2. THEMES: Promotions are more effective when they are surrounding holidays, special events and themes.

3. TARGET: Offer free food and prizes only to people in your area.

4. REGISTER: Use a brief registration form to gather information. Don’t get too personal.

5. LEGAL: Make sure all contests and promotions are legal and prizes are awarded.

6. PRIVACY: Have a privacy policy and don’t rent or sell e-mail addresses.

7. CROSS Make your online promotions more effective by:

PROMOTION: integrating them with your offline marketing.

8. CHANGE: Change your promotion and giveaways so it can create excitement and change for the customer.

9. THINK LIKE Do your offers provide real value, are they fun,

A CUSTOMER: and are they easy to understand?

Sherri and Michael P. Cohen have been in the restaurant field for 20 years. They have had several successful restaurants and now market and consult with restaurateurs. To reach them call Big Slice Consulting at 1-800-784-4883 or visit them at www.BigSliceConsulting.com. They will be happy to speak with you.