ADvice Service, Media and Personal Selling Recipe for Tasty Restaurant Results! Coastlines ADvice article by Jim Clark, Partner, H2O Ad Group
	Jim Clark

Marketing a restaurant in a tourist area presents its own set of challenges, but a little bit of extra effort and a mix of service, creative and media and personal selling is a recipe for success.

If you market, “they” will come—at least once. According to Visit Florida research, dining out is one of the tourists ’top activities. And, our local military market also ranks high among those who frequently dine out. But service is key. Research shows that the average consumer must get three to five marketing messages before they come in once, but more than 12 marketing messages to return, if at all, if they do not receive good service.

One way to make certain that consumers see your marketing messages is to utilize creativity. Advertising professionals can help you with this. And, unless you are very familiar with area media, choosing the right mix may require a bit of trial and error as visitors are not surveyed by Arbitron or Neilson ratings systems, and may not be loyal to local media. Secondly, because the market changes from season to season, reaching seasonal visitors requires a change in the media mix and message during certain times of the year. Media strictly geared to tourists generally carries, on average, a higher cost-per-thousand than other media. That’s why it’s critical that restaurants utilize great creative in their advertising as well as in developing direct sales opportunities.

Creative personal selling can increase your results tremendously. Network with the staff at the visitors’centers and state welcome centers. Make sure you distribute a restaurant brochure or “mini-menus” with a coupon and a map to your restaurant at visitors’ centers, hotels and condominiums. Institute a concierge program that rewards area front desk employees for sending business your way.

Look for creative opportunities. One Florida restaurant instituted a “party with your peers” night that increased their happy hour business by 15%. Each week a different profession was honored with discounts on bar tabs. Invitations were sent via email and chamber of commerce newsletter and communications.

With diligence, a little bit of creativity and some personal leg work, you can increase your restaurant business.

Jim Clark, a partner in H2O Ad Group, is a thirty-year Gulf Coast resident with over 16 years experience in local and regional advertising. In 1991, he established Clark & Company Advertising in Destin, Florida, and it soon became distinctive leader in the local advertising market. Embracing the industry’s advertising potential, Jim was the founding president of the Emerald Coast Advertising Federation (ECAF) in 1992, and just three years later was awarded the American Advertising Federation’s “Silver Medal” in recognition of his contributions to the advertising industry. Clark & Company has been recognized consistently by the ECAF for excellence in advertising in the restaurant, entertainment, retail, and communications industries as well as government and industrial sectors. Clark attended the University of West Florida in Pensacola where he studied Studio Art and Art Education.

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