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Heartland Build A Gift Card Program, Boost Your Revenue
Heartland BUILD A GIFT CARD PROGRAM, BOOST YOUR REVENUE S ocial distancing is reframing the way customers think about the dining experience. Instead of eating at their favorite steakhouse on Friday night, families are hunkering down and abiding by the CDC’s warning. Likewise, as restaurateurs, it’s our job to rethink the way we do business. And it starts with establishing a strong gift card program. Why a gift card program? Not only can it attract new customers, but it also can strengthen relationships with existing ones.
Here are three tips to help you build a dynamic gift card program:
Spread the word
Use social media to kick-start your plan. Remind followers that gift cards are available for purchase and create a paid social media campaign to drive awareness. Facebook is offering $100 million in cash grants and advertising credits for qualified small business owners.
Sell gift cards on your website
With social distancing comes amplified screen time. Make it easy for diners to buy gift cards on your website. Create a homepage banner or image carousel to advertise your gift cards. Maybe rework your web copy to promote them, too. Whatever you decide, make sure the message is noticeable. The more in-your-face, the better.
Deals on take-out orders
Run specials on gift cards for takeout orders. For example, every order over
$50 receives a $10 gift card, or offer a 10% discount on purchases made with a gift card. Yes, these are aggressive offers, but remember, we’re changing the way customers think about the dining experience. The goal is to excite every customer and keep them coming back.
These are unprecedented times, but you’re not alone on the journey. We’re in this together.
It’s time for you to move yourself and your business forward. As we slowly begin the re-opening process, it’s a great time to think about where we’ve been in this crisis and where we are going. Taking a look at Kathleen Wood’s First Five Moves for Every Small Business Owner is a great place to start. This is just a summary, and we encourage you to review this article to help you understand what you can do to press on.
1. You First Mentality — Take Care of Yourself – FIRST. We all know the story about why the flight attendant tells us to put on our oxygen mask before helping others — catch your breath. • Establish a routine to physically take care of yourself • Establish a routine for emotionally taking care of yourself
2. Address Your Personal Fears — Kick away your biggest fears. Get them out of your head and onto a piece of paper. The longer they are in your head, the more they paralyze your actions. Shelf the next month of issues as our world is changing quickly. Attack your immediate priorities. decisions about the business they built with their blood, sweat, tears and many sacrifices. Many decisions had to do with downsizing, furloughing and letting go of team members. Many small business owners said this was the hardest thing they have ever done in business.
4. Focus Forward: Develop Your Pivot Plan — There is an old saying: “If you don’t know where you are going, how will know when you get there?” You built your business once, and you can rebuild it. This is a great time to look at opportunities to pivot based on your new realities.
5. Founder Faith — We are truly all in this together. We all need a lot of faith — faith in ourselves, each other, our businesses, customers and community. It is so important, even in the most difficult times, to keep our faith for a better day.
Kathleen Wood is the CEO and founder of Kathleen Wood Partners, a growth strategy firm specifically focused on working with founders, entrepreneurs, small business owners and franchisees. She is also the cofounder of Suzy’s Swirl, a family-owned and operated frozen dessert retail.
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