If you are serious about venturing into your local community and beginning your marketing program, pay attention to these 8 keys.

KEY 1: EASY to Use! Whatever you are attemtping to do or are thinking of doing- it must be easy to do or you will find reasons not to do it. Trust me.

KEY 2: PLANNED! Local Store Marketing must start with a written plan of action. Nothing complex mind you, just an instruction manual for getting from point A to point B.

KEY 3: NOT COST PROHIBITIVE! Good LSM should be many things, but expensive is not one of them. Local Store Marketing relies on being creative not on writing checks and praying for results.

KEY 4: QUICK! I start new programs with clients on the same day and look for results 7 days later.

KEY 5: APPLIED CONSISTENTLY! Marketing is not an event. Marketing is a perpetual process that you must engage in on a routine basis. Put your nose to the grindstone and commit yourself. Results favor the persistent.

KEY 6: MEASURED AND TRACKED! If you do not measure and track the results of your efforts, how will you know which programs are making you cash and which are not?

KEY 7: BALANCED! One or two LSM tactics are simply not enough. You need multiple programs in order to find out what really works in your area.

KEY 8: SCHEDULED! Assign this responsibility to someone, devise a regular, UNINTERRUPTED, schedule and run your program.

If you happen to read the restaurant news magazines and internet articles, you will notice that many restaurant franchisors on a corporate level are “more than interested” in Local Store Marketing. They are realizing 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 impossible to sustain.

For experts and students of Local Store Marketing (like your’s truly), 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.

One of my business associates, Larry Roekle prints Local Store Marketing coupons for me. His printing company, Smith and Jones has been doing this for some time. In fact, Larry was marching around college campuses in Ann Arbor, Michigan with a guy named Tom Monaghan. Larry was working with Tom on Local Store Marketing techniques for a new business called Domino’s pizza.

Local Store Marketing has been around for a while, but thanks in part to the economic crunch, the popularity is gaining momentum. If you are not up to speed with LSM, I would suggest diving in now.

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.

Meet people, shake hands, kiss babies, donate to charity. Arrange fundraisers, pass out free sample cards, play bingo at the local bingo, join the Chamber of Commerce- become the Ambassador of your local village.

Here’s the truth about “real branding”. Branding, true branding, is handled on a national or international level for large franchise chains who are trying to gain national or international market share. When Burger King re-positions itself to get a leg up on McDonalds- that’s branding.

Most smaller franchise chains think they are engaging in branding because an ad agency sells them on the concept, but they would be much better served to allocate resources for Local Store Marketing.

The smart ones are figuring this out.

Local Store Marketing coach for restaurants, franchisees, franchisors, etc. Local Store Marketing advice for this segment is key in determining the ultimate success of the program, especially in today’s economy.

Contact us today for the details on why this program is so successful.

The Small Business Administration reported that roughly 5 percent of new
franchises fail each year. After analysis of the failures, here’s what they
identified as the primary causes:

1. The idea. Sometimes the concept is too confusing or comes along at the
wrong time. Not a lot you can do after the fact to change that.

2. Bad location. Even with a well branded name, if you are off the beaten
path or in an isolated area, the opportunity to be as lucrative as possible
diminishes.

3. Poor/marketing advertising. Even though most franchisors have national
advertising funds that you contribute to, local marketing is ultimately
your responsibility and that’s where the rubber meets the road.

4. Competition. There are over 180,000 franchisees in the U.S. and that
means a lot of competition.

5. Unrealistic expectations. Many franchised locations require two to
three years to turn a profit.

By the way, effective Local Store Marketing can reverse the trend of all
five of those causes.