“Once upon a time, during the Great Depression, an old man was looking for ways to make a living. In his desperation to make ends meet, he started selling fried chicken at a roadside restaurant. His recipe was an instant hit and soon began to gain popularity. The senior businessman identified the potential of the high profits he could earn from the sales of the particular food item that he was offering and thus, expanded into a franchise within a few years.
Today, restaurant X is serving millions of customers through more than 20,000 branches globally and is the world’s second largest restaurant chain in terms of sales.”
Do you think this is just a fictional story?
Whether you live to eat or eat to live, it goes without saying that the above story must have rung a bell. Have you figured which restaurant it’s about?
Yes, you are right! Restaurant X is not just a hypothetical food place; it is what we all today know by the name of Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC!
You may or may not be a fan of fried chicken and other items offered by this place, but one thing is for sure. Odds are that not only are you aware of the history of this restaurant, but you must also acknowledge how it influences thousands of people all over the world. And if you are a restaurant owner, manager or any other person linked with the food service industry, then there is a precious lesson that you can take from this example.
Are you wondering what it is?
Well, it’s the power of stories.
The Impact of Storytelling
Storytelling is nothing new. Stories have been used since ages to wow the audience and create lasting memories in their minds. But what’s new is the use of this art in the business sector.
As the world becomes more and more digitized, businesses are realizing the importance of storytelling to build a powerful brand image. By sharing customer reviews and the goods and services that they offer in the form of a great story, various organizations are able to increase their profits multifold. This is because a powerful message is not only well received by the customers but it also impacts their decision-making process and forces them to come back for more.
StoryBrand for Restaurants
Using the StoryBrand formula to improve your marketing efforts is a sure way to increase the number of people who visit you. Learning how to make the best use of the StoryBrand principles will help you achieve more by doing less.
The biggest mistake most marketers in the food industry make is that they focus on quantity instead of quality. But, the truth is, you don’t need more people to visit you, you need your customers to come back again, and again, and again.
Here are some essential practical tips on how to achieve that:
Craft your unique story
Who is your typical customer? Is it young families with children? Is it college students? Is it people working in multinational companies? In order to create your unique story, you must first identify who’s your unique hero. Don’t try to please everyone because that’s one of the fastest ways to fail. But instead focus on one unique niche and do your best to serve your ideal customer to the best of your capabilities.
Then start addressing your hero’s concerns. Are they too busy to cook at home? Do they deserve a nice luxury meal? Whatever it is, incorporate on your website and marketing materials the success scenario your customers are going to experience thanks to you.
First, explain the issues they’re encountering, then draw that amazing success picture they’re going to experience if they try your food.
Create a Loyalty Program
Craft an amazing experience for each and every one of your customers and chances are they are going to come back again. But give them an appealing incentive, such as bonus points or gift cards and the chances of them coming back will skyrocket. Don’t be afraid to get creative and always be as authentic as possible.
Get Social
As a restaurant business, you have a ton of content that you can use everyday to increase your online influence. Even better, organize a contest once in a while to gather user-generated content. For example, you can challenge your customers to make a selfie and tag your restaurant, and the picture with the biggest number of likes gets a free meal.
Train your staff to encourage customers to leave a Facebook Review if they liked the food and soon you’ll see organic traction that will get more people to your restaurant.
