down tonight for dollar wings and $2 draft beers. Or how about this? You could make a fun video clip using maybe a time lapse of a person throwing down a frosty cold one and eating two dozen wings. And with a pile of bones stacked up on the table with the caption of the video saying, become a winged warrior. I mean, think about that. Does that make you smile a little bit? It probably does. And your potential guests are probably smiling too. And now here's the thing. They're curious and interested in trying your wings with that frosty beer. That's a winner. Or how about a slow motion seductive video of a woman or a man eating a jumbo chicken wing with the soft sauce just running down their face, dripping down their fingers and chin, and they slowly lick the tip of each finger with an extended tongue, just like Gene Simmons from that iconic rock band Kiss. Then all you need to say is, come get some. I mean, that's the kind of stuff that's going to get edgy and get people kind of interested. And honestly, what do you think is going to get people in the door? Well, there's only one way to find out. You should try them both. And here's the real bonus. You don't need to bribe people with discounts. If your marketing is clever and a little edgy. Now, how do you know it's edgy? If you're making people feel a little outside their comfort zone, then you should be there. Myth 2 Marketing creates your brand. Now, marketing doesn't create your brand any more than your logo or tagline does. It's one of the biggest lies out there. Marketing is just a messenger for your brand. I'm sorry, but no amount of marketing is going to make up for a bad brand. Your brand is a combination of your core values, your purpose, your why, and the emotions behind those. Those things are translated through your products that you offer on your menu. And also then the hospitality conveyed through your extremely crafted guest experience. Here's the truth. Marketing done correctly accentuates your brand. It doesn't really replace your brand. And if you don't know what your brand stands for, a brand is basically an extension of the founder's values. You're not going to be able to relay that. And then here's the thing. Why would anyone want to listen to your marketing message? They won't. And that's why most marketing messages fail. Now, this whole kind of concept can be seen in the work of Simon Siddiq, whose best selling book Start with why, breaks down the essence of what all great brands know. People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Most marketing focuses on the product or the what. Few ever, ever come close talking about people and emotions and the why. One simple change in your marketing content could be a game changer for the direction and effectiveness of your marketing. And it all starts with why you do it. Myth number 3 Market Today, get business tomorrow. If it was only that easy. Sadly, marketing is kind of a lot like online dating. You need to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince or your princess. Marketing is a far cry from a get traffic fast system. The most common myth is if you post it, they will come. Not exactly. According to the American Marketing association, the average consumer is exposed to up to 10,000 brand messages a day. 10,000. Now combine that with the 60,000 thoughts that neuroscientists say float around your head every single day. Do you wonder why no one likes your boring post on Facebook and then just jumps in their car immediately to head down to your restaurant for that special you just posted? And note, if you're still kind of wondering, go back and re listen to myth number one. Here's the truth. Marketing needs to be thought of, like planting seeds now to harvest later. You plant now, you nurture and you care for it every single day and then you reap the bounty later. So how do you plant post today and every day? Please don't think that posting once a week or every other day is having any impact on your marketing efforts. It's kind of like going down to the ocean, taking one little pebble, throwing it into the into the water and expecting a tidal wave to occur. It's not going to happen. So how do you nurture, engage and comment when people like your post? People have a human need to be appreciated. So share some love in your marketing. The secret of social media is just being social. I know. It's not really a big secret yet. It's a huge component that many people leave out in their marketing plan. So how do you reap? Always look for return on your marketing efforts to pay off around 30 to 60 days later. Yeah, I know that sucks. However, you need to build up some marketing equity in your market before people are going to start really to respond to your efforts. You got to build up to what's known as critical mass and then the momentum will continue. Is that fair? No. Is that the way it is? Yes. And myth number four all you need is a Facebook page to market today. Ooh. To bust this myth, let me throw out two words for you, Cambridge Analytics. Now, I don't know if you know, a few years ago, Facebook had a big, huge mishap. And that mishap changed the smooth sailing you've been experiencing with Facebook for the past several years. Yes, Facebook is still a great way to spread your brand message and market. However, they also have made and will continue to make rapid changes to show the public, which basically means they're shareholders, that your data is safe. And they're already starting to put restrictions on how third party apps can access your information. Should you worry? No. Should you be concerned? Yes. Here's the cold, hard truth. If you've thrown all your proverbial marketing eggs into the Facebook basket, time to take some of those eggs out and diversify your marketing portfolio, so to speak. Instagram is hot. Even though it's owned by Facebook. TikTok is hot. And both are great avenues for creative restaurant brands to share their message through live streaming and through a thing called reels. I mean, reels are a great way to showcase your brand in that longer format video. And please don't forget old fashioned email blast to most modern point of sale systems today. They capture emails when guests place orders online or if they make reservations at your restaurant. Is email as great as it once was? Sadly, no. Too many people's inboxes have become littered with spam. But here's the thing. Marketing emails still gets through to some people especially, especially if you're clever with your headline writing. You can get people to open those emails. And if you have problems writing creative email copy, turn to a great new resource out there called ChatGPT. If you haven't noticed the breadcrumbs I've been dropping throughout this whole video, wait for it. Video is the only way to really grab attention in today's market. People love video. You don't believe it? Just listen to these facts. The total number of people who use YouTube, 2.68 billion people. I mean, that's crazy. YouTube shorts just passed 50 billion daily views. 720,000 hours of video are uploaded every day. YouTube viewers consume 1 billion hours. 1 billion hours of videos each and every day. Damn it man. Break out that smartphone and get going. Start recording videos now. Here are two tips to make your video content really, really stand out. Number one, be transparent. Be authentic. Be you. Your guests want to see the real person behind the brand. Take them on tours and how you use this. You know, Coldrip coffee system to infuse your signature vodka for your award winning martini. How about filming your trip in conversation with a local farmer from whom you get those really fantastic heirloom tomatoes? 2. Give away some good stuff and I'm talking about discount stuff. And I'm not saying we give away all your secrets. However, maybe share your famous Bolognese recipe that your great grandmother taught you with your followers. Sharing the story behind the recipe is more important than a recipe itself. People love a great story and take comfort that most people will appreciate your openness to share your recipes. And here's the thing, they don't always have the time or ingredients to make it at home. So they're probably going to come down to your restaurant. And if we're being honest with each other, most people are really a little too lazy to go out and recreate that recipe at home. I mean, marketing loves to exploit the duality of human behavior. Becoming better at marketing your restaurant or bar just starts with breaking free from the bullshit and heading for the truth. So now you have four myths busted wide open and you have a few solutions to solve them. Are you the kind of person that's going to take new action? Or are you the kind of person who just likes keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? That is the definition of insanity. Hey, make sure to hit the like and subscribe button before your competition does. And in my next video, I'm going to show you how to train your service team to dominate your competition.