Serving fresh, quality pizza is one thing—crushing the competition is another, and it isn’t an exact science. However, grassroots involvement can give convenience retailers a leg up.
“It’s extremely crucial for operators to be involved in the community in order to be successful over the long-term,” said Dana Evaro, vice president of marketing for Land Mark Products Inc., which offers the Piccadilly Circus Pizza fresh-pizza program for c-stores. Because community engagement provides an opportunity to make a difference, c-stores that get involved with their communities by leveraging local store marketing, and local partnerships can reap rewards.
When it comes to taking that first step to get involved, knowing where to begin can present the biggest challenge for convenience stores. We caught up with Evaro and Land Mark Products, which recently launched a new, local-store marketing initiative for its Piccadilly Circus Pizza retailers, for his thoughts on the top ways convenience retailers can leverage community engagement to enhance long-term traffic and sales.
1. Think “Relationships”
Customers aren’t transactions anymore: They are relationships that businesses cultivate by treating people as repeat guests they will see again and again.
“Understand that you are not just a retailer; you are a community business,” Evaro said. “Customer service is important, but it all starts with the company culture. The owner and management need to make sure all employees understand they are there to service the community, above all else.”
2. Think Locally.
Consider donating food or discounts to local schools and other organizations conducting fundraisers. Offer to sell pizzas during weekly high-school football games, for example, or donate food for people who are donating their time, such as booster club members. “There are many creative ways you can get involved when it comes to schools,” Evaro said.
In that way, Piccadilly Circus Pizza offers an elementary-school reading program for c-stores, in which classrooms create individual and class goals for those who read the most books in a specific period of time. Each month, individuals who reach those goals receive certificates for a free pizza, and if a class hits 80% more of its goal, Piccadilly Circus Pizza supplies food for a free pizza party.
Piccadilly Circus Pizza also offers customers a “Yes Book,” a book of certificates for five free pizzas. The books have a retail value of at least $55, but they can be sold to fundraising groups for just $25. Selling the books not only helps the organizations raise cash, but it also drives repeat business by introducing buyers to the pizza.
3. Show up.
Most communities already have multiple efforts under way to raise money for various projects, such as raising money to build a new fire station or a new playground, for example.
“Attend chamber of commerce meetings, and incorporate community outreach into your daily activities,” Evaro said. “Not only does donating money or product provide financial resources, it also builds awareness of the cause and of your business.”
Piccadilly Circus Pizza helps its customers engage in communities this way by assisting with raising $1,000 for a community project. After meeting with the mayor or other municipal leaders, the c-store plans to provide $4 to the cause for every large pizza sold at a regular price. The company will match up to $500 of the money raised by an individual store for a community need or cause; if the c-store sells just 20 pizzas per week, it can earn over $1,000 for the cause in two months with this matching-funds program.
4. Use it. All of it.
Take advantage of any and all tools provided to you by your suppliers to tag awareness about the community projects in which you’re engaged, Evaro said. These communication tools also serve as great free press about your business.
Piccadilly Circus Pizza provides its customers with a variety of tools, such as direct mailers, flyers, electronic communications, post cards and press releases for distribution to local media outlets. The company will also present a check to the cause and announce successes on social media.
The 50 “Fresh Awesomeness” postcards provided to Piccadilly Circus Pizza customers include a space for handwritten notes. Each week, c-stores are encouraged to read local papers and news sites to identify someone who has done something great for the community—including city officials, law enforcement offices, athletes or others—and mail them a Fresh Awesomeness post card for a free medium pizza.
5. Say Thank$
Finding great help is hard, and keeping great help is even harder. But the biggest win of all is figuring out how to help your great help to become even better.
“We feel that cultivating a strong culture is so important [that] we drive a solid portion of our marketing funds toward rewarding employees who have done something good in the community,” Evaro said.
As part of its “Fresh Ben” program, each quarter, the company gives $500 to five Piccadilly Circus Pizza team members for doing something “awesome” in the community. Each chosen employee receives $100 and a thank you note from Piccadilly Circus Pizza President Jason Farrell. The employee’s store also receives an 11x14 counter sign congratulating the winner and reminding customers that one of the c-store’s team members did something great for the community.
“Operators want to do the right thing, but they can get so caught up in the day-to-day tasks that it’s hard to take a step back and look at the big picture,” Evaro said. “That’s why we have created turn-key programs like these that help supply them the answers, tools and funding to get involved in their communities.”
This post is sponsored by Land Mark Products