Señor Jalapeño of Windsor, Colorado:

A before and after example of cross-channel marketing for 

a small business with a small budget

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 The Business: Señor Jalapeño is a family-owned and operated authentic Mexican restaurant best known for its hot pickles and olives and award-winning green chili.

Marketing History: Since 1992, the restaurant has relied primarily on word-of-mouth advertising, local event sponsorships and occasional small print ads. In 2011 they realized they had to do something different if they were going to stay in business. They had no cohesive marketing plan, no website and only a remnant of a Facebook page.

Señor Jalapeño’s Goal: To create an immediate increase in customers with measurable marketing results — within a reasonable budget.

EasyChair Media’s Goals: To increase customer loyalty; to attract new customers quickly; to modernize the Señor Jalapeño brand and build brand awareness – within Señor Jalapeño limited budget.

What EasyChair Media did:

• Solution #1: We created a mobile app.

Why we did it: We recommended a semi-custom mobile app because we knew this would be the best way for Señor Jalapeño to stay in touch with customers at home or on the go. The mobile app would also give SeñorJalapeño the ability to stand out from their competition by serving up special promotions, loyalty rewards and check-in coupons on-demand. The initial development fee was well within their budget and the low monthly maintenance fee was a no-brainer marketing investment that could be cancelled at any time if they didn’t get results. Last, but not least, the results would be highly measurable and promotions could be changed on the fly.

• Solution #2: We developed a mobile marketing strategy and campaign for 2012.

Why we did it: The plan helped Señor Jalapeño plan in advance and inform their customers of special events, holiday promotions and weekly or daily specials. These were delivered to mobile app customers via push notifications, GPS coupons, QR coupons and check-in.

• Solution #3: We developed a dynamic QR code.

Why we did it: The QR code automatically directed the customer to the

appropriate download location for their mobile device. Then we integrated the QR code with print collateral, a direct mail campaign, and print ads to make it easy for customers to download the mobile app to their devices and get immediate access to rewards.

• Solution #4: We created posters.

Why we did it: Designed for placement in key local major employers’ break rooms (i.e. manufacturing companies), participating businesses along Señor Jalapeño’s mobile burrito route and catering clients’ businesses, we incorporated posters as an inexpensive tool to create brand recognition, build awareness for the mobile app and get the word out to volumes of prospective customers quickly.

• Solution #5: We designed business cards.

Why we did it: Modern, glossy, “spicy” and colorful business cards were essential and a cost-effective way to: establish brand and build awareness; provide the restaurant’s phone number, business hours and location; and promote Señor Jalapeño’s “HOT” pickles and olives to customers who do not yet have smartphones.

• Solution #6: We created table tent cards.

Why we did it: To ensure all current customers are aware of the app, we designed large table tents promoting the app with a QR code for immediate download. Table tents were displayed on all tables in the restaurant.

• Solution #7: We designed postcards.

Why we did it: We integrated a direct mail campaign using standard complementary postcards. These postcards promoted the brand and mobile app, and were mailed to coincide with the mobile app launch. We mailed 9,646 postcards in batches to all households in Windsor, Colorado.

• Solution #8: We created ad campaigns.

Why we did it: To promote the restaurant’s catering and mobile app, we created artwork and a QR code for Señor Jalapeño. These were used in local newspaper and ValPak ads.

• Solution #9: We refined the logo.

Why we did this: We refined the Señor Jalapeño logo and font to ensure consistency throughout all their marketing efforts. Previously, advertising venues had modified the logo and brand elements to their liking.

Measurable Results as reported by Señor Jalapeño:

• Business volume has increased – “Since the launch of the app and these new marketing efforts with EasyChair Media, business sales have consistently risen compared to our sales averages from one year ago.

• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day promotions – “Both of these Sunday promotions proved highly successful as sales peaked and a larger-than-average volume of guests were served.”

• App push notifications – “When app push notifications go out we always see some kind of immediate response. We acquired nearly 700 downloads in the first 30 days alone and in three months have over 2,000, impressive!”

• Guest checks have increased – “While total sales on guest checks are not always up, there are definitely more guest checks, more people coming in overall.”

• Increase in new customers – “We have seen a large increase in new customer faces – probably at least a 40% increase in new foot traffic from first-time customers. “

• Customer response to app – “Many customers and fellow business associates have commented on our app and they are very impressed that a small restaurant like ours has entered this realm of marketing.”

Señor Jalapeño’s evaluation:

“I was skeptical at first of what advertising might be able to do for my business as I had done so little in all my years of operating. I think this plan and the app have definitely increased awareness and have brought more customers to my business in the past three months than anything else I have ever tried. I will continue to work with the EasyChair Media group, who is not only knowledgeable and efficient at what they do, but are willing to work within my limited budget and deliver ‘big budget’ results. ECM is a talented organization. I am glad we have had the opportunity to work with them.” – Denise Ortega, Señor Jalapeño owner

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