Pizza Today - October 2020 - 48

celebrate
National
Pizza
Month.
This
year, it's time
to pull out
all the stops for
your community. The
pizzeria industry as a whole
has fared better than other restaurant
colleagues. Whatever you do to celebrate
National Pizza Month, find a way to say,
"thank you" to your patrons, your community and the people who have helped
your area get through this crisis.
We may not be able to throw a huge
party this year, but there are so many
ways to mark the occasion. We've put
together a list of low-cost to no-cost
marketing ideas for your pizzeria to make
the most of National Pizza Month. They
include:
* Start by spreading the word with the
hashtag #nationalpizzamonth
* Make sure you tag @PizzaToday so
we can be a part of your celebration.
* Original pricing from when the
pizzeria opened for a day or daypart.
* Create your own giveaway.
* Partner with another pizzeria for a
charity challenge. Whoever sells the most
pizza wins a "trophy" or something until
the next year.
* Host a "Made-at-home Pizza
Challenge". If you sell pizza kits, hold a
contest to see who makes it best at home.
Give them some guidance on what you
need to see in the photo/video and have
them post their masterpieces on social
and tag your pizzeria. Winners receive
____ (whatever you choose).
* Virtual eating challenge. Get entrants
to compete for t-shirts or other swag. Do
a wall of fame.
* Create a Bingo card for things that
customers have experienced at your

pizzeria. (Think menu items, limited
specials, special events hosted, swag
worn, etc.) Bingo cards have been very
popular on social during the COVID-19
pandemic.
* GET ON TV! Do pizza for local
news stations in the morning. Then do a
promotion for that day.
* Host a Virtual Pizza History Trivia
Night.
* Run a customer recipe promotion.
Invite your patrons to create your next
big hit! Have customers submit recipes
for topping combinations, etc. Winner
gets the pizza named after them on your
menu or free pizza for a year or a $500
gift card, etc.
* Tie in other unique October
observances, like National Disability
Employment Awareness Month or Halloween.
* Offer a National Pizza Month oneof-a-kind offer to your loyalty club members. Think swag, secret menu item, etc.
* Go for a local, regional, national or
world record. Guinness World Records
offers several pizza-related opportunities.
* Create games with a drawing where
the winner receives free item or offer.
(Think small games, like guess the
number of pepperonis on a pizza;
guess the ingredient; answer questions related to your pizzeria;
photo with a specific item social
contest, etc.)
* Crown an Ultimate Pizza Fan
by inviting customers to submit
on social media why they should
be the winner.
* Ask customers to send you video
submissions stating why they LOVE
your pizza. Push these videos out to social media platforms - free marketing!
* Challenge a pizzeria owner in
another city to a duel. Whoever sells
the most X pies in a week gets to pick a
charity and the "loser" donates $X to said

charity.
* Host a virtual Halloween party for
little ones.
* Let an employee take over your social
media account to share your pizzeria's
story.
* Host a live steam pizza-making
workshop to let customers stretch and
top pizza.
* Create a video to share with your
pizzeria's social followers on who you are
and why you founded the pizzeria. Go
further and create another video going
behind-the-scenes to show how you
make the pizza.
* Order some custom pizza swag. Get
creative. Think about what your customers would wear often. Hoodies, fitted
comfort t-shirts, flex-fit hats, skull caps,
patches, buttons, koozies, or temporary
tattoos (design real tattoos if that's your
audience). ■

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Pizza Today - October 2020

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