You’ve spent a lot of time on tasks such as writing your business plan, getting city approvals, remodeling your space, setting up suppliers and/or hiring staff. You open your restaurant, store, salon, gym or other business, and on day one, you have no customers. Why?
It’s because you didn’t do any marketing prior to opening. This happens all the time, as business owners mistakenly think–to paraphrase “Field of Dreams”–if we build it, they will come.
An article in our daily newspaper featured a new restaurant, whose owner “opened with no advertising and no permanent sign, and said Google had the wrong name and no phone number for her new restaurant.” Unfortunately, this example seems to be the norm, rather than the exception, but it’s easy to avoid.
Here’s a marketing checklist as you prepare to launch your business. It does not represent all possible tasks–for example, we left out email marketing–but some of the most important and universal tasks for any type of hospitality, retail or consumer service business.
- Take photos of your products, equipment, etc. for your website and social media accounts
- Create a website (list your services/products, hours and location at a minimum)
- Set up your social media accounts and post regularly
- Claim your Google My Business account and make sure all the information (e.g. hours, phone number, Google Maps location, etc.) is correct
- Claim accounts on review sites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor
- Create collateral such as business cards, signs, brochures, takeout menus, etc.
- Begin advertising about one month before the opening
- Contact the local media about your opening at least one month in advance