Denny’s Restaurant was established in 1953 by Harold Butler in Lakewood, California. With over 2,000 Denny’s restaurants currently operating worldwide – the franchise has seen remarkable growth and development. At this point, you may be asking – why are we talking about Denny’s? In my opinion – the corporation offers many marketing and development ideas which could be easily implemented into a blogging approach. Take a look at the following case studies – and let your creativity, and saliva, flow.
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Free “Grand Slam Breakfast” Day
On February 3rd, 2009 Denny’s offered a Free Grand Slam for every person entering the restaurant. It’s been recently estimated that over 2,000,000 people partook of the free offer. This marketing idea is absolutely pure genius. Although the meals were free-of-charge, drinks weren’t. Denny’s probably recovered much of their money through drink/miscellaneous purchases – and were able to brand their company name and image to millions of people around the world.
From a blogger’s standpoint, it’s always been beneficial to offer “freebies” or gifts to readers and visitors. In order to increase publicity and interest in what you have to offer – develop a gift or prize that readers will benefit from. Advertising giveaways, product samples, and gifts – are all ways to attract flocks of hungry internet users.
Happy & Courteous Employees
It’s always been my experience that employees of Denny’s are courteous, and generally happy. Although this might not be the case for some, I believe it’s important to generate a blog with a customized “feel” or personality – as this will better resonate with your readers.
Open 24/7
One of the greatest features of Denny’s is its availabilty and 24 hour “open” schedule. For myself, it’s always comforting knowing that wherever and whenever I may be traveling – Denny’s is always open and ready to serve me.
There’s two things we can learn here from Denny’s. The first being that your blog must be running on a stable hosting environment. Your blog musn’t intermittently go offline throughout the day – as you must always be ready for business.
The other aspect we can learn from Denny’s 24 hour approach is blog consistency and availability. Blog posts must be continually created and updated in order to “feed” your growing crowd of readers. There’s no difference between yourself and Denny’s. It’s just that you serve blog posts – and Denny’s serves Grand Slams.
Marketable “Diner” Brand & Feel
Denny’s operates on a perfect blend of branding and marketability. Walking into a modern-day Denny’s brings you back to times gone past of old diners and sock hop music. Blogging is no different. A specific brand and identity must be identified in order to successfully grow your blog. Whether you decide upon a warm, inviting feel – or you prefer harsh, cold environments; keep the brand consistent. Match the tone of your posts to your blog template, and create the perfect “restaurant” for your readers to dine in.
Finishing the Meal
The eggs and pancakes are gone – and only remnants of syrup remain. We’ve browsed through a few aspects of Denny’s marketing/branding approach – and hopefully identified ways in which to create memorable blogs. Whether you decide to begin offering freebies or develop a better brand – it’s important to continually learn from other successful ventures.
Remember, develop your blog like Denny’s – and let your readers leave feeling full and satisfied.