Sometimes, it can seem daunting for you – an independent or local chain restaurant – to compete with massive national or international chains. But luckily, there is no better time than the present for local businesses to receive their due.

Here, we’ll give you four examples of creative ways that independent businesses marketed themselves effectively – and stole customers away from the national chains.

1. Develop an original tone and style. Local Canadian chain The Burger’s Priest created a black-and-white, hip hop-inspired commercial called “Straight Out of Coxwell” (a play on “Straight Out of Compton”). The commercial focused highlighting the company’s attitude and history. Every person who watched that ad knew exactly the vibe – and the food – they would get if they checked out this tasty local eatery.

Of course, you don’t have to – and shouldn’t! – mimic The Burger’s Priest. Instead, make a video that demonstrates authenticity. Diners just want to know, what kind of experience will I have here

2. Give your diners a hands-on way to experience your business: with a cooking class. Butter Lane Bakery, in New York City, wanted a creative way to attract more customers. So, they offered a series of cooking classes for amateur bakers in their professional kitchen – an experience not many of their aspiring cooks had before. The result? The bakery sold 9,000 seats in their cooking classes – an outcome that exceeded their expectations by 3000%.

You don’t have to have a cooking class. But do get creative about the events that you host – what would bring in your ideal clientele?

3. Make a Digital First Time Guest Program. These days, marketing is all about standing out from the crowd and staying top of mind. Think about the ideal experience that a first-time guest would have in your restaurant and develop a strategy to get them coming back.  Consider using technology to help deliver that experience to your customer and messaging automation to make it easy to keep your restaurant top of mind and bring them back again and again.

4. Build a unique Instagram presence. Howlin’ Rays, a fried chicken restaurant in Los Angeles, has more than 70,000 Instagram followers. These numbers could be part of the reason that the food truck made the big move into a storefront restaurant seemingly overnight. But they earned those followers. Howlin’ Rays’ account not only posts yummy-looking pictures of its chicken, but also shares promotions, giveaways, and partnerships with other local businesses. A smart tip: notice that Howlin’ Rays links to its YouTube page on its Instagram account.

 While each one of these restaurants had a unique marketing idea, they had one thing in common: they all thought outside of the box to beat the chains.

And with Boelter Blue, you can do the same. Boelter Blue partners with you to create a personalized, app-centered marketing plan that lets you connect with and energize your diners. By writing and pre-scheduling notifications to diners who download your app, you can court new customers and engage with regulars.

Learn more about Boelter Blue, and if you want more inspiration about how you can outpace chains in the marketing game, download our free eBook, “Get More Customers into Your Restaurant: 30 Tips that Take Less Than 5 Minutes.”