When a well-known restaurant brand opens a new location, it can capitalize on its already-familiar name to pique consumer interest. But how can a big name build an authentic and longtime connection among local customers?

Brand recognition by itself isn’t enough. Today’s customers want a personal touch. They want to feel like an incoming business is part of their local community – not just the major metro area, but the actual “everybody knows your name” neighborhood. And they want to trust that a large or multi-location business has the neighborhood’s interests in mind. The best way to illustrate this is to truly become local, which is a process that begins weeks if not months in advance of a ribbon cutting.

We support openings and new market entries for nationally recognized brands in dozens of communities – most recently helping Raising Cane’s open their newest restaurant in Anderson, a suburb of Cincinnati.

As with most growing or emerging restaurants, consumer questions and local chatter about the brand begin well before the first order is served. In order to properly acknowledge and respond to commentary about Raising Cane's, our team is active on social media months before the store opens to best harness this curiosity.

The chain’s physical grand openings incorporate engaging elements introduce the restaurant to neighbors Raising Cane’s sets out to create raving fans and establishes this idea out of the gate with the event theme. In Anderson, Raising Cane’s offered free swag, local “entertainment” with mascots from Cincinnati sports teams, and collaborations with community nonprofits.

Approach specializes in helping national fast casual and quick service restaurant brands launch and sustain business in local communities. With Raising Cane’s and our other partners, we love being able to play a strategic role to ensure a consistent, omnichannel experience for customers.  

Here are some of the ways we help national and regional brands think hyperlocal in their marketing efforts: 

Run creative social contests. 
Social contests are the perfect way to gain and engage local fans. Pull in the right tools to conduct sweepstakes or offer coupons to fans off the Facebook feed. We adopted Facebook Messenger Optimized Ads for a January Raising Cane’s giveaway, providing fans an interactive experience where they could answer a Cane’s trivia question in messenger for a chance to win a prize. The trivia question auto-populated when they clicked our ad and gave them a response based on their quiz answer. Not only did the game generate a bevy of entries, but it also helped educate fans about the brand and spurred a slew of follow-up questions about the restaurant’s menu and store locations.

Use smart social media targeting.
Social media targeting allows brands to get granular with residents about offers, announcements and event promotions. By now, most organizations know that organic posts do not generate the visibility needed to make an impact. Invest in paid ads to frequently reach your audience with compelling reasons to visit, and ensure your target audience is the right size to deliver results. 

Keep monitoring and responses on-brand. 
Customers want to know a real person is listening and responding to questions or comments made on a brand’s social channels. Community-level social accounts often do not get the same level of attention as the parent brand’s, but they set the tone for a customer’s experience. Make sure to stay on top of responding to questions about everything from the date of a grand opening to how to get there and if the restaurant can accommodate the high school football team. Pay attention to online reviews – good and bad. Respond promptly and professionally.  

Connect with community organizations. 
Supporting local organizations is an excellent way to demonstrate a large company’s investment in a neighborhood community. Follow through on inquiries about sponsoring the high school or youth sports leagues. Look into securing a presence at the neighborhood festivals. Conduct a drive or sales fundraiser or have your team volunteer with local nonprofits.  

Think community media. 
Landing a media placement in a large metro newspaper or TV station is great, but don’t underestimate the power of community news outlets. Establish a relationship with the reporters covering businesses in the neighborhood and let them know you’re excited to be part of the local happenings. 

Our team at Approach has helped big brands like Panda Express, Roosters, Goldfish Swim School and others make strong connections with local communities.

Start connecting with your community. Approach us at hello@approachmarketing.com.  

Take a new approach. Request your free discovery call today.

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