Pizza Today - March 2016 - 80

already have a large percentage of the
population frequenting your business.
Pezzi: When you are in a small
town there are not as many applicants
to fill positions. Most young adults
leave for school out of the area.
Liedl: With tourist prices on
housing, groceries and even gas, most
people need more than one job to
survive. Some will jump ship when
another business will offer more
money, only to begin looking for
another job after the season. We say
we have about
130 days a year to make a living. If
you don't bank these 130 days, the
rest of the year will be tough.
What are some of the benefits?
Weavel: A small town pizzeria is
truly a part of a community in every
definition of the word. Everyone
knows everybody. When you do
great things, everyone knows about
it. I raise my family in the wonderful
community.
Bangos: We've experienced
tremendous support from our local
residents and surrounding businesses.
We know just about everyone by
name that walks through our doors
and what they'll order before they
even get to the counter. These folks
are especially appreciated on our end
since they are excited to promote us
during the busy tourist season.
Wedde: It is more personable, as
your customers are likely to be other
business owners and neighbors and
are more likely to know you and your
staff. Our small town has put forth
an exceptional effort into promoting
small business and tourism. We're a
proud member of the Perham Area
Chamber of Commerce as are most
businesses in town; together our
resources help promote the community and all we have to offer.
Liedl: People and businesses are
willing to help one another. We have
one of the most giving communities.
The biggest benefit is the feeling of
family. We're all in this together.
8 0 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / M A R C H 2 0 1 6

How do you market?
Weavel: Word-of-mouth market-

ing is the absolute best for a small
town pizzeria. Create your GREAT
image and maintain that. Anna's has
always prided itself as a leader in
the community and it is well known
for it. We do a lot of social media
advertising because our advertising
budget is small. Another great form
of advertising we do is sponsor local
youth sports. The kids are proud of
their teams and wear their jersey
and/or hat year 'round. Each one is a
walking billboard.
Bangos: In the early phases, I
felt it necessary to take advantage
of a few "touristy" advertisements in
print. With the explosion of social
networking like using Trip Advisor,
Facebook and Yelp, I experienced a
deluge of positive feedback. I read
what we were doing right and corrected that which needed to be addressed expeditiously! The majority of
our sales come from visitors outside
our market. We discovered they all
read the reviews when coming to a
destination like Seward.
Wedde: Even in a small market,
maintaining top-of-mind awareness
is key. When I say pizza, I want the
very first thought through my customer's head to be "Michaelangelo's,"
not one of our competitors. Our
dynamic marketing plan includes a
mixture of radio advertising on three
local stations, social media targeted
marketing, and Google ads. We are
not big on coupons, but we do offer
them on the back of the receipts from
the local grocery stores. Michaelangelo's Facebook page releases updates
on products, specials for the holidays
and even an occasional pizza giveaway. Our Web site has our menu,
pricing and store hours for convenience.
The loyalty card reward program is
separated into two punch cards: one
for our take-and-bake pizzas and one
for our wraps and salads. Each item
purchased earns a stamp; when the

card is full (12 stamps) it can be redeemed for a free wrap or salad. The
pizza card is good for $10 off a pizza
order. Not a day goes by without
redeeming at least one card, and we
have seen up to a dozen or more on a
busy day. It still remains more cost
effective to retain our current customers than it is to obtain new ones.
We include a printed menu with
each pizza order as well. Many times
customers walk in holding their
menu and ordering from it instead of
using the menu board on the wall.
Pezzi: We don't do a lot of marketing. Most of our business is generated
by word of mouth. We advertise on
the local radio station. The one big
thing we do is enter a vehicle in the
Christmas night parade.
Liedl: We stopped print ads. We
do work with our local chamber of
commerce and get in on their co-op
ads, which advertise our tourist town.
We advertise with specials on Facebook and at our theatre and school
programs. We sponsor events, as well
as host Rotary and other civic groups
for their meetings.
What are some keys to success?
Weavel: The key to our success is
that we are truly vested in our community. Anna's does a lot of fundraisers for various reasons including
school functions, church groups,
people with medical issues, sport
teams, etc. My wife and I volunteer
at the school serving lunches and
reading to students. I am proud to say
that everyone knows me as the "pizza
guy."
Bangos: I've learned to be slow to
speak and use both ears to listen to
our customers. I use both eyes to look
at proven successful models in the
industry. I use the words "thank you"
repeatedly, not just with my customers but with my coworkers. You need
passion in this business. If you don't
do what you love and love what you
do, you'd be better off seeking another
career path.

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Pizza Today - March 2016

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