The restaurant industry is incredibly competitive, with hundreds, if not thousands, of eateries in a city. Vying for customers, then, has to be incredibly creative to stand out. Restaurant marketing strategies help restaurant owners increase sales and profits. The purpose of this strategy is to attract customers to your restaurant.
The problem, though, is that restaurant marketing strategies can take a lot of different shapes, and only some tactics will appeal to every customer. As a result, it’s crucial to test out various strategies and ideas to determine the most effective in reaching your target market.
In this article, we mention 13 different restaurant marketing ideas – on-site, online, and offline – for driving traffic and increasing profits. Read along!
5 On-Site Restaurant Advertising Ideas
Don’t undervalue your restaurant’s in-house marketing efforts. If you think you shouldn’t advertise to your customers, you’re passing up an opportunity to generate revenue and increase loyalty. Here are 5 on-site restaurant advertising ideas to help your restaurant grow better:
1. Decorate Your Windows With Offers
Use your restaurant’s windows to their full potential to draw customers in as they pass by. Print information about your offers and promotions on posters with a catchy font and your company logo and put them on the windows.
If you’re proud of your specialty dish, tape an alluring image so that onlookers will be drawn in by the promise of a delectable meal.
2. Restaurant Menu
Some restaurants may view their customers as picky eaters. Still, consider it as catering to various dietary requirements to attract a larger clientele.
A menu with various food items has many advantages. For instance, if a friend group includes one or two vegans, but you don’t offer appealing vegan options, they’ll look elsewhere, and you might lose out on a sizable portion of your customer base.
3. Signboards
Sidewalk signs are a great way to advertise your restaurant to people walking by. Large customized board signs will work for your restaurant because they lure in potential customers by promising a delightful meal.
You should use a mouthwatering image of your favorite meal to increase the impact of your sidewalk signs. Additionally, you can print discounts and promotions on your signboards to draw in more customers with competitive costing.
4. Tabletop Pamphlet
You’ve attracted customers to your restaurant; now it’s time to charm them. What better way to achieve this than to tell them about your discounts and promotional deals? If you put them on a tabletop pamphlet, these discounts are already there for them to look at while they wait for their waiter. They might also make a decision more quickly if you do that, and your table turnover will go up.
5. Branding
Your restaurant’s name is prominently displayed on carryout bags, coffee cups, and other items. This is a fantastic on-site marketing strategy.
Customers who leave your establishment with a coffee cup bearing your brand’s name turn into walking billboards for your enterprise.
4 Online Ideas for Restaurant Advertising
It can be challenging to know where to begin when there are so many online advertising strategies at your disposal. Thankfully, you are not required to select just one – your restaurant might be more successful if you employ more than one online marketing strategy. Here are five different online marketing strategies to use:
1. Email Marketing
If used properly, email is still a fantastic marketing tool, but remember that you are up against nearly all of the world’s most well-known companies for people’s attention in their inboxes.
So how can you differentiate yourself from the competition? By sending your customers a personalized email based on past interactions with your restaurant.
You can establish an email marketing campaign that is relevant to customers by using your customer data and merging it with automation software. Then, invite people to visit your restaurant every month.
Additionally, you can use holidays and other special occasions to encourage customers to visit your restaurant and celebrate.
2. Social Ads
Remember that different people use different platforms, so you shouldn’t use the same material on each account. Some social media platforms that you can leverage are:
- Facebook: Post pictures/videos to your feed, address customer inquiries, and advertise upcoming deals.
- Instagram: Post attractive photos of your food, mention your daily specials, or give viewers a peek inside your restaurant.
- YouTube: Create entertaining videos, or show behind-the-scenes snaps of your restaurant or food preparation while providing customer service.
- Snapchat: Inform people about upcoming events, respond to their messages, and inform them about exclusive deals.
3. Website
Websites for businesses are now a necessity rather than a luxury. Create a high-quality website with easy-to-use navigation, call-to-action buttons, and educational content that addresses the concerns of your website visitors.
Your website will also stand out best if you invest in premium hosting, a reliable server, and unique templates. Although you can still build your site using drag-and-drop components or readymade templates, it will be more personalized once it is live.
4. Customer Loyalty Program
While trying to attract new clients, you also want to ensure that your most devoted clients are content and frequent your restaurant. Consider establishing a customer loyalty program to achieve this in person or online.
With a loyalty program, you can grow your audience while allowing your customers to earn rewards.
You can create a form for customers to fill out on your website that asks for details such as their email, birthday, favorite dish you serve, and any recommendations they might have for your restaurant.
Also, inform them that they will receive emails containing exclusive discounts and coupons for VIP members in return for giving you this information.
4 Offline Restaurant Advertising Ideas
Despite the increasing reliance on online marketing tools, integrating offline marketing tactics into your overall plans will help your restaurant grow. Here are 5 fantastic offline restaurant marketing ideas:
1. Word of Mouth
Even with the best restaurant advertising strategies, word-of-mouth promotion is still important. Receiving a reliable mention causes you to pause and pay attention despite powerful advertisements and amazing social media content.
Also, making sure your customers have a positive experience will go a long way toward ensuring effective word-of-mouth advertising.
2. Partner With Local Businesses
When business owners help one another, everyone benefits. So go for a walk around the locality and stop by any businesses you think might be interested in working together, then offer a win-win arrangement.
For instance, hotels may agree to swap flyers so that visitors to your restaurant will think of them when looking for a place to stay, and their customers will receive recommendations for nearby restaurants.
Additionally, if your restaurant serves healthy food, consider going to the local gyms and giving their customers a coupon in return for promoting your establishment.
3. Help A Worthy Cause
By giving back to your community, you can benefit from ’cause marketing’ and see your brand’s loyalty expand. Customers will always support and love you if you support worthy causes.
For instance, you could assist a group of activists in raising awareness about a pressing social issue or volunteer to prepare meals once a month for the neighborhood children’s home.
4. Host Special Events
What lures patrons into a restaurant? One way to attract customers and ensure they have a wonderful experience at your establishment is by hosting a special event.
A successful event, along with a stunning restaurant interior and exceptional services, increases the likelihood that guests will remember it and give it some thought the next time they’re looking for a restaurant to visit.
Creative restaurant promotional strategies can range from a straightforward happy hour event where you broadcast a sporting event to a more somber speaking event.
Conclusion
Many restaurant marketing strategies can boost sales and draw in new patrons. After you have defined your core values and created a customer profile, research which marketing strategies will be most effective for you in the short and long term.
Your objectives and anticipated results should be specified before marketing strategies are implemented. Also, each marketing effort must be optimized and reported on to understand what performs and what does not for your restaurant.
