How to Stay Top of Mind

Have you ever had that dreaded conversation about where to eat out?  You ask your kids where they’d like to go for dinner and they mention the same restaurants that you always frequent.  You literally pass 8 other places on the way to their favorite.  Now, ask yourself a question “why is that restaurant always chosen?”  The answer is TOMA.  What is TOMA?  

TOMA stands for “Top of Mind Awareness.”  It’s the main reason why so many buying choices are made, including the choice of your last restaurant meal.  Consumers gravitate towards the familiar, reliable, and trusted.  When a company is top of mind that means they are remembered in a way that attracts attention.  For a company to profitable, it must win the battle of mental competition.  Out of sight is out of mind.  

There are plenty of places where the public can spend their money so you have to give people a reason to shop with you.  And you must present this reason in a compelling way over and over again.  You’ve achieved top of mind awareness when someone thinks of an industry and they immediately think of you. This can be accomplished through branding and sponsorship coupled with delivering quality service at a fair price.  Whether you are a restaurant or service company, TOMA is the goal of marketing as it is how people pass your competitors to do business with you.