Getting into the restaurant business can be a tough job especially when it comes to marketing to attract customers. If you want a successful restaurant you need great marketing skills apart from good food to make sure that your customers stick to your restaurant. This means applying marketing for restaurants and promoting your eatery to make a name in the industry for yourself.
Source: Time Out
In the beginning, it can be difficult to manage marketing considering that initial budgets are always low. However, there’s no need to opt for very expensive marketing techniques since cheaper options are available.
Spending more money on marketing doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good marketing. The aim should be to increase sales whether it is low-cost or high-priced. An important aspect to keep in mind is to make sure that the marketing strategy targets the audience accordingly.
Text Message Marketing
Text message marketing or SMS marketing is one of the most basic ways of getting attention. Nowadays, the majority of people use their cell phones for communication which makes it easier to get the message across.
With an opening rate of 98%, mass text messaging becomes a convenient method of marketing for restaurants. All that a restaurant needs to do is, write a creative text message and with one click send it to all the people it needs to.
Source: Textafied
For this technique, the restaurant needs a professional marketing team that can handle the task to perfection. Like any other business, a restaurant also needs a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) team that can target the right customers and update contact lists for the restaurant.
Text messages have become a popular method of marketing since smart phones have entered our lives with much vigor. People now prefer receiving promotions from businesses through text messages because they take less time and also get the message across to people.
Using text message marketing for Promotions
When using text message marketing your texts will come from a short code which is a number that can be used for texting for businesses only. Restaurants can also select a short code for themselves exclusively if needed at a higher premium and send a text message blast to customers with food specials.
Restaurants can target existing customers and send them golden hour discounts or special menu tasting offers with the help of a shortcode. This technique can really boost sales and increase customer loyalty for restaurants.
Source: Digin
Another unique way of using short code text messages to attract customers is to send them a message asking for a rating of the restaurant after their dining experience. Not only is this an unconventional way of marketing but it also promotes a good image of the restaurant that they care about maintaining the quality while giving importance to customer feedback.
Social Media Presence
For a restaurant that is looking to increase its sales, it needs to be active on social media as well. Social media has gained importance in the life of people who tend to gain knowledge about various businesses, in this case restaurants, through the medium.
Source: The Digital Restaurant
Having a social media page to maintain marketing is imperative for a new restaurant to leave a mark on the map. Social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram are the new platforms for restaurants to show people that they are up to date.
To catch up with the latest trends people follow these social media pages and this is where a restaurant should aim to be as well. Becoming a hot new place to dine out on Instagram will really give a boom to the sales of a restaurant.
For this to be possible, a restaurant needs a strong and creative marketing team along with a photographer that can capture the essence of the restaurant through pictures. Posting these pictures to enhance the profile and adding catchy captions for followers will attract people to choose the restaurant as their next place to dine out.
Source: Buzztime
Social media does not only need to be a platform for marketing but can also be used to interact with customers and build a strong connection with them. 71% of the people who use social media claim that they are most likely to recommend businesses that end up responding to them on social media. So it would be a good outcome for restaurants if they respond to customer’s queries and feedback on social media pages.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Marketing
SEO marketing has become a new trend in marketing especially for businesses that seek to maintain a high rating as compared to other competitors in the market. 90% of the people who go to restaurants say that they carry out research regarding a restaurant before dining out.
Even businesses are not faced with research as much as restaurants, which makes it all the more important for eateries to show up at the top of search engines. The top 3 results in a search engine are those that attract people to visit the place.
Source: Restaurant Clicks
To show up as part of search engines as strong as Google, a small payment is required to be made by restaurants so they can show up in the search made by people. Even though some restaurants might think that the payment is huge for showing up in a search engine like Google, the end results are high considering that people rely on these searches.
All a restaurant needs to do is choose keywords that are specific to it and make sure that those main keywords along with minor ones represent the restaurant. Moreover, with tough competition in the restaurant industry, an eatery should focus on keywords and make sure they stand out from others.
Another feature of SEO marketing is that it can act as local SEO as well. This simply means that when people will search for top restaurants, the search engine will show the top ones in their surroundings. When you show up as an option for people in their area, they are most likely to choose you.
Source: Next Restaurants
If someone searches for an authentic Italian restaurant, the search engine will show them the closest one to their location depending on the ranking that it has on the SEO. Restaurants that do not maintain an active online page end up losing their ranking and after some time stop showing up in searches.
Tips to Have a Strong Local SEO
1. Maintaining Good Reviews:
A restaurant needs good reviews to catch attention. As many good reviews it will secure, the stronger its ranking will be. A restaurant should ask its customers to write reviews on their pages so they can help in boosting your business. Let’s not forget that there are some negative comments in reviews as well which are equally important as good ones. Such bad reviews allow a restaurant to get customer feedback regarding their quality of service so it can improve itself accordingly. It is the way that a restaurant responds to reviews that build its image in customers.
Source: Learn2Serve
2. Local listing and Google Business:
Google My Business is the perfect way to show people all the details that they are required to see. With a restaurant profile on My Business, people can see the opening and closing hours, the address, reviews, pictures and information for contacting. This way, customers remain up to date with the restaurant and when searching, know all the details needed about it. Moreover, local listings are important for restaurants as well which is why a restaurant should aim to be a part of one. Becoming a part of review sites like Yelp and others can help restaurants getting enlisted in local listings which increase their chance of showing up as a part of the top searches for people.
3. Consistency:
Being consistent is key whether it comes to the food quality, service or information regarding your restaurant. This means that all the information you put up should be the same on every platform from the phone number to the address. If there is any change in any information, it can confuse customers who can opt for other options rather than your restaurant. Make sure all information is consistent to maintain your ranking in the search engines.
4. Updated Website and Pages:
If your website or social media page is outdated with old posts and pictures, there is little chance of any customer to show up at your restaurant. This is why you need to keep on posting recent updates and additions made to the restaurant onto your website and social media page. Your online activity will decide how many customers are attracted to your restaurant and what ranking your restaurant has on search engines.
Loyalty Programs for Customers
Customers like it when businesses reward them for their loyalty. Loyalty programs are not just used for companies but can also be used by restaurants to show their customers that they matter.
Special promotions and discounts offered to old customers are a part of loyalty programs that play an important role in marketing for restaurants. Customers can be offered a free meal or a special discount after visiting the restaurant a couple of times. This will only keep them coming back.
Source: Point of Sale
To show old and loyal customers how important they are for the restaurant, the eatery can send them a message or email offering them a free dessert for the next time they visit the restaurant for a meal. Moreover, promoting discounts on customers’ birthdays and anniversaries can also boost the sale and image of a restaurant.
Partnering With Online Applications
Since modern times have changed the concept of dining with the introduction of online food applications, people prefer looking at the menu online and at times getting the food delivered to their place. Partnering with online applications increases the chances of boosting restaurant sales since people will order food online.
Source: LimeTray
These online applications are a new platform for restaurants to protect themselves and enhance their services. People can order food from the restaurant and have it delivered which makes it easier and convenient for them to have their meals. Such flexibility and options promote the image of a restaurant.
Host Events
For a restaurant to become the new ‘it’ place it needs to pop up on the radars of social groups and people. If a restaurant starts hosting events, it will be marketing itself automatically. Events do not need to be large events but a restaurant can start off from small events to gather crowds and grab attention.
People attend events to socialize and mingle which a restaurant can make possible. If a restaurant hosts standup comedy nights every Saturday, it is bound to get more attention since people would want to attend these shows while having a decent meal at their table.
Source: SinglePlatform
Moreover, to promote customer loyalty, a restaurant can host special events for old customers who dine with them frequently. Such events are a gesture to show customers that the restaurant remembers them and is willing to go the extra mile to serve them something special one day.
Conclusion
Marketing for restaurants can be a tricky job especially if you are new in the market. However, if done the right way, certain techniques are bound to attract customers overtime.
There is no one successful technique that provides positive results but a mix and match of strategies. You don’t have to opt for something too fancy to get the right kind of attention. Simple techniques can do the work if used correctly.
Source: eZee Optimus
Restaurants starting off can initiate marketing with a low budget to make sure that people get to know about their existence. It is important to focus on the target audience and see what they like so whatever marketing the team
There are many ways to use text messaging for your restaurant business, but the simplest and most effective use is to start sending promotions like coupons, discounts, and special announcements to new and existing customers to entice them into ordering from you.
Some interesting ways for restaurants to use SMS marketing include sending special deals to customers, announcing one-time sales or events, or partnering with other services like delivery apps to help customers order what they want, when they want.
Yes it can! In fact, the best way to use text marketing is to combine it with other, more traditional marketing campaigns such as print, TV & radio, online ads or email blasts. Customers can be offered special deals or discounts for opting-in to your text marketing.
Getting started is easy! You just need a free trial account from an online text messaging platform like Express Text, and a list of your customers’ phone numbers. Then you can get a short code, create a keyword, and start sending your first bulk SMS messages today!