Communication, Marketing and Promotions

Talking to customers and the world

A hospitality business lives or dies by how well it gets its message across. Inside the business, staff must communicate clearly with each other so that orders are right and service runs smoothly. Outside it, the business has to reach customers, tell them what it offers, and give them reasons to choose it over the place next door. This module covers both halves of that. First, the ways an outlet communicates, by speaking, in writing, without words, and through screens and social media, and why clear communication matters so much. Second, how an outlet markets itself: how it advertises to be noticed, the special offers and loyalty schemes it uses to bring customers back, and the small selling skills, like suggesting a dessert, that lift every bill. Get these right and a good kitchen becomes a busy, profitable business.

Communication and marketing words

Learn these terms before the methods are matched up. They name the ideas used in this topic.

Match each method to what it is

Effective against ineffective communication

The same message can help or harm a business depending on how well it is communicated.

What kind of marketing is this?

A hotel pays to have its advert appear on a popular social media feed to reach new guests. What is this an example of?

• Advertising, paying to place a message where customers see it
• Handling a complaint
• Giving first aid
• Taking stock

Get the message across

Whatever the channel, clear communication follows the same rules. Say or write exactly what you mean, in plain words the other person will understand. Check the important details, a name, a time, a table number, a food allergy, and repeat them back so nothing is guessed. Match the way you speak to the person: warm and friendly with a guest, brief and precise with a busy colleague. Watch your body language too, because a smile and eye contact say as much as words. When communication is poor, orders go wrong, guests feel let down, and staff blame each other. When it is clear, the whole place runs calmly and customers notice. It costs nothing to communicate well, and it is one of the surest signs of a business that knows what it is doing.

Pick the ways an outlet markets itself

Select every genuine way a hospitality outlet markets itself to customers.

• Posting offers on social media
• Running a meal deal
• Giving loyalty cards to regulars
• Ignoring customers who walk in
• Hiding the menu and prices

Order how to run a promotion

Put the steps of running a promotion for a restaurant into a sensible order.

• Decide which customers you want to reach
• Decide the offer, such as a midweek meal deal
• Advertise it so customers hear about it
• Run the offer for a set time
• Review whether it brought in more custom

Complete the marketing facts

The whole process of understanding customers and persuading them to buy is called _____. Paying to place a message in the media, in print or online, so customers notice a business, is _____. A short-term special offer, such as a meal deal or a loyalty card, is a _____. Persuading a customer to add an extra item, such as a dessert or a larger drink, is _____.

Tap the two ways to advertise

Read these four things a cafe might do. Tap the TWO that are ways of advertising.

• post a special offer on social media
• place an advert in the local paper
• mop the kitchen floor
• wash the dishes

The stall that calls you over

Picture two fruit stalls side by side in a busy market. The first sits silent, its boxes half hidden at the back, its prices nowhere to be seen. The second is alive: the owner calls out a cheerful greeting, the ripest fruit is piled bright at the front, a small sign shouts a deal on strawberries, and a plate of free samples sits ready to try. By the end of the morning one stall is packed with regulars who come back week after week, and the other is quiet. Neither has better fruit. The difference is entirely in how they reach people and make them want to stop. A hospitality outlet works the same way: the food may be excellent, but customers only come if the business makes itself seen, sounds welcoming, and gives people a reason to choose it.

Work out the discount

A meal normally costs 20 pounds. A special offer takes 25 per cent off the price. Work out how many pounds are taken off. Give the number only.

Advise on communication and marketing

Read each situation and choose the best answer.

• A restaurant is quiet on Monday nights and wants to fill tables. What could it do?
• A waiter takes a booking by phone. What makes the communication effective?
• A customer orders a main course. How could a waiter upsell politely?

Build a marketing point

Choose the word for each gap to complete one point about communication and marketing.

Explain communication and marketing

A friend is opening a small cafe. Using what you have learned, explain how to communicate well and market the business.

• Explain two ways a hospitality outlet communicates
• Explain why effective communication matters to customers and staff
• Explain two ways an outlet can advertise itself
• Explain what a promotion is, with an example
• Explain what upselling is and why it helps the business