Dwarf House promotion

[Denominator]

Dwarf House is having a customer appreciation week. Ol' Truett has some good ideas in here.

Monday July 21st
Sampling: Hand-spun milkshakes 11:30-1:30pm
Receipt Day – save your receipt from this day’s purchase and redeem it for the same order for FREE anytime during August 2008.

Tuesday July 22nd
Sampling: lemon Pies and product demonstration 11:30-1:30pm

Wednesday July 23rd
Sampling: NEW Chick-n-Strips (drive-thru Only) 11:30-1:30pm

Thursday July 24th
Be Our Guest for a FREE Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit 0630-1030
Sampling: Freshly Squeezed Lemonade 1130-1:30pm
Mid Summer’s Night Dinner (steak Dinner special) 3:00pm-10pm

Friday July 25th
1946 Pricing 10cents for a Lemon Pie Slice All day
Sampling: Coke Zero 1130-1:30pm

Saturday July 26th
Drawing for FREE Chick-fil-A for a Year! 6:00pm.

[Denominator]

There are several things to like about this:

- The Dayparting (free CFA biscuit from 6:30-10:00 am, steak dinner special 3:00-10:00 pm)

- The frequency of visit play (save your receipt and get the same thing in August). This one probably raises ticket average because people think they'll hang onto the receipt, which they won't.

- During the promotion, when traffic is higher, they're sampling new items

- Increased menu trial (frequency) and increased ticket average by sampling/promoting lemon pies and milkshakes.

Bottom line: they use the "customer appreciation" excuse to make sure people have tried specific items and specific dayparts, giving people more reasons to come back sooner. Doing everything in the same week is brilliant: save on advertising dollars, build up traffic, introduce new items. (I'll be you a dollar net sales are much higher this week, even with all the discounts.)

[garner]

Increased trial of the drive thru as well. Basically, they're giving product demonstrations and folks are paying to be introduced to new products.

Beats the heck out of a radio ad.

[Ron-DFW]

A little while ago, we had a promo running to keep the lunch reciept and get a free wrap (within 7 days) after 3:00.  My intentions were to create a buzz....nothing like that happened.  There were only few that remembered keeping their receipts.
I am running out of ideas to create buzz or start a word of mouth program that will generate a buzz.  I am open for discussion!!!!!
//Ron

[garner]

What kind of business do you have (sounds like a wrap place, but wraps only or what)?

With whom do you want to start a buzz? I know that sounds like a trick question, but it's easier to start with a single target audience and move out.

Do you have a lot of office buildings in your area? High Schools? Churches?
Do you want to build lunch first or dinner first?

Stick with us, Ron. There are a lot of smart folks here, even if they are only lurking  . It will help to know what you want to accomplish and what audiences are available to your area (other than demographics).

[garner]

Ron-

To create buzz, get more personal. One of the reasons Dwarf House can create a buzz with that promo is that it's the original Chick-fil-A - everyone here knows what it is and there's an element of pride to be a long time customer ("we've been going there longer than you").

Another element that worked for Dwarf House that might work for you is to have a customer appreciation day. FREE drip coffee before 10AM next Thursday. Tell all of your customers, take flyers to all retail and small business around you, send out an email (one announcing it, another as a reminder on Wednesday), call five people from your fishbowl to win 6 bagels.

The goal is to get bodies through the door THEN to show them what you have. Sample breakfast sandwiches, sample smoothies, make sure the customer service is on top of it. Give everyone a bounce-back for FREE danish with coffee purchase, or purchase a medium drip and we'll make it a latte, or something good. Expiration of one week. (Note, if you see those come back on weekends, you will have another opportunity - but one step at a time).

What I've seen from such days:
- Net sales, even with the give aways, are about the same as usual on that day
- Customer counts are much higher on that day (as much as 50% higher)
- Net sales and customer counts on the following days are higher
- You're massing your existing base, and a few new ones, on a single day and showing them a good time - that's the kind of thing that creates a buzz
- Have another Customer Appreciation Day the following week at lunch if you like.