The first basic concept for every marketing innovator is to set your product apart from others. How? Well, this can be done in several ways, whether you own an original restaurant or not, one of the best tools for marketing strategies is the constant presence of your business on social media, to reach new customers, interact with already loyal ones and fill your social media to promote your brand with delicious photos of your food.
Having a website that’s teeming with SEO coding is great!Whether people are locals or just visiting the area, its necesarry to tap into local SEO at all times. Try:
- A blog on your website full of engaging content
- Utilize local keywords, pictures of your establishment and menu, videos of your restaurant buzzing with clients..)
- Use both internal links (to other pages of your site) and external links (to affiliate websites, sources of data, etc.)
- Create a Google My Business Account
- Make sure your contact information and address is correct and easy to find – theres nothing worse than a hard to reach restaurant.
Did you know that 70 percent of American adults are on Facebook? That means 70% of your potential clients can be found in one place. You can use cost-free activities on social media by hosting competitions, giveaways of free meals, discounts and gift cards, or even cash prizes to the winners. Alternatively you can look to paid social media marketing to choose how much you spend per day toward your campaign as well as your target audience (based on age, gender, location, and others). This also comes with a backdrop of analytical data that breaks down the performance of your ads.
You could even turn to influencer marketing if there are any food-specific influencers in your relative location. Send them a social media message and invite them to eat at your restaurant for free in turn for posting a photo of them eating there to their hards of loyal followers.
Are you a tech-savvy restauranteur? Perfect!
Tools to use:
Buffer brings the good news of being free for an individual, claiming that they are “the best way to drive traffic, increase fan engagement, and save time on social media.” They are perfect for the small restaurant businesses just starting out on social but restaurant giants should definitely find 10/399$ a month for the subscription. Its an easy to use tool for most social media channels and even allows you to upload and schedule videos which isn’t too common. The platform even came up with the Pablo tool for easier photo editing and creation. This means potential consumers can visit your profiles on Instagram or Facebook before booking a table with you, as well as being able to interact with the already satisfied consumers and to construct a more loyal community fanbase.
Once you have constructed a solid social media profile on different platforms, you can use them in order to post foodie-based photos to attract attention from potential consumers, as well as create loyalty programs for ones that are already commonly coming to your business.
Mailchimp for restaurants – Want to put your real culinary performances on display? You could also send monthly newsletters with special deals, new launches on your menu and occasional events. Cause a bigger impact on consumers to make your staff part of your social media by showing them off and making them feel more involved in your business.
The only way to build relationships these days is online, so why not send valuable content from your kitchens. Have your marketing team take tasteful and exciting pictures on scene. (Just remember to share how you are following the recent health guidelines!) This will keep you on top of their minds & continue to be your supporters, even now.
If you are just starting out, the best thing to do is explore efficient ways to focus on more simple, introductory emails, basic elements of email marketing and the kind of emails you can send nowadays.
Always remember that presence on webpages such as Tripadvisor in order to receive (hopefully positive!) recommendations and options for improvement are important, especially for future followers and users. These types of platforms allow customers to obtain important information before booking a table, and the better online opinions your restaurant has the more clients you will receive come future dates.
In conclusion, digital tools as explained above can set your restaurant apart from the plenty of others already in the industry. Nowadays, customers tend to look to the internet for information before deciding where to eat, so remember that and make sure to follow these steps to make your restaurant the next trendy place to be, pre or post Covid.
Its important to understand that consistency is key in restaurant digital marketing, and if you want your community to remember your name then dont stop gurning out interesting content, update your website regularly, post new content a few times a week on socials and advertise the new meals on your menu.