Partners in Promotion
Bread & Butter, December 2001

Cross promotion — partnering with another business to promote your restaurant — is an inexpensive and effective form of marketing. "One advantage is that restaurants can geographically target their promotions" by partnering with a neighboring business, says Marc Slutsky, executive vice president of Street Fighter Marketing in Columbus, Ohio. Here is his advice on how to mount a winning cross promotion.

On target

The most common cross promotion is the "one-way" cross promotion, where another business advertises your restaurant in exchange for a value-added service for its customers, such as a restaurant gift certificate. A "two-way" cross promotion involves the partners advertising each other and offering each other's customers a value-added service.

In either case, the first step is to determine your target audience and seek a business partner with a similar demographic, says Slutsky. If you operate a family restaurant, it might be a good idea to propose a cross promotion with a local toy store or day-care center, he suggests.

A business-card drawing is another great source for leads. Simply examine the business cards for potential partners. These businesses will already know your restaurant when you call, says Slutsky.

A working relationship

Businesses are more likely to partner with your restaurant if they have a prior relationship with you, says Slutsky. If you don't know the businessperson, however, simply explain your idea and that a discount on your food is a value-added service that his or her customers will appreciate. "Keep the pitch open-ended and nonthreatening so it won't seem like you're trying to sell them something," says Slutsky.

The more your partner does to promote your restaurant, the better, says Slutsky. "Ask your partner to hand out fliers or samples instead of placing them on a table," he says. A Bob's Big Boy unit in New Castle, Del., once conducted a cross promotion with the local branch of Maryland National Bank. Bank employees handed out 2,000 restaurant gift certificates and created point-of-purchase displays advertising the restaurant. The result: More than 63 percent of the certificates were used in one month, says Slutsky, who brokered the partnership.

Print your business-partner's name and company logo on your flier, and note that the generous offer came from the partner, says Slutsky. Attaching your partner's name and company logo to the flier ensures that he or she will take the cross promotion seriously.