Marketing for Frozen Yogurt Shops: Fun Froyo Events! (Part 6 of 10)

Marketing for Frozen Yogurt Shops: Planning your Frozen Yogurt Shop’s Summer Events

Summer is in full swing, which means your community is probably craving a cool break more than ever! So how can you capitalize and more importantly share your brand effectively, especially if you’re just starting out as a frozen yogurt shop during these busy summer months? Throw an event for your community!

Why Should I Throw an Event When Sales are the Highest During the Year?

Investment in your future Yes, frozen yogurt does well in the summer but does it do as well when the months start to cool down. Throwing an event gets the word of mouth going all year round.

Community Studies have shown that the tides are turning, people are frequenting more community based small businesses in order to feel more connected and support locally. Throwing an event not only shows your buisness’ support of your community but also gives you the opportunity to become more embedded into the local landscape. This could be a stepping stone to becoming the “local watering hole”.

Get to know your customers in a FUN atmosphere Throwing an event for your community gives you an opportunity to know your regulars and convert some newbies. Also, the summer months tend to be the months with the most foot traffic meaning more people in attendance to your event= SUCCESS!

What Kind of Summer Event Should My Frozen Yogurt Shop Have?

Okay, now that I’ve convinced you it’s time to start thinking about what type of event you want to celebrate. Start thinking about your community are there any local fairs or farmers markets going on? Is there a holiday coming up? What day of the week could use a little revenue boost? Here are some ideas:
Frozen FarMar:
- Offer discounts on days that coincide with a local farmer’s market (If the farmer’s market is in walking distance)
- Distribute coupons at the farmer’s market
- Feature local flavors of what’s in season (bonus: use farmer’s market ingredients in your frozen yogurt)

Holiday Celebrations
- Labor Day (September 2nd)
- Patriot Day (September 11th): Red, White, and Blueberries theme, Give discounts to service members i.e firefighters, military, medical personnel.
- Last Day of Summer (September 22): Feature summer flavors, play fun summer games.

My Favorite Summer Event: Summer FroYo Social!

This is a really flexible and fun idea for a frozen yogurt store event. It goes off the community-based Ice Cream Social idea. You can start by putting it on your summer calendar once or twice a month and then maybe weekly depending on attendance and demand.

1.) Start by planning a date for your Frozen Yogurt Social, if you want it to eventually become a recurring event plan on a date when your Frozen Yogurt Shop typically gets less customers to boost the potential amount of revenue or on a date coinciding with another community event to join forces and attract maximum amount of customers.

2.) Plan your discounts. Figure out what your profit margin can afford and then have fun with the discounts. When I was a college student I really appreciated dollar a cup night at my local frozen yogurt shop. Go the charity route; If they bring in a canned good they get a sizeable discount. Or just be funky with it, if they wear a fun hat, discount. Dress like the featured flavor, discount. Remember, discounts get people in the door.

3.) Plan a family friendly game or activity. Some summer friendly ideas are: hula hoop contests, outdoor movies, chalk art, bubble blowing, get a local bluegrass band to join in on the fun, or offer fun twists to your frozen yogurt such as FroYo floats, FroYo cookie sandwiches, FroYo pops. The possibilities are endless.

4.) Now go promoting crazy! Take advantage of all those social networking accounts you opened with your company’s name. Hit up Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, your customer email list and Facebook at least a week before your event. Use a countdown counter to bolster excitement. Also, hashtag your store and event!

Example: #FroYoSocial #TwirlyTuesdays #ChillyWilly’s. (bonus: remember to have people check-in on social media when they get to your social.) Also, go pre-tech and print out flyers, post them on community bulletin boards and get permission to promote at local elementary and high schools.

5.) Remember to Decorate and Have Fun at your Summer Frozen Yogurt Social!



Written by: Sierra Adkins

BEST POINT OF SALE SYSTEM FOR FROZEN YOGURT SHOPS

Popular Frozen Yogurt Flavors for Summer Time!

Summer is here! also known as the frozen yogurt season. While frozen yogurt is popular year round, it is especially popular in the summer. What other treat offers the cold and refreshing flavors at half the calories? Speaking of flavors, we have noticed some fun new flavors that have been a real hit this summer along with some traditional flavors.

If you are a frozen yogurt store owner, these flavors may be the answer to beating out your competitors. It’s all about “Refreshing” this season, and these 6 flavors will ensure flocks of people are flooding through your doors.

1. Strawberry - Summer’s favorite fruit is a mainstay classic to the Frozen Yogurt industry. People love strawberry’s in the summer as it is their season. And, the perfect mixture of big savory sweetness, with just a hint of tart, means customer satisfaction. Strawberry may seem obvious, but the idea is to have everyone’s favorite along with the exciting new flavors. Plus you can always mix the two!

2. Pomegranate - This antioxidant powerhouse is beloved by many a health-nut and for good reason. Pomegranate is proven to reduce the risk of heart problems and it’s antioxidant properties are great for naturally lowering high blood pressure and is considered to be one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. A great organic pomegranate yogurt with some blueberries and granola is just what the health-conscience summertime treat-seeker will order.

3. Greek - The best thing about Greek yogurt, is that it is a broad and healthy style of yogurt which can be found in multiple styles and flavors. Greek FroYo can also be paired with just about any topping for a refreshing, healthy or indulgent feel. Stocking your store with any Honey, Vanilla, Fruit or Mixed flavor Greek yogurt is sure to peak more than a few people’s interest this Summer.

4. Sorbet - Nothing says refreshing quite like a powerful sorbet in the Summer. With dozens of options ranging from Orange to Mango, Watermelon to Lemonade there are no shortage of great sorbet styled Frozen Yogurts out there for you to choose from. A sorbet’s rich and tart tinge leaves customers wanting more and will have them lined up around the corner.

5. Passion Fruit - When it comes to a refreshing tropical flavor, the passionfruit is second to none. The Brazilian fruit is a must-have for those seeking a light, but exciting alternative to the typically indulgent year-round flavors. With a strong tart flavor and citrus overtones, the passionfruit is the perfect summertime treat.

6. Piña Colada - If you like Piña Coladas, let’s face it who doesn’t, then you will love the  Piña Colada flavored frozen yogurt. The best part is that Piña Colada is not only indulgent and refreshing it also has a very luxurious feel to it, plus it goes great with chocolate. If your customers are looking for something exceptional, might you suggest adding coconut shavings and pineapple slices to their summer treat?

Having a wide selection of Summer specific flavors as well as the classics is a great game plan for the Summer time. You can then track what they are going after, that way you can be well prepared for you busiest season.

Best Frozen Yogurt Point of Sale System

 

Frozen Yogurt Machines: Cooling Systems

Air-Cooled Vs. Water-Cooled

When you are looking at frozen yogurt machines, you may notice that some are air cooled and others are water cooled. So to clear up any confusion I am going to talk a little bit about the differences between the two types and how to know which is a better fit for your frozen yogurt shop.

Let’s start with the air cooling; and yes it is like it sounds it used air to keep the machines cool. Without getting too crazy on specifics, this means that hot air will be blown out of the machine while cool air is used within. In other words, you will need a ventilation system that may require a back room or chimneys to take the hot air straight up to the ventilation system.

When it comes to water cooled yogurt machines there are two ways to get the cold water in and the hot water out. One is using regular water, but you may need a recycling system depending on the state you live in and also have to consider the monthly charge for water consumption. The other way to use the water cooling system is to use glycol(antifreeze) in a loop to a chiller located outside. Either way, if you choose to do water you will need a cooling unit, most likely located outside or on the roof.

The key components to keep in mind are square footage, venting, and cost of utilities.

We hope this blog has given you some insight and will help you weigh your options for you frozen yogurt business.

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