Get Your Table Tents on Every Table in Town with These Tips

Many small businesses overlook table tents as viable and economical marketing tools that can lead to killer profits. However, table tents aren't just for restaurateurs and when you know how to take advantage of table tent marketing you can reach a very large local customer base without the expenses associated with mailing. The following offers tips and tricks for printing profitable table tents and getting them on every table in town.

Develop your table tents Good table tents have a compelling offer delivered within an attention-getting design. Decide out how you can reward customers who take action after they see your table tents, whether it's a discount, a freebie, or some other incentive. Write copy with a headline that delivers your offer, a list of benefits of buying from you, and a clear call to action for what to do next (visit your website, scan your mobile QR code, call your phone number, etc.). Then have your table tent design printed by a premium printing company to make it both durable and attractive. You're ready to go to market!

The “ad space” approach When you ask local restaurants to place your table tents on their tables, you're asking them to willingly divert customers away from their own marketing materials, if even momentarily, to consider yours. That can be a hard sell for some, so you have to deliver an incentive. One approach is to simply rent the right to place your table tents on tables, similar to how you can rent advertising space in a newspaper. You pay a monthly fee, and the restaurant manager makes sure your table tents are always visible.

The commission approach Another way to create incentive for restaurants is to offer a commission based on sales made through the table tents you place at their establishment. You will have to track table tents for individual restaurants, and then pay an agreed upon percentage to the restaurant for every sale. Another way to do this is to offer diners an immediate discount at the restaurant if they sign up for your service (or mailing list, etc.), then pay the difference between the discounted price and the meal.

For example, you could print a table tent with a QR code that can be scanned by mobile phones. When scanned, customers are taken to an application where they can sign up to receive email alerts from you. If they sign up, they are taken to a coupon good for an immediate 10 percent off voucher for the restaurant they're dining in. At the end of each month, you pay the difference to the restaurant. In this manner, the restaurant can charge customers less and still make the same amount of money, simply by allowing you to place table tents.

The partner approach Last but not least, you can partner with restaurants to print table tents that serve both your purposes. One side could boast your promotion; the other side could be anything the restaurant would like (such as a featured dish, beverage list, or dessert menu, for example). You pay for the printing, saving the customer money; and you both benefit when customers take advantage your offers.