Sweepstakes Cafe Grand Opening!

Article by Shannon Canard

How much money is needed? Starting BIG is better, but requires more cash. A good place to start is a budget of 0-0 a week for advertising and marketing.Hire a promoter. A an hour person to hand out postcards with FREE entry and information on your location is well worth the investment. Figure out where your store patrons spend their time and go there to promote your new business.Plan six months worth of in-store events and marketing. Promote these in the store through signage. If the customers know what events are coming and when, they should schedule their visits to the store to coincide with chances to win additional prizes and to participate in events.Plan special in-store events for every night of the week. Ladies night, pizza night, guys football and wings night, etc. Advertise these in-store and in any marketing collateral you push on the streets.When planning in-store events, consider where you can best recruit NEW customers to capitalize on the event dollars invested. Promoting to existing customers does not increase your business in a competitive market, it only shrinks your profit. For example: if you have a “guys night” and plan to serve free hot wings and hold a drawing for bowling packages as part of your cross-marketing, where would you go to advertise this promotion? I would suggest local auto parts stores, local bars, shooting ranges, etc.; anywhere men hang out. (You must, of course, obtain the permission of any existing retail businesses before you promote on their premises).Use post card mailings for the surrounding zip code to advertise your store and services. Include your store’s calendar of events and other important information.Begin a customer directory with names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, emails, etc. Keep it updated and use (with customer’s consent) for email blasts and direct mail pieces, as well as text message promoting.Run some Craigslist ads promoting your store.Following two months worth of a “soft opening” where the sweepstakes location has been running in-store and outside events/marketing (you’ve been working the kinks out of business during this time, too), the store should have the “Grand Opening.”Have a grand opening! Include several days of events, drawings, etc. with a final BIG day event and celebration.Following the finale of the Grand Opening, the sweepstake cafe should reduce its marketing and advertising. At this time, a new budget should be created for ongoing, sustaining business , with periodic scheduled events.Most important: have money to spend on advertising and marketing. If a sweepstakes cafe spends ALL its cash on sweepstakes machines and location up-fitting, leaving no cash for the first nine weeks, it is most likely SUNK before it even begins.

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