Know what you need to implement into your restaurant marketing strategy to start bringing in customers. Following the right approach in restaurant marketing will help you grow your business, increase your customers even in non-peak hours, and give you an edge over your competitors. It is essential to pay close attention to statistical data to provide you with insights on the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. Here are tips to market your food business:
- Increase Repeat Business
Make your customers come to your restaurant for at least 2-3 times. Learn how to leave a good first impression, create a great experience, serve palatable food, and make customers happy as can be during first-time visits. If you do so, there is more likely that they will come back. Create the same great experience for succeeding customer visits, and you can turn them into loyal customers.
- Gain Constant Visibility
Utilize multiple media channels and strategies to increase your business’ exposure and do so regularly. Post regular marketing content, run and monitor ad campaigns, produce traditional marketing materials. Regularity is the key to establish your business.
- Get Daily New Customers
Having a strong restaurant business means having a consistent flow of new customers. Arouse their interest, make them curious about the experience, and increase the likelihood of word-of-mouth marketing.
- Get Positive Reviews
Make sure that you get more positive reviews from your regulars and customers who had a great experience. Deal with reviews from unhappy customers. Every business will have unhappy customers. If you do not have a negative review, that is strange. Highlight positive reviews and respond to negative reviews.
- Create a Loyalty and Rewards Program
To retain your customers, you need to create a strong and unique rewards program that will make them want to come back to your restaurant. Implement birthday treats, referral codes, discount coupons, promotional offers, and more. Think of ideas that would make your customers feel special.
- Leverage Social Media Influencers
Restaurant owners could take advantage of social media influencers. Send out invitation emails to food bloggers or vloggers and food influencers. In exchange, they will take photos or videos of your restaurant and post these across their social media feeds/channels. Make the event fun so that it is appealing for them.
- Build Online Social Media Following
Before launching your restaurant business, make sure that your page already has plenty of followers. Provide digital content. Do some cooking and upload it to your YouTube channel, showcase your skills, and post your ideas. You should already have a decent following before you open the restaurant.
- Create an Appealing Website
Have a comprehensive website for your restaurant. Provide detailed information, including a full menu, specials, prices, original photos of your food, address, map, and phone number. In a sense, your plate presentation begins on the front page of your website. Also, make sure that your site displays well across mobile devices.
- Do Search Marketing
Get easily found on search engines such as Google or Bing. Utilize keywords properly, so that you can gain the coveted page 1 of search results. Paid ads such as Google AdWords will also help your website achieve the top spot even in organic searches.
- Be on Google My Business and Citation Listings
Make sure that your restaurant business is on GMB, and that your NAP details are consistent across online business directories. It will boost your search ranking. Manage your Yelp, Zomato, Yellow Pages, and TripAdvisor accounts.
Try these methods now and keep your phone ringing.
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