It can prove to be quite tricky to market a restaurant in the modern day and age. What with the rise of fast food, and also being able to order it straight to your door for an attractive touch of extra convenience, it can be hard to bring the right amount of customer in through your doors… but it doesn’t have to be an impossible task!
It can prove to be quite tricky to market a restaurant in the modern day and age. What with the rise of fast food, and also being able to order it straight to your door for an attractive touch of extra convenience, it can be hard to bring the right amount of customer in through your doors… but it doesn’t have to be an impossible task!
So, with that in mind, it might be worth having a look into effectively marketing your restaurant, whether it’s old or new. If you don’t have the location factor on your side, and you haven’t been around for very long, there are some great ways to step up your game on the marketing side.
Try Not to Generalise
The first thing to realise is that not all types of marketing are going to work for you – you’re a restaurant business, and that means it can be hard to run long term promotional campaigns, and there’s no chance you’re going to be able to offer free samples either!
When you’re trying to market your restaurant offline only, you’re going to run into a whole new boat of problems – but it can be done!
But if you’d like to focus on the power of the internet, you’ll need to focus on hospitality marketing and what that entails, to make sure you’re going to be able to reap the rewards of the money you invest here.
Use the Foodie Side of Social Media
Second up, make sure you use social media to full effect. As a restaurant, you’ve got a very unique angle to push via the likes of Instagram and Facebook, and you need to use this to its full advantage.
Turn to the foodie side of these platforms – they exist in droves, and they’re always welcoming to new food accounts and restaurant platforms; you can post a stellar pic of your house special of the day, and with the right hashtags, you can generate a bucket load of interest in one go. Be sure you know what time of day to post, and try to keep your finger on the pulse as much as possible.
Set Up a Restaurant Rewards Program
You might want to use a rewards program to entice people in as well. This way you won’t have to deal with the lack of longevity food tends to have, and instead focus on the monetary side of things.
You can offer money off coupons when someone has collected 6 or more stamps from eating at your restaurant, and you could throw in some free drinks to make sure they keep coming back for more. It’s a very effective way to set your restaurant apart from the crowd, and shows you’re ready to give back when a customer shows you their brand loyalty.
Make Your Exterior Stand Out
Restaurants are still one of the few businesses that rely heavily on attracting passers-by. While online marketing is important, you should also not neglect the potential customers walking straight by your premises.
Invest in strong signage to grab people. If you’re open late at night, an outdoor neon sign or illuminated sign could be necessary. For promoting deals, consider buying an A-board sign that you can prop on the pavement. You can also hang up posters on your restaurant windows to promote deals or events.
Effectively marketing a restaurant comes in quite a few forms, but ideas like these always work out for the best. Make sure you’re looking into them.
