Looking for something to do this holiday weekend? See our picks for some fun local events.
If you’re a fan of the South Carolina Gamecocks and/or Bloomin’ Onions at Outback Steakhouse you’re in the midst of two fantastic days.
Because South Carolina beat Michigan in yesterday’s Outback Bowl, diners can receive a free Bloomin’ Onion at restaurant locations just by mentioning “Outback Bowl” today only.
To find the Outback Steakhouse closest to you, click here.
Enjoy!
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Want to be a Shoptimist? That's what this blog is all about. We aim to make shopping fun and affordable by helping you find deals and be a smarter shopper. The blog is written by a group of Roanoke Times staffers, including Rebecca Holland.
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Yet another way national franchises shut down local restaurants – imaginative marketing.
I’ve seen Pop’s Ice Cream give away free stuff online through Facebook, Grace’s Pizza offer a coupon online for a free pepperoni pizza with the purchase of one, and many local restaurants take advantage of the roanoke.com daily deal specials offering half off on meals, as examples.
So I have seen local restaurants use some imaginative marketing also.
National chain restaurants just have more money to pour into ads of all kinds – TV, radio, magazines, online, etc.
I post local deals when I can, but unfortunately they’re not circulated as much as those by national companies. I can only post what I know so I always welcome reader tips. Leave a comment or send me an email if you ever find something!
While local companies might occasionally use imaginative methods of marketing, I don’t think anyone can seriously pretend that they do as much as national franchises. Facebook, Twitter, and lots of other highly effective marketing channels cost NOTHING. It’s not about money to advertise.
WalMart has a ton of money and a ton of advertising. That doesn’t mean they can’t be beaten. The number of times that national franchises promote themselves compared to the amount of times the local companies promote themselves if laughable. Local folks need to try lots – they typically try ZERO marketing. The excuse is ‘We can’t afford to advertise.’ You don’t advertise? You die. Period.
Why does WalMart advertise? They’re the Big Dog. They’ve got the rep. So why advertise? Think about it. WalMart’s not stupid. They understand something that local owners choose to ignore. You don’t advertise? You die. Period.
Dylan, not picking on you by any means. Here’s the deal – In the amount of time it takes to empty a trash can in the kitchen of a locally owned restaurant, they could have posted on here that they have a free online coupon for a pizza or whatever else. They could have tweeted and posted on Facebook and alerted people to check them out on those sites. In the 2-3 years I’ve been loyal to RT.com, I have seen almost ZERO posts alerting me to such.
Like it or not, that’s the world in which we live. Facebook, Twitter, they’re FREE! That means FREE advertising. FREE! It takes one minute, and costs a whole lot less than a weekly flier, and hits just as many people, if done right. You know, the people with expendable income? The DESIRED customers?
Those aren’t the only ways, they’re just the low hanging fruit. People really, REALLY, want to support local businesses, but not at a huge sacrifice. A small sacrifice, yes, but not a huge one. We’ve got to get smarter about this.
Franchisees still live locally and spend thier money locally. Don’t dismiss them as non-local businesses because they carry a regional or nationally recognized logo.
Thanks Rebecca – no problem with getting the word out about Outback deals, etc., but it is wonderful to know what the LOCALS are up to!
Oh, Robert, I agree! I welcome any and all companies to give me a heads up about what they’re offering. I spend some time each day scouring Facebook and blogs for deals. It is getting harder for companies to advertise on Facebook with the new privacy settings. Facebook has figured out a way to keep posts from always appearing on everyone’s newsfeed — they’re tricky.