| What Fast Food Marketing Can Teach You |
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Over the weekend, through a thoroughly crazed family schedule I was forced to participate in the American convenience ritual of the drive-through. “Fast-food” was supposedly made faster with this vehicular addition. Not in our town. I sat trapped in my car, in line, in front of the big menu board while an SUV 2 cars ahead was obviously ordering for the entire baseball team. While stuck, I perused the entire menu and realized that as vast as it appeared it was pretty strategic in its product marketing. There was a lot to learn from this calorie-riddled board. Combinations and Sizes – Once you have that prospect’s interest enough to entertain buying your products, you need enough choices to assure a sale. In fast-food, they bundle drinks and french fries together PLUS offer to super-size your bundle, aka: up selling. Is your product mix this involved? While a succinct offering of products might seem easier to understand, having many choices give you a better chance at closing. What products can you bundle together to create a package deal? Mini-Meals – There are plenty of people who are willing to try your product IF it’s offered in a reasonable and attractive way. Fast-food discovered that not everyone wanted a 600 calorie mega-meal. They responded by introducing mini-meals. They are essentially their smaller menu items segmented out to the bare necessities. What product add-ons do you have that can become your introductory products for a very reasonable price? Kids Meals – Most businesses know that they should be targeting their audiences specifically. But, no one does this like fast-food with the kids. My son decides which establishment we patronize based on the currently advertised toy. Since I don’t have a preference, I let him choose. Is there a third-party influencer that you could be targeting? Look for them. They may be the ones making the ultimate buying decision so you need to sniff them out and reach them with your marketing. Convenience – The fact that fast-food wasn’t fast enough for Americans was a sign of things to come. We can’t slow down. Everything must be immediate. Are you providing your prospects with quick ways to check out? Add to their cart? Multiple shipping methods? Levels of service? You must pay close attention to the reasons why your prospect doesn’t make a purchase and how you can change something in your product offer or marketing to convert them. Next time you find yourself in front of any mega-menu, think how it relates to your products. The more you can offer, bundle, up sell, or introduce the better. Often there are ways to simply remix what you already have. Look into those idea files, half-finished and product-bombs. There might be a place for them after-all within your businesses mega-menu of products and services that will bring you more and earlier conversions.
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Paula Pollock is CEO of the Pollock Marketing Group, further assisting good companies in becoming great through outsourced marketing services with her team of professionals. PMG supports business marketing at all levels from DIY, short-term projects and campaign corrections. You can sign up to receive her Marketing Tips newsletter at www.paulapollock.com |
Over the weekend, through a thoroughly crazed family schedule I was forced to participate in the American convenience ritual of the drive-through. “Fast-food” was supposedly made faster with this vehicular addition. Not in our town. I sat trapped in my car, in line, in front of the big menu board while...Stay Connected!
