Have you read your food section in your local newspaper recently? Without fail, there’s always a section where reader asks for the recipe of a particular dish at a local restaurant. This seems like a missed opportunity for local businesses. The thing is…

…why aren’t local businesses (not just restaurants) using recipes as a marketing technique?

Every business has recipes, some more secret than others. If you’re running a restaurant, why not post a few recipes of your favorite dishes? Most people won’t take the time to actually cook the dishes and the generosity of the act will resonate with customers.

Are you a plumber? Why not do a webseries on how to unclog your own toilet? Give your website visitors the power to unclog their own toilet and they’ll come to you to do it. The more complicated, the more difficult it looks, the more likely viewers will be to come to you to fix their problems.

Do you run a liquor store? Why not put up videos with specific drink recipes? Tell people what to do when they get Creme de Minthe home. Chances are, they’ll come to you the next time they have liquor to buy.

Obviously, this technique won’t work for all businesses (ie Barbeque restaurants where the secret-ness of a house BBQ sauce is a great marketing technique) but it’s worth considering in most businesses. Recipes offer you a way to show people how to use your product or service and also show your knowledge in a particular area.