A Captive Audience
Bread & Butter, April 2002

It's more cost effective to use in-store marketing to encourage repeat business and increase sales than it is to attract new customers, says Tom Feltenstein, founder of the Neighborhood Marketing Institute in West Palm Beach, Fla. Called four-walls marketing, this approach includes suggestive selling, in-store advertising and other marketing tactics that take place within the four walls of your operation.

Here are the four steps to four-walls marketing.

1. Market to your internal customers —your employees. Start by treating staff members well and getting their buy in, says Feltenstein. Make employees partners in your marketing efforts. "Ask for their input," he says. Reward workers for participating in activities like distributing fliers or selling gift certificates.

2. Subtly influence customers through zone merchandising. Every restaurant has specific areas—or zones—that you can use to influence customers. This concept, called zone merchandising, offers numerous promotional opportunities. Some key zones include:
• The lobby. Set up easel posters, mobiles, standing displays or dangling advertisements to promote specific menu items before customers are seated.
• The counter. Advertise items on cash-register toppers, menu boards, counter cards and your specials board.
• The carryout window. Give customers take-home menus and magnets with your restaurant's name and phone number.
• The dining room. Have servers point out specials and signature items. Use dessert trays, wine displays and free samples to entice customers.
• The table. Use table tents, place mats and napkins to brand your restaurant.

3. Strategically design your menu. Did you know that your menu can influence customers to buy more—and to order your most profitable items? "What the eye sees, the eye buys," says Felten-stein. One-page menus should feature your most profitable items in the middle of the page, surrounded by a graphic box to make them stand out. Two-page menus should feature your most profitable items on the upper half of the second page, because that's where guests' eyes drift first, says Feltenstein. Make menu copy brief and enticing. For example, an item featuring your "chef's special recipe" will tempt customers.

4. Keep in touch with customers. Send coupons, information about special events and birthday cards to customers in your database. Start by collecting customer information. For example, hold a random drawing for a free lunch and require customers to fill out an entry form with their name, address, birth date, etc.