Step up your restaurant’s marketing game in today’s digital world with these five key tips.
This brief article provides some powerful marketing tips for restaurants that could help effect noticeable improvements in sales. For optimal marketing results, you should offer services like online ordering, reservation, and delivery. Digital menus, which can be designed and hosted on a free menu maker platform, are also an integral part of successful restaurant marketing since they are a part of the online ordering system.
Top 5 marketing tips for restaurants
These are our top five restaurant marketing tips for you, which we’ll discuss throughout the article:
- Push for more online visibility.
- Increase local visibility.
- Watch and improve your reputation.
- Use customers to market your restaurant.
- Upsell to your current patrons.
Increase your online visibility
Google now does a great job of recognizing a business and ranking it in the correct category and location. Restaurants not located in a particular area won’t appear in the search results of customers within that area, except in the rare cases of manipulated SEO (search engine optimization) or few matches. For that reason, ensure your restaurant also appears in local searches, and consistently work on your SEO to attain and maintain a top-ranking position.
Social media presence
Every prosperous restaurant you see today has a solid social media representation that supports their market efforts and helps maintain a loyal fan base. Suppose your competitors actively use social media, and you’re wasting time and effort on traditional marketing techniques that every marketer knows to be way less effective today. In that case, you’re highly unlikely to beat them when it comes to spreading the word about your restaurant.
As a restaurateur, you need to be on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, at the minimum. TikTok is also gaining strong recognition, especially among the younger generation.
Endeavor to publish strong visuals in pictures and videos across your social media channels. You can also show some behind-the-scenes (BTS) activities and post quality content that vibes with popular events of the day or week. To keep things interesting, you can even integrate a digital menu into your social media page using a free menu template.
Increase local visibility
Don’t invest all your attention in the online sphere; there are many ways to attract passersby and the locals. Take steps to maximize your restaurant’s visibility and public awareness.
Signboards and a decorated shopfront can captivate customers from afar. This is the advantage of locating your restaurant in a busy spot — where the restaurant and its customers have easy access to each other.
You can also employ traditional marketing techniques like distributing flyers to increase public awareness or invite a multitude to your opening ceremony (for new restaurants).
Watch and improve your reputation
Online reputation usually has a substantial impact on restaurant sales. A whopping 77% of customers check online reviews before dining at a place for the first time. You need to ensure any customer who reads reviews about your restaurant should feel it’s worth a visit.
Reply to all negative reviews about your restaurant online, except those you haven’t seen. Even positive reviews demand a response so that the reviewer and others are encouraged and appreciated for the time they took to review your business. Also, ask your satisfied customers to leave positive feedback online about your restaurant.
See also: 5 Marketing Automation Tips for your Business in 2023
Use customers to market your restaurant
Your loyal customers will naturally recommend your restaurant to friends and family even without you requesting them to. The best way to get free marketing services from customers is to give them the best experience you possibly can. Still, reminding them once in a while to recommend your restaurant to others can increase their willingness to do so.
Upsell to your current patrons
Those already coming to your restaurant should be cared for the most. Ideally, they should be the first customers to taste your new dishes and fresh cooking.
Their frequent or repeat visits imply that your food and service are acceptable, even in the face of competition. That means upselling new dishes won’t be too difficult if done right. You can introduce new dishes or create offers that entice them to eat more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are four ways to attract customers?
Here are four key means of enticing customers to your restaurant:
- Use great signage.
- Advertise locally.
- Optimize your online presence.
- Create compelling offers.
What are the words that attract customers?
These are words that precisely and urgently describe your promotions. You need to practice crafting marketing verbiage and track their performances to perfect the skill and settle for the right ones (that fit your brand). There are hundreds of creative restaurant slogans online you can learn from.
Examples include:
- Your belly knows best.
- You can’t eat here just once.
- Eat outside the box.
- Taste that makes you tingle.
How do you attract customers to your food?
In a nutshell, you must have a strong online presence, use compelling marketing slogans, and upsell your dishes to existing customers. Provided your food and hospitality are top-notch, taking these steps should yield lasting results.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we’ve explained several marketing tips for all restaurants should adhere to. Make sure your restaurant is branded and satisfactory to many customers before shifting your focus to marketing. Your target isn’t only to acquire new customers but also to make them loyal patrons.
