| Welcome to the third and final article of | | | | as they try to decide whether to give your |
| this series. I had a tough time deciding | | | | food a try. They are comfortable and relaxed |
| which of the many free advertising options to | | | | and when they see your online ordering menu, |
| cover. In the end I went to the search | | | | these comfortable and relaxed people may just |
| engines and ran a series of searches for | | | | place their first order with you then and |
| pizza and restaurants. From these, I selected | | | | there. |
| two items which typically showed up in the | | | | |
| top ten search results. | | | | One of my clients built up their online |
| | | | ordering from $100 per month to over $1,000 |
| The Open Public Directory Project | | | | per month with more than half their online |
| | | | customers identifying flyers, newspaper ads |
| The Open Public Directory project is a group | | | | and the window sign as the source where they |
| of volunteers who strive mightily, without | | | | found the restaurant's website. |
| compensation or reward, to find the best | | | | |
| websites and include them in their directory. | | | | You want everyone within a couple of miles of |
| These volunteers have high standards. They | | | | your store to know your web address. So don't |
| ruthlessly discard websites with redundant or | | | | make the mistake of limiting your Internet |
| questionable content. Only the highest | | | | advertising only to the Internet. |
| quality sites, those with original content or | | | | |
| which are the primary source of information | | | | So how is this free Internet advertising? |
| on a topic get into the OPD. | | | | Because these are marketing strategies you |
| | | | are, or should be using anyway. It costs next |
| As part of the OPD, the volunteers maintain a | | | | to nothing to add the words "Order online at |
| separate space just for restaurants. This | | | | our website - to your next batch of menus |
| restaurant directory is located at It | | | | and flyers. And don't forget that window |
| contains restaurant names, addresses, phone | | | | sign. |
| numbers, style of cooking, web addresses and | | | | |
| truly exhaustive descriptions of the | | | | One of our clients used a window sign to |
| restaurants amenities. | | | | announce their web site and online |
| | | | introductory offer and got a constant stream |
| Every single restaurant owner in the world | | | | of new customers registering for online |
| should visit and add their information. You | | | | ordering. |
| can even include reviews and links to other | | | | |
| websites on the Internet which contain | | | | Low Cost Internet Advertising |
| reviews of your restaurant. | | | | |
| | | | In addition to the free marketing strategies, |
| Since every listing is reviewed by an editor, | | | | consider using some low cost paid Internet |
| search engines, such as Google, Yahoo! and | | | | marketing. |
| MSN use the Chefmoz directory as one of the | | | | |
| highest quality resources. The directory is | | | | One of the least expensive Internet |
| logically organized by country, state and | | | | advertising strategies is called Pay Per |
| cities. In many cases, when someone searches | | | | Click. As you might expect, it means that the |
| for restaurants in a particular city, the | | | | advertiser pays for every person who clicks |
| Chefmoz.org directory listing for that city | | | | on their Internet ad. |
| is among the top 10 search items returned. So | | | | |
| it is a good idea to have your restaurant | | | | Search engines such as yahoo! and Google |
| represented, have your web site available and | | | | provide this advertising service and display |
| your menu online. | | | | ads to people who enter specific search terms |
| | | | into the browser. The advertiser can choose |
| To add your restaurant, navigate to the | | | | exactly what search terms he wants entered to |
| correct local directory, and click on "Add | | | | make his ad appear. |
| Restaurant." You will be guided through a | | | | |
| series of pages where you can provide all | | | | For example, a restaurant can use search |
| your information and submit the information | | | | terms such as "pizza delivery Jersey City" or |
| to be reviewed by an editor. If your town is | | | | "pizza restaurant Jersey City" and have his |
| not already included, you can click "Add | | | | Internet ad show up only when someone enters |
| Restaurant" at the state level and your | | | | that search term. |
| listing, if accepted, will create the new | | | | |
| directory for your town. | | | | If the person doing the search clicks on his |
| | | | ad, the advertiser is charged. The cost per |
| Online Yellow Pages | | | | click is usually very low. Typically 25 cents |
| | | | or less, depending on competition. A bidding |
| One of the most popular places where | | | | system is used to let the advertisers set |
| consumers search for local businesses is the | | | | their limits and daily and weekly budgets let |
| online yellow pages sites. There are several, | | | | the advertiser manage and monitor the ad |
| such as and They all attempt to have at | | | | campaign expenses. |
| least the minimal information for every | | | | |
| business in a particular town. Some will even | | | | One reason the cost is so low is because |
| let businesses list their website for free. | | | | competition for highly local keywords is |
| The site will let a business create a free | | | | still very small. A restaurant owner in |
| business profile which includes a link to | | | | Pittsburgh is not going to select "pizza |
| their website. Take advantage of this and | | | | restaurants Bangor Maine" as his keyword. At |
| create your free business profile on The | | | | the same time it is a mistake to use too |
| listings are frequently among the top 10 | | | | general a keyword, for example just using |
| items returned for local searches for | | | | "pizza restaurant" will not only cost much |
| restaurants or pizza. You want to be there | | | | more per click, but will be seen by people |
| when people go looking for you. | | | | who are hundreds and thousands of miles from |
| | | | your store. So using the highly localized |
| Offline Online Marketing | | | | keyword not only reduces the cost of the pay |
| | | | per click, it also pre-qualifies the people |
| Unless you are located on a rest stop for a | | | | who see that add. |
| major interstate highway, all of your | | | | |
| customers are going to live within a few | | | | It is a good bet that someone searching for |
| miles of your store. | | | | "pizza delivery Jersey City" lives in Jersey |
| | | | City, wants to order a pizza and would prefer |
| Fact: 80% of your customers use computers. | | | | it to be delivered. |
| And that percentage is growing. | | | | |
| | | | Sources of Pay Per Click advertising are |
| Fact: most people find websites outside of | | | | Google Adwords, adwords.google.com, Yahoo!, |
| the internet. They hear them on radios, read | | | | and City Search, |
| them in magazines and newspapers, see them on | | | | |
| business cards, flyers and circulars and read | | | | Final Thoughts |
| them on window, vehicle and sidewalk signs. | | | | |
| | | | I hope you found this and my previous |
| These medias are excellent ways to get your | | | | articles useful. We have barely scratched the |
| web address and online ordering message in | | | | surface of Internet marketing. There are |
| front of your customers. Your website and | | | | many, many other techniques and strategies |
| online ordering message should be included as | | | | ranging from local link exchanges to banner |
| a matter of course in every one of your | | | | ads, search engine optimization (SEO) and |
| advertising pieces, whether it is your | | | | many many other strange and wonderful topics |
| takeout menu, your window sign, your pizza | | | | which can help bring visitors to your website |
| box, your delivery vehicle sign or a | | | | and customers to your food. |
| newspaper insert ad. | | | | |
| | | | In the end, your online business will prosper |
| Your web address is easier to remember than | | | | because you decide to take advantage of the |
| your phone number. Take advantage of this by | | | | power of the Internet and let it work for |
| putting it where your local customers can see | | | | you. Like any other part of your business, it |
| it. | | | | has to be done as part of the whole. Your |
| | | | website and online ordering will bring you |
| By providing your web address, you are | | | | revenue only when your customers learn about |
| inviting people to visit you and check you | | | | it and are encouraged to use it. |
| out in a completely comfortable way. The web | | | | |
| visitor does not feel awkward about checking | | | | Spread the word and watch your online takeout |
| out your menu online. They do not have to | | | | and delivery orders grow! |
| engage in an uncomfortable phone conversation | | | | |