Marketing
You do not need an ad budget. You need to show up on Google, keep customers happy and get them talking.
The most important marketing is free: a complete Google Business Profile with photos, correct opening hours and replies to every review. Add clear signage, a strong launch offer and your own ordering channel. That already puts you ahead of many pizzerias.
Google is your most important sign
When someone is hungry, they search for pizza on their phone. The pizzeria that shows up with strong photos and good ratings usually wins. Set the profile up before you open. It takes one evening.
- Create a free Google Business Profile
- Fill in everything: opening hours, phone number, menu, photos
- Upload real photos of your pizzas taken in daylight
- Link to your ordering page so people can order direct
- Wrong opening hours are the worst mistake: 'closed' on Google means lost customers
Reviews are your new word of mouth
Reply to every review, happy or angry. Keep it short and friendly. A good reply to a bad review impresses people more than ten five-star ratings.
- Ask happy customers for a review. A sign with a QR code by the till is enough
- Reply within a day or two
- If someone points out a mistake, fix it and say that it is fixed
- Never buy reviews. It shows, and Google penalises it.
Own your customers and turn them into regulars
The apps take a cut every time the same customer orders. Better is to get people ordering direct from you. Your own ordering page through something like Lumit means regulars become yours, not the app's. Put a note in every box: 'Order direct from us next time'.
- Stamp card: every tenth pizza free. Simple and loved.
- A note in the box with a QR code to your own ordering page
- Remember the names of your regulars. That beats any advertising.
The tools you need
Three things to fix, in this order:
Google Business Profile
Most importantYour free sign on Google and Google Maps. The single most important marketing channel for a pizzeria.
Go to pagePhotograph pizzas coming out of the oven and post them. Tag your town. Two posts a week goes a long way.
Go to pageCanva
DesignMake flyers, signs and posts yourself with ready-made templates. Free for most needs.
Go to pageCommon questions
Should I pay for ads on Google or Facebook?
Not at the start. The free basics give you more: a complete Google profile, good photos and reviews. Ads can be worth testing later, when you know the rest is working.
How do I get more reviews?
Ask. Most happy customers are willing, they just need a reminder. A small sign with a QR code by the till and one line on the receipt go a long way.
Does a pizzeria need its own website?
You need one online place where the menu, opening hours and ordering live. Your own ordering page, for example through Lumit, is often enough. The main thing is that your Google profile points to the right place.
Visible on Google? Open for orders.
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