Key Insights from Florida Restaurant Show / Pizza Tomorrow Summit
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show and Pizza Tomorrow Summit concluded in Orlando, Florida last week. The event, which combined two shows, experienced an increased attendance with a more diverse crowd. One of the show's highlights was a focus on business education, a factor that made it particularly appealing.
Rev Ciancio, a professional in the restaurant industry, hosted a marketing Q&A in the general session, alongside Chip Klose and Brian Siemienas from NIFT. This session was followed by a 3.5-hour private workshop titled the Restaurant Marketing Playbook. The speakers used the opportunity to share tips, tricks, and tactics, learning a lot about the marketing needs of independent restaurant brands.
Many restaurant owners expressed their need for improvement in marketing, a sentiment that Ciancio believes is a crucial aspect of running a successful business. Understanding marketing enables business owners to guide their employees or marketing agencies effectively, ensuring marketing efforts are aligned with goals and values.
Here are Ciancio's key pieces of advice for restaurants looking to enhance their marketing efforts:
- Know the Goal: As stated in one of Ciancio's favorite movies, "without a plan, there's no attack. With no attack, there's no victory." His advice includes setting specific, achievable goals for marketing activities, such as growing a database of customer emails, which can lead to increased repeat business.
- Get the Right Tools: Successful marketing for restaurants is easier with the right tools. Ciancio recommends using tools like Marqii, Ovation, and NIFT. Marqii optimizes local search results for restaurants, Ovation helps collect 5-star reviews and guest feedback, and NIFT drives a few additional guests into the restaurant each week.
- Best SEO Near Me: Ciancio emphasized the importance of online discovery, suggesting that it should account for 67% of a restaurant's traffic. He recommended focusing on local search and paid search results, with a few tools (like Marqii) to optimize for local search and Google search ads for paid search.
- Be Remarkable: To stand out from the competition, Ciancio suggests finding one aspect of the restaurant that can be improved by 10% to create a more memorable experience for customers. This could be the service, food, location, or experience, making it worth sharing on social media.
- Get Help!: If managing marketing becomes overwhelming, Ciancio encourages restaurants to seek help. He offers his services for restaurants needing assistance with building guest marketing programs and content marketing.
For those who attended the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show or Pizza Tomorrow Summit, Ciancio's central message was about the importance of understanding marketing to run and grow a successful restaurant business.
In the realm of continuous education and self-development, Rev Ciancio, a prominent figure in the restaurant industry, emphasized the significance of marketing knowledge for restaurant owners aiming to run and grow a successful business. Recognizing this, Ciancio shared his strategies, including harnessing the right tools like Marqii, Ovation, and NIFT, optimizing local search results, and standing out through exceptional customer experiences. On the flip side, Ciancio also stressed the importance of balancing a competitive sports spirit, embracing strategies to gain an edge in the industry, with a keen understanding of marketing needs, especially for independent restaurant brands.
