Best Pizza Marketing Strategy

 

The origin of this growth significantly influences operational aspects.

Pizza orders typically fall into three categories:

1. Dine-in orders
2. Phone-in orders
3. Online orders

Though not all pizzerias offer dine-in services, for those that do, the potential is limited by the capacity of the dining area, and it tends to be the costliest type of order to manage.

Despite being the least efficient avenue for revenue growth, attracting dine-in customers remains desirable. Below is an instance illustrating how a pizzeria utilized direct mail to attract diners.

Phone-in orders, typically designated for takeout or delivery, are considerably more efficient compared to dine-in orders and serve as the primary revenue stream for most pizzerias in contemporary times.

While phone-in orders offer a step up from dine-in, they aren't optimal.

Online orders present significant advantages for pizzerias for several reasons:

1. They eliminate the need for staff to manually receive orders and handle cash transactions.
2. They reduce the likelihood of miscommunication with customers.
3. They allow for automatic upselling, thereby increasing the average order value.
4. They gather valuable customer data for retargeting purposes.

The growth Hacker Genius platform encompasses these functionalities for our partner pizzerias, drawing from firsthand data gathered from hundreds of establishments over recent years. This guide will delve into precisely what strategies have proven effective based on this data.

Pizzerias utilizing our platform, equipped with top-notch website features, streamlined checkout processes, and automated marketing tools, typically witness a balanced split of around 50% online sales and 50% offline sales after one year of collaboration.

Therefore, we can estimate that Jay’s online growth contributes approximately 6% to their total monthly growth, positioning the pizzeria for a remarkable 72% growth rate this year.

Now, let's examine another case from a more established pizzeria.

Ottavio’s Italian Restaurant, founded in San Diego, California, in 1952, has been operating at its current location for the past 17 years.

Unlike our previous example, Ottavio’s had a modest online presence and was generating approximately $12,000 in monthly delivery orders through DoorDash. However, they were not profiting from these sales. Upon transitioning to Owner.com, it took just over a month for Ottavio’s to completely replace the DoorDash sales and continue expanding their business.

 

 
Since October, Ottavio’s online orders via DoorDash have seen an average monthly growth rate of 6% over the past 10 months. As a result, online orders now constitute 50% of the total sales volume, signaling a significant shift for the business and positioning it for a total growth of 36% this year.

While growth rates may typically decelerate for more established restaurants, Ottavio’s numbers remain impressive, consistently surpassing inflation rates and outperforming a vast majority of other restaurants—particularly those not implementing the strategies I'm about to outline.

Part A: Get New Customers Into Your Pizzeria

The initial phase of growth involves attracting new customers to patronize your pizza establishment.

Pizzerias typically encounter heightened competition compared to other cuisine types. Given that most markets can support numerous pizzerias, enticing new customers necessitates purposeful marketing efforts.

Based on our findings, the following three marketing strategies have proven to be highly effective in driving new customer orders for pizzerias:

1. Enhancing visibility in Google search results through Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
2. Establishing a presence on Instagram through social media marketing initiatives.
3. Broadening visibility across various platforms through strategically crafted promotions.

Now, let's delve into each of these strategies in detail.

1. How To Dominate Your Pizza Competitors With SEO

To outperform your pizza competitors using SEO, it's crucial to understand the context of pizza marketing.

Consider two scenarios:

1. Scenario One:

Kacie Smith is scrolling through Instagram at 10 pm and comes across an image of your pizza in her feed. Having already finished dinner with no intention of going out, while this marketing exposure may leave an impression on her, it's unlikely to prompt an immediate order.

2. Scenario Two:

It's 6 pm, and Kacie is feeling hungry. She searches for "best pizza near me" on her phone. Your pizzeria appears in the search results, boasting a 4.6-star rating. Intrigued, she clicks through to your website and promptly places an order.

In scenario two, the immediacy of the search-driven interaction underscores the importance of optimizing your online presence for search engines to capture potential customers at the moment of intent.

 

 

Both scenarios demonstrate effective marketing, yet the second scenario's potency lies in its ability to appear in the right place and at the right time when customers are actively seeking to order food.

This exemplifies why SEO holds unparalleled power in pizza marketing compared to other channels.

In this segment, I'll guide you through dominating your competition using SEO. We'll explore three fundamental strategies that astute pizzerias are already implementing, along with a unique tactic that you (and your competitors) may not have encountered before.

This particular strategy is remarkably effective, with our restaurant partners experiencing an average surge of 270% in online sales within just 90 days of its implementation.

Here are the three strategies we'll delve into:

1. Incorporating four critical components into your homepage.
2. Synchronizing your NAPS (Name, Address, Phone Number).
3. Optimizing individual menu items for search.

Let's commence with the first strategy.

A. Add four critical components to your homepage.

For local businesses like pizzerias, the homepage serves as the primary focal point and bears the responsibility of carrying out most of the marketing efforts.

To ensure your pizzeria ranks well in Google searches, it's essential to incorporate four critical components into your homepage.

The first component your homepage must feature is strategic keywords.

If you're unfamiliar with the term "keywords," they refer to the phrases your customers input into their devices when conducting a Google search.

For instance, as previously mentioned, Kacie enters the keyword "best pizzeria near me" when seeking a pizza establishment to order from.

By incorporating keywords on your homepage, you signal to Google that you believe your website should be displayed when users search for those particular terms.

So, what keywords should you integrate into your homepage?

Over the past five years, I've conducted extensive testing on hundreds of keywords across thousands of restaurants. From this research, I've determined that the following keywords are the most effective for independent pizzerias:

1. "Best pizza in [your city]"
2. "Pizzeria in [your city]"
3. Keywords related to popular toppings

Regarding the toppings keywords, many pizza consumers search by their preferred pizza toppings. Therefore, it's beneficial to list popular toppings on your homepage.

The aforementioned three keywords are universal and should be included on every pizzeria's homepage.

Here's an example from Union Pizza Company, one of our restaurant partners at Growth Hacker Genius. Situated in Manhattan Beach, they feature "Best Pizza in Manhattan Beach" prominently on their homepage.

 

 

And look what happens when you Google “best pizza in Manhattan Beach”:

 

 

The next set of keywords is situational. If your pizzeria offers any of the following items, it's advisable to add the corresponding keyword to your homepage:

1. "Wings in [your city]"
2. "Gluten-free pizza"
3. "Vegetarian pizza"
4. "Vegan pizza"

These keywords garner significant search volume in most markets. Incorporating each relevant keyword can help tap into those searches and attract eager patrons to your pizzeria's website.

The second component essential for your homepage is appetizing pictures.

Upon arriving at your website, new visitors should be greeted with a collection of enticing images showcasing your bestselling pizzas.

While this may seem obvious, I've consistently observed many pizzerias failing to prioritize high-quality food pictures on their websites. It's far too common to encounter images of the restaurant's interior or exterior, subpar pictures of the food, or various other visuals that fail to highlight the star attraction: your pizza.

Once again, Union Pizza Company sets a commendable example in this regard. Their website features exceptional pictures of their pizzas, effectively capturing the attention and appetite of potential customers.

 

 

The quality of your food pictures directly correlates with how enticing new visitors find your offerings, potentially leading them to place an immediate order.

The third essential component for your homepage is direct-order incentives.

It's a common scenario for consumers to browse your website, decide they want to order, and then opt to use a third-party delivery app like DoorDash to place their order. However, this scenario is highly unfavorable for your pizzeria as it entails surrendering your entire margin to the delivery service.

To mitigate such situations, it's crucial to provide incentives for customers to order directly through your website and prominently display these incentives at the top of your homepage.

Inform your customers about the benefits of ordering directly from your site, such as saving money on third-party fees, supporting local businesses, earning free food through your loyalty program, and receiving faster service.

As exemplified by Union Pizza Company and all our restaurant partners, these incentives are prominently featured just below the headline on their homepage, ensuring they are readily visible to visitors.

 

 

The quality of your food pictures directly correlates with how enticing new visitors find your offerings, potentially leading them to place an immediate order.

The fourth essential component for your homepage is a menu preview.

By incorporating the previous three components onto your homepage, you've effectively presented visitors with a compelling case for why they should place an order directly through your website.

Now, the goal is to seamlessly transition visitors into making that order by providing a menu preview.

A menu preview showcases some of your best-selling items, featuring enticing images accompanied by a clear Call to Action. For our partners, we typically place the menu preview just below the initial landing screen to ensure it captures visitors' attention effectively.

 

 

We've consistently observed that incorporating this section into the homepage leads to a notable increase in the number of visitors who progress from landing on the homepage to completing an order.

 B. Synchronize your NAPs.

Unfortunately, I won't be providing tips on finding time for a daily nap—although that would indeed be delightful.

Instead, let's discuss NAP, which stands for Name, Address, Phone number, and Website. It's crucial to ensure all these details are consistently included and accurate across various online platforms.

Google's algorithm considers the total number of online NAPs when assessing the credibility and significance of local businesses. This practice helps prevent internet-only businesses from attempting to manipulate Google's algorithm.

So, what does this mean for you?

It entails two important points:

Firstly, you should strive to have your Name, Address, Phone number, and website listed together in as many online locations as possible.

The more frequently these details appear together across different platforms, the higher the likelihood of your brand appearing in Google searches when customers are seeking terms or phrases related to your pizzeria or pizzerias in general.

 

 

Secondly, it's crucial to ensure uniformity in your Name, Address, Phone number, and website across all listings.

Any discrepancy in this data, such as an outdated phone number or using "Unit 32" on one listing and "#32" on another, can confuse the algorithm or lead to the listing being disregarded entirely.

There are numerous platforms where you can publish your NAP, but here are the most critical ones:

1. Google Business
2. Yelp
3. TripAdvisor
4. Yellow Pages
5. Foursquare
6. Better Business Bureau

Once again, emphasize the importance of ensuring that your Name, Address, Phone number, and website are identical on all six of these platforms. If any listing is missing, make sure to add it. Additionally, if you notice any slight variations in any of these details, take ownership of the listing and rectify the discrepancies.

Aligning this information consistently across all six sites should yield an immediate enhancement in SEO visibility for your website.

C. Optimize your menu items for search.

Everything discussed thus far has been centered around optimizing two key properties:

1. Your Google Business listing.
2. Your website homepage.

 For the majority of pizzerias, these are the primary avenues available for SEO optimization. 

However, at Growth Hacker Genius, we've devised an innovative SEO strategy that leverages a resource present in every pizzeria but often overlooked for SEO purposes: the online menu.

When people search for "pizza" in their locality, they typically encounter results such as this.

 

 

When individuals conduct searches for specific food items on Google, they may come across aggregator sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor, followed by pizzerias that have effectively implemented the SEO strategies outlined above.

However, not everyone utilizes generic terms like "pizza" in their searches.

Each month, hundreds of people turn to Google with particular food items in mind.

Imagine if you could secure a top position in the search results for these specific item searches. What if your pizzeria could be the very first result when someone is searching for, let's say, "garlic chicken pizza"?

 

 

That's precisely the approach our restaurant partner Ottavio has taken for this exact search query.

How did they achieve this?

Unlike most other online menu software, We generate unique webpages for each item listed on your menu and submit them to Google for ranking.

As of the time of writing, Ottavio hasn't had the opportunity to implement any of our SEO recommendations. However, since we automatically rank all their pages (just as we do for all our pizzeria partners), they are now appearing first in their area when people search for "garlic chicken pizza" and numerous other item-specific terms. 

This strategy significantly contributes to their remarkable growth—from $12,000 per month on DoorDash before joining us  to now achieving $24,000 per month. 

While there are alternative methods for implementing this strategy, most online menus do not facilitate it. The quickest and most straightforward approach is to join our platform.

2. How To Turn Social Media Activity Into Real Customers

Many pizzeria owners recognize the importance of having a presence on Instagram, yet few grasp how to effectively leverage social media marketing on the platform to drive customer engagement and orders.

Instagram offers immense potential for pizzerias due to two primary reasons: 

1. Visual Appeal: It allows you to showcase your food, ambiance, personality, and more through captivating visuals.
2. Geographic Targeting: Leveraging Facebook's geographic targeting algorithm, Instagram enables you to reach the right audience—people in your local area who have the potential to place orders.

 In this section, I'll outline three simple steps to attract real customers to your restaurant using Instagram: 

1. Include the RIGHT information in your profile.
2. Post new content every week.
3. Follow your competitors' followers.

Let's begin with optimizing your profile, as this is where the majority of pizzerias often go wrong.

A. Include the RIGHT info in your profile.

Your profile serves as the gateway that transforms superficial social engagement into tangible orders for your pizzeria.

Likes, comments, views—while these metrics may seem impressive, they hold little significance if your profile lacks the essential information needed to drive real orders.

Every Instagram profile must include the following four elements:

1. Your location(s)
2. Your operating hours
3. A link to your website
4. Story highlights

Allow me to illustrate with an exemplary profile from BASIC Bar/Pizza in San Diego.

 

 

Additionally, it's beneficial to include a description of the offerings if they aren't immediately obvious from the name of your restaurant.

 

Ideally, you'll also want to include a Call to Action (CTA) next to the website link, encouraging people to order online.

 

 

If you're not familiar with Story Highlights, they allow you to pin any Story you've posted or have been tagged into the top of your profile. You can also create categories, so clicking on any highlight plays a playlist of stories within that category.

Utilize pinned Stories to showcase customer reviews, celebrity appearances, brand shoutouts, and important information such as store hours, location, and menu.

The most effective use of Story Highlights is to pin every Story where customers mention you or share their visit to your pizzeria. These serve as "social proof," demonstrating to everyone encountering your brand how much your community values and enjoys your establishment.

B. Post new content several times per week.

You don't necessarily have to invest a significant amount of time creating elaborate images and videos for your Instagram posts. What's crucial is consistency. 

Simply by posting at least once per week, you're already ahead of many competitors. If you can increase your frequency to 2-3 times per week, you can significantly boost orders through Instagram. Aim to post 5 times per week, and you'll establish yourself as an Instagram powerhouse within a year. 

While the primary focus should be on sharing pictures of your food, going a step further can enhance engagement.

BASIC Bar/Pizza continues to serve as an excellent example of the types of content that resonate well with an independent pizzeria's audience.

 

 

In a single snapshot, you'll discover:

- Brief, personable videos featuring the owner

- Short clips showcasing the food

- Videos capturing the ambiance of the restaurant

- Clips of customers enjoying their experience

 Videos are particularly effective as they allow you to narrate a story, but you can achieve similar results with simple images. For some pizzeria owners, using images might be more convenient. 

Regardless of whether you opt for images or videos, utilize your smartphone for capturing them. Aim for decent lighting, but don't stress about creating overly professional content. Your customers aren't looking for a photography studio experience—they simply want an authentic glimpse of your food.

Another essential type of content to consistently share is user-generated content that mentions your pizzeria.

If someone tags your pizzeria in a post, reshare it on your page. Similarly, if someone tags you in a Story, share it and then pin it to your highlights.

Always capitalize on the social proof provided by your customers!

 C. Follow your competitors’ followers.

While it may seem a bit sneaky, this strategy is incredibly straightforward and remarkably effective.

Visit the Instagram pages of every pizzeria in your locality and proceed to follow all of their followers.

The majority—about 95%—of these followers are likely pizza consumers in YOUR local area. When you follow them, they receive a notification informing them of your follow. Since most people only gain new followers a few times per week, they are highly likely to click over to your profile and explore your brand.

 Essentially, this tactic provides you with free advertising to the EXACT people you're targeting—individuals in your area who have an affinity for pizza.

3. How To Show Up Everywhere With Strategic Promotions

In a highly competitive and somewhat commodified cuisine category like pizza, finding innovative ways to distinguish yourself can be a game-changer.

One of the most effective methods to stand out and compel people to take notice of your pizzeria is by running strategic promotions.

Promotions serve two primary purposes:

1. They act as a focal point to capture people's attention.
2. They provide a compelling reason for people to visit your pizzeria.

A notable example of an inventive pizzeria promotion occurred in 2012, orchestrated by Hell Pizza. The chain introduced a promotional challenge where customers could request to have two drops of ghost pepper chili sauce added to one random slice of their pizza.

 

 

The challenge garnered widespread international media coverage, propelling Hell Pizza to its most successful sales day ever. Despite local economic challenges, the promotion resulted in an overall increase in sales and transformed the small, New Zealand-based chain into a tourist attraction.

This example perfectly illustrates how a promotion can both capture attention and drive foot traffic to the pizzeria.

Now, you might be thinking, "I'll never come up with something as unique as that."

Fortunately, that's not a requirement.

A promotion doesn't necessarily have to be groundbreaking to be effective.

For instance, consider this promotion from Deen’s Cheesesteak and Pizza in Houston, Texas: a straightforward 20% off coupon distributed via Facebook ads.

 

 

Indeed, there may be nothing particularly creative or unique about Deen’s promotion, yet it proved highly effective.

 The key factor here is that the offer provided Deen with a reason to present themselves to potential customers. Without such an offer, a pizzeria merely appearing on your Facebook feed might go unnoticed. However, by providing something of value—even as simple as a 20% off coupon—it not only captured attention but also motivated people to visit the pizzeria.

 Furthermore, Deen’s could have extended the promotion to its Instagram audience or transformed it into a recurring weekly discount night to stimulate word-of-mouth referrals.

Part B: Earn More Money From Every Customer

Securing new customers for your pizzeria is just the beginning. What truly sets apart the thriving hotspots, achieving 20% margins, from the struggling establishments barely managing 10% and staying afloat, is what happens next.

The dining experience you offer holds immense significance in this equation. Customers typically exhibit brand neutrality towards pizza until they encounter an exceptional dining experience at a particular establishment. Once wowed, it's not uncommon for patrons to become passionate, lifelong regulars at exceptionally good pizzerias.

However, enhancing recipes and cultivating the ambiance of your restaurant are complex endeavors.

In this segment of our guide, I'll outline four simple, direct, and immediate strategies to help you maximize revenue from every new customer who places an order at your establishment.

1. Stop Paying Third Party Fees On Takeout & Delivery

The first, simplest, and most immediately profitable action you can take as a pizzeria owner is to discontinue the use of any system or app that undermines your profit margins.

Through our extensive work with numerous pizzerias, it's evident that relying on third-party delivery services results in, at best, breaking even on orders, and often, restaurants end up losing money. Lenny Belvedere, proprietor of Ottavio’s Italian Restaurant, succinctly expresses this sentiment:

"We were using DoorDash before, and it was completely unprofitable. You can’t make any money by paying 30%. It’s a loser. You’re hoping to capture some clientele, but after a while, it just becomes counterproductive. We have four staff solely handling takeout and delivery, and you have to pay for all that. So with DoorDash, it’s just not worth it in my opinion."

 These third-party delivery apps not only prove unprofitable for restaurants in general but are particularly unnecessary for pizzerias.

Given that customers typically experiment with various pizzerias before settling on their favorites, and with the marketing strategies discussed earlier, there's no need for reliance on platforms like DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub, or any similar apps to attract new business.

By transitioning to an online ordering system such as GHG that facilitates takeout and delivery orders without imposing commissions, you can immediately boost your bottom line by up to 30% on these orders.

Lenny transitioned from breaking even on $12,000 per month in DoorDash orders to earning full margins on $24,000 per month in direct orders processed through his website on the Growth Hacker Genius platform.

 

 

It's straightforward, and naturally, I'm somewhat biased, but I genuinely believe it would be remiss of me not to introduce a strategy that could instantly augment 30% to half of your orders after delving into a 2,000-word discussion on "earning more from your customers."

If you're interested in exploring Growth Hacker Genius and experiencing firsthand why it yields such a significant and immediate impact on our pizzeria partners, click below to give it a try.

While it’s hard to beat an immediate 30% margin increase, this next strategy is just as fast, and depending on your current menu and checkout experience, it might be just as effective.

Most pizzerias have a really poor online menu and checkout experience.

There’s no nice way to say this.

Look at this.

 

 

The current checkout experience for this pizzeria leaves much to be desired. It lacks visual appeal, with no images of the food to entice customers. Additionally, the instructions are overly complex, relying on customers to sift through a lot of information, which is unlikely to happen.

As a consequence, the pizzeria isn't maximizing its potential for takeout and delivery orders, despite offering some of the best pizza in the area.

Improving the checkout experience is crucial for increasing orders from new and returning customers. Moreover, in the short term, it can significantly enhance the Average Order Value (AOV) of every customer placing an order on the website.

Here's a glimpse of what the checkout experience looks like for pizzerias utilizing Growth Hacker Genius.

 

 

Just take a look at how much more appealing and inviting the ordering process appears now. 

I'll guide you through each step we've implemented to boost the Average Order Value (AOV) of menus and checkout experiences for the countless restaurants utilizing Owner.com.

You have a few options to implement these changes: you can have a developer construct them for you directly, seek out another platform that offers similar features, or opt for Growth Hacker Genius to all of them.

Here's how we've successfully raised AOV for our partners by up to 30%.

Firstly, we ensure that our partners incorporate high-quality images of every dish on their online menu. These images are accompanied by concise but clear descriptions, visible directly from the menu page.

 

 

Furthermore, we strategically arrange the menu to optimize ordering behavior.

In the top section labeled "Company Top Picks," we feature a blend of popular items and high-margin selections. Following this, we display the most sought-after items before transitioning to a more conventional menu sequence.

 

 

Many online ordering systems typically prioritize displaying popular items first. However, by doing so, you may miss the opportunity to guide customers toward your highest margin offerings.

Upon clicking on a menu item, customers are presented with a comprehensive item listing that includes reviews, detailed customization options, and a sidebar prompting them with commonly paired items. Our team has dedicated significant effort to developing the most advanced customization system tailored specifically for pizzerias. This system enables customers to customize their orders by half or whole and dynamically adjusts topping prices based on pizza size.

 

 

The crucial strategy for boosting your Average Order Value (AOV) revolves around upselling additional high-margin items at every available opportunity. As depicted in the image above, we achieve this by presenting upsell suggestions in the sidebar alongside menu items. 

Furthermore, we capitalize on this strategy by triggering an upsell popup when customers click the "Checkout" button. This approach ensures that we maximize opportunities to encourage customers to add more items to their orders, thereby increasing the overall value of each transaction.

 

 

Take note of the "Earn 30 extra points" prompt strategically attached to the high-margin meatball add-on.

Furthermore, observe that clicking the "Add Item +" button on any of these screens triggers a one-click add-to-cart action. Simplifying the process of adding items to the cart reduces friction and encourages customers to add more items, thereby boosting your Average Order Value (AOV).

Additionally, we continue to capitalize on upselling opportunities throughout the checkout process, ensuring that we maximize the potential for increasing the overall order value.

 

 

Increasing the Average Order Value (AOV) by 30% would represent a significant boost to our business. Notably, if this additional 30% is derived from high-margin menu items, it would have a substantial positive impact on our profitability.

The implications of such an increase would be transformative:

1. Enhanced Revenue: The additional revenue generated from higher AOV would contribute directly to increased profits, allowing for greater financial stability and potential for growth.
2. Improved Margins: Focusing on high-margin items ensures that the increased revenue translates into improved profit margins, strengthening the overall financial health of the business.
3. Enhanced Customer Lifetime Value: Customers who consistently place orders with higher AOVs are likely to contribute more to the long-term success of the business, thereby increasing their lifetime value.
4. Competitive Advantage: By maximizing the value of each transaction, we position ourselves as a more attractive option compared to competitors, potentially capturing a larger share of the market.

5.  Investment Opportunities: With increased profitability, we have the opportunity to reinvest in the business, whether it's through expanding operations, enhancing marketing efforts, or improving customer experience.

Experiencing such significant improvements firsthand through an enhanced checkout experience would undoubtedly be a game-changer for our business, paving the way for sustained success and growth.

3. How To Re-Engage Customers And Increase Order Frequency

It's a common trend among consumers to explore various pizzerias in their vicinity, resulting in less brand loyalty compared to other types of cuisine. While this can facilitate initial visits, it also presents challenges in retaining customers for repeat orders. A negative experience may deter them from returning, while even satisfactory experiences might not ensure their continued patronage, as they may forget about your brand and try a new pizzeria next time.

To combat this, proactive re-engagement efforts are crucial for every pizzeria. Through targeted marketing, a simple $20 order can evolve into a loyal customer spending $80 per month. 

This re-engagement strategy played a significant role in Ottavio’s Italian Restaurant's transition from $12,000 monthly DoorDash orders to $24,000 on Growth Hacker Genius. Leveraging customer data obtained from these orders, they transformed one-time buyers into regulars using the following process.

Furthermore, this underscores the importance of customer data and highlights how third-party platforms like DoorDash often deprive pizzerias of this valuable information, costing them significantly more than the hefty 30% commission they charge.

This is why every pizzeria should be sending re-engagement texts and emails to its customers.

While this re-engagement process is seamlessly integrated into the Growth Hacker Genius platform, it can also be replicated using email marketing tools like Customer.io and text marketing platforms like SimpleTexting. 

Essential to this process is collecting basic customer data such as email and phone numbers with each order. If your current ordering system withholds this data — as platforms like Slice do — it's imperative to switch to one that provides access to your customer information, as this data is integral to your business's success.

Through extensive testing, we've determined that the most effective messaging frequency comprises one email per week and one text per month.

Below are examples of the emails our restaurant partners utilize to re-engage with their customers:

 

 

Indeed, simplicity is key in these re-engagement emails. Their primary purpose is to gently remind previous customers of your brand and encourage them to place another order. By consistently appearing in their inbox every week, you increase the likelihood of them considering your pizzeria the next time they're craving pizza. This repetitive exposure helps reinforce your brand in their minds, making it more likely for them to choose your establishment for their next meal.

In the subsequent week, they'll receive yet another straightforward email inviting them to order again. This steady cadence of communication ensures your brand remains fresh in their memory, increasing the chances of them becoming regular patrons.

 

 

In this email, we subtly emphasize the convenience and comfort of ordering takeout or delivery, encouraging recipients to unwind while someone else handles the cooking. By conveying the idea that they can enjoy a delicious meal without the hassle of cooking or waiting, we aim to entice them to place an order.

In the subsequent week, we shifted the focus to the culinary delights offered by the pizzeria, showcasing some of its most beloved dishes. This serves as a reminder of the delicious options available, enticing recipients to indulge in their favorite flavors once again.

 

 

By cycling through nine different emails in our sequence, we ensure that customers receive varied content and messages over weeks. This rotation prevents the emails from feeling repetitive or monotonous to recipients. By the time they circle back to the first email after the ninth week, customers are unlikely to remember the details of the initial message, maintaining the freshness and engagement of each communication. 

The overarching goal remains straightforward: to consistently remind customers of your brand every week, keeping it top of mind for potential orders.

 

 

The effectiveness of this straightforward campaign is evident in its ability to increase ordering frequency for our restaurant partners by approximately 50%. Customers who previously ordered twice per month often transition to ordering three times per month once they begin receiving these weekly emails.

While email serves as the primary channel for engagement, we also advocate for sending one text message per month. The most effective approach is to include a discount offer in the text, typically a straightforward 15% off coupon. This discount can be extended to all customers or integrated into a loyalty program for added incentive and retention.

4. How To Build A World-Class Pizza Loyalty Program

Offering a loyalty program can be a strategic move to encourage repeat business and differentiate your pizzeria from competitors. Despite the wide availability of pizza options, a well-executed loyalty program can incentivize customers to choose your establishment by offering rewards for their patronage.

When customers know that their purchases contribute to earning points or rewards toward free food, it creates an additional incentive to order from your pizzeria. Even if they may consider other options occasionally, the prospect of accumulating rewards with each purchase can sway their decision in your favor.

Effective loyalty programs have proven instrumental in the success of various franchises, demonstrating their potential impact on customer retention and engagement. Implementing such a program, tailored to your pizzeria's unique offerings and customer base, can foster customer loyalty and drive repeat business, enhancing your competitive edge in the market.

 

 

The keys to a world-class loyalty program include:

1. Meaningful incentives

2. Frequent messaging

3. Great design

Let’s dig into each one.

A. You need to offer meaningful incentives.

First and foremost, a great loyalty program has to provide great incentives for people to join and continue taking advantage of the program. If the rewards don’t feel meaningful, they won’t motivate customers to join your program. We’ve found that combining two different types of rewards works well: Signup and membership rewards Order-driven rewards When customers visit any of our partner websites, they are invited to join with the offer of being entered into a $500 raffle, as well as receiving special discounts and rewards on every order.

 

 

Once they sign up, they receive the following email with a 15% discount.

 

 

Order-driven rewards are crucial for encouraging repeat purchases and driving ongoing engagement with your loyalty program. By offering rewards based on customers' order activity, you incentivize them to continue patronizing your business and increase their spending over time.

In the example you provided, customers receive a 15% discount code via email and text once per month as an order-driven reward. This serves as an additional incentive to encourage customers to make a purchase, especially if they haven't ordered in a while. By offering a discount on their next order, you give them a reason to return to your pizzeria and make another purchase, ultimately boosting sales and increasing customer loyalty.

Furthermore, order-driven rewards like earning a free soda after a certain spending threshold (e.g., $40) provide customers with tangible benefits for their loyalty. These rewards act as milestones for customers to work towards, motivating them to reach higher spending levels to unlock more valuable rewards. As customers progress through your loyalty program and earn rewards, they are more likely to continue engaging with your business and making repeat purchases, driving long-term loyalty and revenue growth.

 

 

When setting up your loyalty program, start with small rewards like free drinks or appetizers for joining. As customers spend more, they can unlock bigger rewards like free pizzas or pasta dishes. This way, you keep them coming back for more while offering something special as they spend more with you.

You want to include the bestsellers like full pizzas and pasta dishes as well, but you want them to be the higher tiers where customers have to spend quite a bit of money at your shop to qualify for those items.

B. You need to message your customers frequently.

Encouraging people to sign up for a loyalty program can be a bit of a challenge. Even with great incentives, customers need reminders to join and to stay engaged once they've signed up.

I remember when I finally joined the Starbucks loyalty program. It took a friendly jab from one of the baristas about missing out on free drinks to motivate me to sign up. Once I did, I found myself visiting Starbucks much more frequently.

To help our partners attract more members, we implement a few strategies. First, we prominently display a colorful banner on their website:

 

 

Next, we include a popup:

 

We also send physical collateral to include in stores, like these table tents:

 

 

And these posters:

 

After customers sign up, it's crucial to keep them engaged.

We send them a reminder about the loyalty program every time they place an order, like this:

 

 

And a text like this:

 

 

These messages aren't intrusive for your customers; they're already in the process of ordering and anticipate updates about their orders. These reminders subtly reinforce the presence of the loyalty program and highlight how their purchase is inching them closer to rewards.

C. The design needs to look and feel great.

Big companies like Domino's & Papa John’s excel in their loyalty programs because they invest in creating a visually appealing and user-friendly experience. Their loyalty programs are designed to be seamless and reliable, ensuring a smooth experience without any glitches or clunkiness.

In the past, creating such high-quality design and user experience has been a challenge for independent pizzerias. However, our mission at Growth Hacker Genius is to change that.

At Growth Hacker Genius, our experienced design and development team, with Fortune 500 expertise, has crafted a top-notch loyalty program for our partners. With us, you can provide your customers with a loyalty program comparable to Domino's, without needing their budget, compromising your data, or sacrificing your margins on delivery orders.

It’s clean.

 

 

It’s effective.

 

 

And within the next year, we'll be introducing a loyalty program app that surpasses Domino's, allowing your customers to access it conveniently through their smartphones. With this app, they can easily place orders anytime without needing to open a browser.

If you’d like to see everything our platform can do for your pizzeria, click below to schedule a demo.