Managing a business is not an easy, task, and it can be especially challenging if your business is in the foodservice industry. We live in an age of marketing where it is not simply enough to have the best food, with visually pleasing decor, or even with the greatest chef in the area. If you want your restaurant business to be successful, it is essential that you promote it smartly and efficiently.
Restaurant marketing is unique to each restaurant and it is vital for you to truly understand how your customers think and engage with your business. It also helps reach customers who otherwise might never hear of you and boosts awareness for your restaurant promotions, such as new menu offerings, special events, discounts, and more. In this article, we have listed some of the most common marketing ideas for a restaurant.
How Do Restaurants Do Marketing?
Promotions & Discounts
There’s hard evidence backed by science that shows restaurant promotions and discounts can get more customers through your doors, which means more dollars in your pocket. It is because when guests save money, they’re more likely to feel happier at your restaurant and this increases the probability of more return visits and positive online reviews. However, it is important to be smart about the discounts that you offer and make sure that these incentives won’t devalue your brand. Also, don’t forget to get something in return for these incentives, like their personal contact information so you can text or email them in the future to get them back at your door.
Utilize Local Listing & SEO
If you run a restaurant business, then you have to understand what a ‘near me’ search is and how to optimize it to increase the growth potential of your business. In fact, a recent study has shown that food-based searches make up four out of five positions in all “near me” search queries, including “restaurants near me” and “delivery near me.” If your website holds relevant keywords, potential customers will find your business quickly, which makes them more likely to order from you rather than your competitors. It is also important to make sure you also send out a press release when you have news to share about your restaurant to promote your business to local customers.
Create Social Media Accounts
Having an online presence is crucial to marketing a restaurant in order for the business to reach their target customers and retain current patrons. To more effectively reach your target audience, you need to choose a social media platform that matches your customer demographics to avoid wasting your marketing budget. Generally, the most ideal social media platforms for restaurant businesses are Facebook and Instagram since they will allow your business to capitalize on the strong visual presentation that food offers. By investing in social media marketing, you’re able to project your business to potential diners as one that’s ready to adopt new technology, making your business an innovative food start-up.
Establish Brand Reputation in the Area
It is not possible to succeed in the industry without working on your brand image. Aside from the quality food and service you provide, you need to turn your restaurant business into a brand that people can trust in order to ward off the competition. Your brand tells the story of your restaurant, differentiates you from other restaurants, and articulates the type of food and experience you provide for your customers even before they set foot through the door.
Create a Website With Relevant Features
Your brand website is the heart of your restaurant business, and to successfully market your restaurant business you need to create an eye-catching and easy to navigate website. It should also include features like an online reservation system, contact number and address, gift cards and rewards, customer feedback section, online email sign-up for special offers, and introductory discounts that will help with customer loyalty and attract new diners to your restaurant.
How Can I Promote My Small Restaurant Business?
Just because your marketing budget is small, it doesn’t mean that your marketing efforts will have minimal impact on your business. In fact, some of the most effective strategies to market a restaurant business require little to no investment. In today’s fast-paced and modern generation, the internet provides a great and costless way to promote your restaurant and win over new customers without breaking the bank.
First of all, you’re going to need patience and you should be willing to put some real effort into putting these tips into practice. Earlier on this page, we have mentioned some marketing ideas for a restaurant business and all of those strategies require little to no investment. These zero-budget marketing ideas can increase your brand awareness and encourage potential customers to talk about you in their circles.
How Do I Attract Customers To My Restaurant?
To draw more customers to your restaurant, it is important to understand the buying behaviour of your customers and turn those slow times into some of your busiest hours by offering promotions and discounts. For instance, you can offer 10% off from all of your appetizers every Friday to entice potential customers. These promotions give customers an excuse to make a trip to your restaurant and build excitement about your restaurant.
If your restaurant is situated in a rural area, offering a free Wi-Fi connection can also get more people in the doors and may keep them in your restaurant for a longer period of time. Furthermore, you can also improve the overall customer experience in your restaurant by incorporating live comedy, live music, sporting events, celebrity guest appearances, etc.
How Do I Create A Marketing Plan For My Restaurant?
Your restaurant can stand out despite the tough competition from established and new industry players if you were able to formulate a unique and actionable marketing plan. Without a marketing plan and a clear implementation of strategies, it will not be possible to make it in the restaurant industry. While creating a marketing plan is a big topic, there are some general principles and mechanisms you can employ to focus your efforts on strategies that will yield significant results to your restaurant.
You should first assess your current business situation to set an attainable objective. Once you’ve established a proper objective for your restaurant, you have to create a restaurant marketing budget or the amount of money you’re willing to spend on marketing upfront. It is also advisable to perform a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threat) analysis for your business to help you with the brainstorming process.
