Internet-based tools emerge as primary marketing vehicles for small business restaurant owners
Waltham, Mass. - May 4, 2006 - With the U.S. restaurant industry continuing to grow (The National Restaurant Association predicts 5.1 percent growth in 2006), many small business restaurants express confidence in their sales prospects for this year. In fact, according to the 2006 Restaurant Business Outlook* survey from Constant Contact® the leading email marketing service for small businesses, associations, and nonprofits, 93 percent of U.S. restaurant owners anticipate strong sales in 2006.
Strong industry growth has increased competitive pressures among restaurants, making it more important than ever to step-up marketing efforts that attract customers and keep them coming back. When asked about the biggest business challenges they face, U.S. restaurant owners cited filling seats during slower days or seasons (50 percent) and building their establishment's brand and reputation (27 percent) as the top two difficulties.
With restaurants continuing to take advantage of the Internet to reach current and prospective customers, survey respondents also indicated that access to online marketing tools with even more flexible features, functionality, and customization would help them achieve greater success with their brand building and marketing efforts. According to the survey, 90 percent of restaurateurs said they maintain a website, and 84 percent said they use email as part of their marketing strategy. In fact, nearly half of those surveyed (45 percent) said email marketing is their most effective marketing tool. Direct mail was a distant second at 18 percent, followed by print advertising at 16 percent.
Check out complete results here.
About Me
- Jeffrey Summers
- I am the expert you call when you need to learn how to increase top line sales, lower your operating costs, increase your profit margin, hire and train better managers and staff, evolve your operation into more and better ways of doing business, buy or sell a restaurant, improve your service, engineer (or re-engineer!) your menu, market your business better and less expensively, keep yourself from going nuts because you have no life anymore, open more and better restaurants, don't want to have to give up your first born child to pay a consultant and have more fun! My mission is to enhance the quality of life for my clients by providing the best products and services to help them achieve their personal and professional goals. I take great pride in my clients, my company, my commitment to service and the products I sell. I am a recognized expert in the hospitality industry with over 24 years of success at planning and executing strategies for delivering dramatic results, a former "GM of the Year" for 2 major, full-service, franchises, an Award winning Multi-Unit Executive with 2 of the largest restaurant chains in the U.S., published author, husband and father of two.