You’ve decided to open your own restaurant, so you’re probably wondering where you should start when it comes to marketing your new business. You might be tempted to hire a huge marketing company and make all the decisions from there, but in reality you’ll need to do most of the work yourself if you want any hope of succeeding as an entrepreneur.
Why Do you Need to Market your Restaurant?
For years I’ve been a guest at restaurants that served me food I didn’t want, in surroundings that weren’t what I wanted, with servers who spent more time flirting than engaging and with owners who never asked me back. Why? Because they didn’t market their business well. Growth Hackers treats restaurant marketing like seasoning a dish: without the right promotion and customer engagement, even the best food won’t leave a lasting impression.
More importantly, they spent no time on customer retention or making sure that customers had a great experience when they visited them. Eventually, many of these businesses closed down because they were unable to retain customers to keep coming back. If you don’t think marketing is important but really it is because your business cannot survive without customers
Here Are 10 Marketing Ideas for Restaurants
To give you some ideas on how to market your restaurant and make sure it becomes successful, here are 10 marketing ideas for restaurants….
1. Utilize all traditional marketing avenues
Do you want to sell more restaurant meals? Give customers something they can’t get anywhere else. As opposed to appealing to everyone, focus on how your business stands out in comparison to your competitors. Are you closer than anyone else? Are you open longer than anyone else?
Growth Hackers has helped a local Italian restaurant in New York City increase local foot traffic by 45% in 4 months by combining traditional marketing (flyers, local magazines, and newspapers) with unique offers that highlight their differentiators.
Whatever your differentiator is, let customers know! Advertise with local magazines and newspapers, hang fliers in highly trafficked areas and give potential patrons a free cup of coffee when they say they saw a poster. It will leave them thinking about what makes your restaurant unique instead of making them think that all restaurants are really much alike after all.
2. Have great online reviews
It’s obvious that online reviews are one of, if not THE most important parts of your marketing strategy. Reviews paint a complete picture to consumers about what you do and who you are. If your restaurant has great reviews, people will go to your restaurant.
However, if you have bad reviews or no reviews at all it’s going to be extremely difficult to make money and grow your business. This can leave you scratching your head trying to figure out what exactly is wrong with your restaurant so that you can improve and get great online reviews… but wait there’s more!
3. Listen and respond to your customers
Your customers are your number one priority. Listening to and responding to their needs is an important part of marketing because it will help you understand them better and meet those needs. The easiest way to do that is with social media. But don’t go overboard with self-promotion: be responsive, helpful, and considerate instead.
For example, if you have a customer who loves cocktails but hates waiting in line, recommend they order from their phone when they arrive at dinner time so they can skip the queue! This simple solution can make all the difference to a loyal customer. They’ll remember how thoughtful you were, and they may even tell their friends about it. Over time, word of mouth advertising like that has enormous potential to boost business!
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4. Run campaigns and contests on social media
Social media provides a cost-effective way to give your restaurant some visibility online. The key is to offer promotions and contests that incentivize people to engage with your brand and post about it, thereby increasing traffic and getting free advertising.
Here are a few ideas:
- Offer a discount on meals if customers post their photos with your restaurant in it using an app like Instagram
- Run a what’s in my burrito? contest
- Ask customers to submit photos of them eating at your place and then create contests where they can win prizes if they tag you or mention you.
- Another great way to leverage social media is by running polls asking consumers what they want at their local restaurants.
- Sometimes, you have to use some responsive display ads to get some promotion on your website.
When one Thai client’s restaurant struggled to attract online attention, Growth Hackers launched photo contests, polls, and meal promotions, transforming passive followers into active participants and driving more foot traffic.
5. Advertise at local events
Attending and sponsoring local events like marathons, art festivals, or family-friendly fairs can expose your restaurant to a whole new demographic. If you’re trying to bring in more business at lunch time, you might consider sponsoring local sports teams (even if it’s just a banner at their next game). As an added bonus, events like these tend to generate positive community buzz that can stick around long after they end. And as any chef will tell you: word of mouth is often better than any expensive advertising campaign.
6. Use videos in your marketing plan
Video is one of today’s most influential forms of marketing, and it’s also a favorite among consumers. Use your smartphone to record a video featuring yourself and/or members of your team talking about what sets you apart from competitors and what makes your restaurant an excellent choice.
People love seeing others in action, so try to be as genuine as possible while filming yourself talking about what makes your restaurant special or why people should come back again. If there are videos online already that feature you or your staff, link to them on social media.
Before Growth Hackers implemented video content for one of the luxury French restaurants we worked with, they struggled to connect online; after using videos, engagement surged, customer visits increased, and their unique story finally reached the audience it deserved.
7. Make sure you have a website!
It’s as simple as that. Your restaurant probably serves food and alcohol, but is it easy to find? If you have a physical location (brick-and-mortar), you definitely need a website. You need a restaurant POS system for billing and tracking your account & inventory.
If you don’t have one yet, you can create one for free with Google Sites. All you need is a simple contact form and your location listed on Google Maps and poof!, you have an easy way for customers to get in touch with you, see what your address is, and even see pictures of your food!you have to check
This is not it though. You don’t want to stop with a nice-looking website. You want to drive traffic to it. This is where SEO for restaurants comes in. You want to do local keyword research and create SEO-optimized content around it. You also want to make sure that your site loads fast, that the user experience is smooth and that it’s easy to book a table.
When one of our restaurant clients didn’t have a website, Growth Hackers created a fast, user-friendly site with SEO-focused content, boosting visibility and driving a steady flow of new customers.
In addition to on-page SEO, you want to craft an off-page SEO strategy and build relevant, contextual and high-quality backlinks. It can be hard for newbies: 8 Reasons Why you Should Outsource Link Building (Off-Page SEO) to make sure your search engine optimization strategy is a success.
8. Partner with influencers in your city
Partnering with influencers to promote your restaurant is a great way to expand your reach and spread awareness of your brand. The most successful types of collaborations are those that give both parties exposure to new audiences. With influencer marketing, you can share content that features your restaurant in an appealing way.
Remember, it’s not about creating content for them; it’s about using their following to help market your business to new customers. Start by identifying local food bloggers, Instagrammers and other social media experts in your city who are passionate about dining out and reaching their followers. Reach out, introduce yourself and ask how you might be able to work together on something exciting. Most will welcome the opportunity!
At Growth Hackers, we worked with a Mediterranean style restaurant in Chicago boost online table bookings by 47% in less than half a year by connecting them with influencers on both Instagram and TikTok who authentically showcased their dining experience to engaged audiences.
9. Work together with local charities or schools
Nonprofits and schools love food, so it’s a good idea to build relationships with them. Invite these organizations to a free tasting or an event at your restaurant. This can drive traffic and awareness to your business while also helping out local groups in need of support. In addition, by installing a digital menu board, you will make a strong first impression during these events and clearly highlight your offerings, specials, and community support initiatives.
For example, if you have restaurants near a university, you might be able to reach out to local fraternities and sororities… organizations that likely have quite an appetite (and plenty of spending power). These groups are always looking for great places to hold their events, so find ways they can help each other out by partnering on events like fundraiser dinners and catering services.
10. Tell stories of your food or location
The best restaurant marketing ideas often come from your food. Talk about where you’re located and why it’s a great place to eat. Discuss why people love your menu items or how you source your ingredients. These are all stories that could easily inspire a ton of great content and some compelling visuals, too!
Stories are must-particles in your restaurant management, lead generation and marketing strategy. It’s also worth noting that no matter what kind of story you want to tell, it’s key to think visually when crafting your message. Before Growth Hackers implemented storytelling strategies for one of the Vietnamese restaurants we partnered with, they struggled to capture attention online but after showcasing food stories and location highlights, engagement, reservations, and brand loyalty all surged.
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 70% of B2B buyers trust visual content . Grab their attention with gorgeous photos and videos showcasing your product or restaurant so they can start thinking about buying from you before they even have time to realize there’s more than one option available to them.
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Why Social Media is Important for Restaurant Marketing?
Social media channels are a great place to promote restaurants, especially if you have an existing following. Getting existing customers involved in spreading your restaurant’s message is key. If customers have a positive experience at your restaurant, it could be as simple as asking them to post a review on Yelp or Google; if they were disappointed, consider how you can reach out to remedy that situation and then ask them to change their review.
When one of our Japanese client’s restaurant had excellent food but limited online presence, Growth Hackers encouraged guests to share their experiences on social media, resulting in higher engagement and a noticeable boost in reservations.
Is a Website Needed for a Restaurant?
If you’re just starting out, your website probably isn’t a top priority. You might be thinking that it’s silly to spend money on a website before you even have customers. However, there are many reasons why getting your own restaurant website is important. For one thing, without a site of your own, it can be difficult to get noticed by Google and other search engines.
Potential customers also won’t be able to check out pictures of food and see their menu if they can’t find them online. Your business will also look more legitimate with its own address and phone number on a site rather than using social media or word-of-mouth as contact information, which is obviously beneficial for gaining trust from future customers! You can also check 7 Marketing Methods You May Not Have Considered for Your Business .
Closing Thoughts About Restaurant Marketing
As a business owner, you want to be able to provide your customers with experiences they’ll love. And in order to do that, you need an effective marketing strategy. To help you get started on crafting a plan of action, here are ten different marketing ideas for restaurants.
Make sure to think about what your target customer is likely looking for and how each idea can resonate with them. To find even more ways to promote your establishment, consider hiring a professional or joining an organization specifically focused on helping local businesses succeed.
Growth Hackers is an award-winning restaurant marketing agency helping businesses from all over the world grow. There is no fluff with Growth Hackers. We help entrepreneurs and business owners use effective restaurant marketing strategies to generate qualified leads, optimize their conversion rate, gather and analyze data analytics, increase their productivity, acquire and retain users and increase sales.
We go further than brand awareness and exposure. We make sure that the strategies we implement move the needle so your business grow, strive and succeed. If you too want your business to reach new heights, contact Growth Hackers today so we can discuss about your brand and create a custom growth plan for you. You’re just one click away to skyrocket your business.
