Tips for Winning Local “Best of” Competitions
Each year in communities all across the country, local newspapers, magazines and organizations have “Best of” competitions to determine the best of the best businesses. These competitions can result in high-stakes face offs between competitors to be named the best in the community. If you’d like to win your local competition, we’ve got some tips to help you make it to the top.
Create a list of competitions
Depending upon where your restaurant is located, or if you have establishments in more than one city, there could be multiple competitions that you will want to keep track of. Start by creating a list of competitions and categories that each location of your restaurant(s) could be eligible for. Every competition is different. Some have general “best restaurant” categories, while others get more granular with categories like “best Italian restaurant” and “best bartender”.
Make sure that you also capture information on when these competitions will run, because voting and entry dates are often limited. Then, you can add these dates to any marketing and promotional calendars that you may have so you are prepared to win when the time comes!
Promote your candidacy
Before the competition opens, begin preparing a campaign for your success. Make key decisions on how you are going to promote your candidacy. Will you be offering guests prizes for voting? Discounts? Will you attach flyers to guest receipts? How you promote your restaurant will depend upon the categories you are eligible in, and the voting process. Commonly, restaurants offer an incentive for voting, such as chance to win prizes for proof of voting, or a certain percentage off of a meal.
If your local competition allows for more than one vote, or daily voting, during the contest, incorporate your staff as well. You can make this part of your pre-shift meetings for the contest duration to rack up additional votes. You can also incentivize staff with special prizes and bonuses for voting.
Amongst everything else, it’s important not to forget the power of social media. Consistently post about the competition without overwhelming your feed with the information. You could also run a social media incentive contest to
Celebrating Wins
Once you cross the finish line and are announced as a winner, it’s time to celebrate! Be sure to thank everyone who voted for you, and distribute any promised prizes. You can now add your big win to your website, on your menu, and even purchase signage to hang at your restaurant to be sure everyone knows.
Sherane Chen LLC is proud to provide restaurants with high-quality marketing and reputation management services. We would be honored to help you be named the best of the best in your community! Schedule a consultation today to learn how we can help you.