Are you looking for fresh restaurant marketing ideas for your business? You’ve come to the right place! For this post, we reached out to top restaurateurs and marketers and asked them for their favorite restaurant marketing strategies. We’ve also compiled some of the most useful guides and other resources for you to take advantage of.
Check out the list below or take a look at our Complete Guide to Restaurant Marketing for more info.
On Improving Local Presence…
1. Create a Loyalty Program.
Customers in loyalty programs return twice as often. Did you know that Square has a loyalty program? Square offers a great free POS system, which can be expanded to include a loyalty system. You can customize the program to give rewards based on visits or amounts spent and manage it all from your Square dashboard. Once you have this in place, you should see more frequently returning customers. Try it free for 30 days.
2. Build Buzz with the Local Media.
Call local magazines, newspapers, news stations, etc. to come for a free meal and do a piece on your location. Build local buzz. Reviews will appear on their publications for their entire circulation/audience.
Fair warning: do a little research and be selective on who you invite. A gourmet critic will probably not bother with a tiny little hot dog stand, but if he does – watch out!
3. Make sure your practice shows up in local search results
When people look up doctors and medical services online, you want to be one of the first names that comes up. One of the first steps to getting there is to build citations for your business, which means making sure your business is accurately listed in as many online directories as possible. If you haven’t done so already, click here to scan your listings and find out how well your business shows up in local searches.
4. Reach Out to the Local Community.
Community + Local Outreach can be used as an extremely effective marketing tool to authentically reach a target audience and have a tremendously positive impact on the local community. This method appeals to the consumer of today, who leans more toward the support of a business that actively displays heart and soul. Your neighbors – the people who live down the street from your restaurant and drive by on a regular basis – they are the ones who support you day in and day out. Target customers that live in the area with special discounts, coupons or even new menu tastings.
5. Join Your Local Chamber of Commerce.
Join your local chamber of commerce and connect with other members. Not only will this allow you more access to the local community but you will be able to host more events and parties for members. By joining, you often get a link on their website which helps with search engine rankings.
6. Partner with Like-minded Businesses and Cross-Promote Each Other.
Like-minded could be a business that is near the restaurant or it could be a business that has a similar audience. For example, one of my clients’ restaurants attracted a number of customers who biked to the restaurant. They worked with a local bike shop to offer a discount to the bike shop’s customers and the bike shop offered a discount to the restaurant’s customers.
7. Look Ahead at the Events Happening in Your Local Area and Get Involved.
Give the locals and visitors a reason to choose you over their favorite chains. Is there a 10k race on Sunday? Why not offer a discount on lunch if people show their finisher’s medal? If there’s an election, why not offer a discount if they show a photo of themselves outside their polling station? Small businesses need the support of people that not only live locally, but people and those that visit the local area too.
8. Write for Industry Publications.
One of the best ways to get coverage without spending a penny (besides for possible writing costs) is to propose content for publications that cover the food and restaurant industry.
This can be both online and offline depending on where your customers read. The topic to propose depends on what type of a restaurant you are but it can be about anything from how you keep your business efficient to how you are utilizing all new recipes to please your customers.
The idea is to be creative and come up with a topic that publications would accept and readers could find impressive. If you do this as a regular thing it can potentially get your restaurant very popular over time.
On Establishing Web Presence…
9. Show Up On Top of Google When People Look for a Place to Eat.
If you have a restaurant that serves Greek food, you want your place to appear when a person searches on Google for “Greek Food” or “Greek Restaurants” or perhaps even certain signature dishes. The listings that you see on the top of the pages are usually paid ads. Learn how to set up search ads that drive local traffic.
10. Keep Your NAPs in Order.
Your NAP is your name, address and phone number. Google scours the web looking for your business information and it is critical that these 3 elements are the same wherever your restaurant appears on the web. The more consistently your business information is presented across different websites, the more weight it will receive from Google and this should help your chances of ranking higher.
If you haven’t done so already, click here to scan your listings and find out how well your restaurant shows up in local searches.
11. Monitor and Respond to Online Reviews.
Small restaurant owners frequently overlook, ignore or respond inappropriately to their online customer reviews on Google, Yelp!, Trip Advisor, and more. Reviews can have a big impact your business; even one bad review might turn away new or returning customers. A good start is to set up a Google alert for the restaurant name so that you can monitor what is being said about your business.
When a negative review occurs, reply quickly to the reviewer in a friendly tone. Replying with negativity will only make things worse. You can apologize for the negative experience or ask the reviewer to contact the restaurant directly so that you have the chance to redeem the situation. A thoughtful reply can turn a critic into a fan and it demonstrates a level of customer care that we all hope to experience when dining out.
Using a reputation management software is a great way to monitor your online reviews. Learn why we recommend ReviewTrackers in our buyer’s guide.
12. Rank on Yelp.
Love it or hate it, Yelp is definitely important to local business, especially service-oriented ones, such as restaurants. Learn how to set up your Yelp page and optimize it to get maximum exposure in Jillian’s guide to Yelp for Business.
13. Setup and Optimize Your Google My Business Listing.
Google’s My Business has taken over from Google+ Local and Google Places and has expanded over the past year or so. It’s designed to help people locate your store, usually from a mobile device on the go. It’s the big business listing that appears on the right-hand side of a search result. You can include location, opening hours, phone numbers and it includes customers’ reviews out of 5-star ratings. Basically, it’s an easy way for people in the local area to find your restaurant.
14. Have a Mobile App.
Mobile apps are becoming easier and more affordable for small businesses. Big brands like Starbucks and Dominos have built mobile solutions that are core to their growth strategy. The rise of mobile app builders gives restaurants the ability to create a mobile solution without a big brand marketing budget. They allow your customers to conveniently order directly from their phones and cuts down on operation costs.
You can also increase customer loyalty with an easy to use mobile loyalty program. Match these features with push notifications and you will enhance your customer experience that becomes part of your core business.
15. Create a Website.
Create a website for your restaurant and list all relevant information. This includes your address, your phone number, your menu (make it printable along with prices), and a place to reserve or order.
Using a website builder like Weebly, you can have a site up and running in under 60 minutes. Learn how to get started with our step-by-step guide.
16. Advertise on Facebook.
My favorite marketing channel and strategy for restaurants is Facebook ads. You can target Facebook followers in your area, as well as user types, e.g. Foodie. Plus you can design ads to encourage a variety of actions: follow your Facebook page, give you an email address, or go to your website to take an action. Best part is, it’s cheap. Just five dollars a day can get you in front of a huge audience.
Are free Facebook ad coupons for real? Find out in our guide on How to Get a Free Facebook Ad Coupon.
17. Promote User Generated Content.
My favorite marketing campaign was a contest we ran on social media, mixing it in with customers in the restaurant. We announced the contest on social media and also created cards to put in each checkbook to hand to customers when paying the bill. We asked the customers to take and post pictures with their favorite waitress or waitresses, including the specific hashtag.
It was a lot of fun and we had a lot of photos to use for guest appreciation Friday’s on social media. We gave out gift cards, sponsored prizes, etc. and increased traffic through the contest and word of mouth.
18. Take Advantage of Pinterest.
Pinterest and restaurants are a match made in heaven. Because Pinterest is a visual medium, post photographs of your food and pin them to your boards. It’s a delicious, yet indirect, way to sell your foods.
19. Use Instagram Effectively.
Instagram can offer multiple marketing benefits when done correctly. Since people love to take pictures when dining or celebrating with friends, encourage customers to take photos and share their experience in your establishment. Learn how you can maximize your restaurant success on Instagram.
20. Set Goals for Your Restaurant Social Media Marketing.
Brandon gives amazing insight into social media marketing. For example, simply visiting your restaurant should not be your call-to-action. Brandon goes over what you need to know in setting results-oriented goals.
21. Send Out a Press Release.
Distributing a press release to relevant media formally announcing your opening or the addition of a fantastic new chef is a great way to create positive press for your restaurant. Make sure you target local media publications, newswire services, and niche-specific papers, magazines, channels, and radio stations. The increased media attention can attract many more potential customers. Submit your press release using eReleases to have your release sent out to hundreds of journalists.
22. Try Text Message Marketing.
I’ve worked with several restaurant clients, and my favorite tactic is SMS (Short Message Service, or Text) Marketing. Here’s how it works:
Restaurants come up with a carrot offer, to get customers to subscribe. The customer signs up. A reply text welcome’s them to the program and provides a coupon, which they show to their server. The restaurant sends out weekly specials via text to their growing list of subscribers. This drives customers back to the restaurants to enjoy great deals on great food.
There are several SMS marketing services available, with different levels of investment. The learning curve isn’t that steep and the ROI is solid for business owners who create a plan and execute it consistently.
23. Use Your Most Loyal Customers as Influencers.
Consider creating an influencer marketing program for your restaurant to help spread the word. Make your loyalists excited to post pictures of your food and encourage others to visit your restaurant. Their reward can be as simple as giving them swag or a monthly gift card.
24. Deliver Remarkable Customer Experiences.
Word of mouth, and by extension social media interactions, are one of the best drivers of new customers to a restaurant. When your diners have a great experience, they may share it others. And when they have a poor experience, they’re even more likely to share it. When restaurants recognize and embrace this reality, they can focus on creating a great experience, both through their food and their service. Consistently deliver great experiences and you will succeed.