When it comes to the food and beverage industry, knowing how to effectively advertise a restaurant is quintessential. Sure, your food can be the most scrumptious, but if nobody knows about it, you’re no better than any other business. If you’re looking to promote your business, do it online.
Promoting your food and restaurant business online should come naturally for you. The internet adores good food, so there are so many ways you can advertise it to would-be customers. Here’s how you do it to get consistent customers.
1. Start With A Stellar Website
Effective advertising works best when done strategically, and a restaurant business plan is a must. This also means you must create a website that shows off the food and ambiance in your restaurant.
When it comes to a website, it doesn't matter if it's a blog or a full-fledged food magazine, a website with pages that load fast is necessary. The website has to look as professional as the rest of your branding, with your logo appearing on every page.
Your content needs to be well-written, and your website should be easy to navigate. A good look at your menu and pricing should help leads become customers. The best way to go about the menu is to include your most popular dishes, as this will entice people to stop by and try them out.
When creating your website, you must include basic information, such as the restaurant’s address, phone number, and business hours. Other information you can incorporate into your site is the history behind your establishment, awards, and accolades.
2. Get A Social Media Marketing Plan
Social media marketing is vital to any digital marketing plan, being one of the best places to advertise your restaurant and the food you offer. You have hundreds of options for promoting your menu and business, so your social media accounts should act as an extension of the website.
They should have pictures or videos showcasing your delicious food and links to your social media sites. Make sure your social content is high-quality and that the accuracy of your descriptions and prices is up to date.
Your social media profiles need to have specific objectives too. Your marketing plan should outline the goal you want to achieve, such as getting more people to follow your social media pages. You can post on social media about new menu items, changes to your shop, or upcoming promotions.
Running contests on Twitter is also an option, as you can offer a gift card to your store as the prize. This makes your customers feel special and help them keep coming back.
3. Invite Food Reviewers And Social Media Influencers
Inviting social media influencers and food reviewers to your place to test your menu is an effective way to get people talking. Bloggers, Instagrammers, and YouTubers are some people you can invite to review your dishes and your restaurant.
The reviews your get from social media users can help boost your reputation and attract more people. These people are incredibly influential when they're local food critics. These influential individuals can help spread the word about your new dishes and draw in new crowds.
Social media influencers also tend to have a rabid following that should give you dividends on your influencer investment.
Invite them on a trial basis, and provide them with a freebie, such as a free meal. They might even end up reviewing your dish and leaving a favorable review, which can help you gain more followers and word-of-mouth publicity.
4. Use Online Reviews
Word of mouth is still one of the most effective ways to connect with your customer base. You can leverage this by asking people to leave online reviews. Posting reviews highlighting the best aspects of your restaurant and service can help people discover you faster.
If done correctly, online reviews can significantly impact consumer decision-making. With the internet being the go-to place for finding places to eat, you should know how to leverage these review sites to your advantage.
When posting customer reviews, make sure they are original, detailed, and insightful. You need as many positive reviews as possible, as these will increase your chances of boosting your chances of getting more followers. One way to encourage reviews is to offer a small discount or coupon for those who give you reviews online.
5. Provide Stellar Customer Service
Customer service is everything in the restaurant world. If you're able to provide excellent customer service, your ratings will go up, and your number of repeat customers will increase.
When someone comes to your restaurant, they should be treated like royalty. From greeting them at the door to asking them about beverage preferences, you should make your customer feel appreciated. When customers are seated, they should be greeted by your wait staff. Your servers should be knowledgeable about your food items and the different menus you have available.
Customer service does not stop inside your restaurant. Be helpful online. Do your best to be generous while making a buzz on your social media. If you have to, create a secondary social media account exclusively for customer support and social media listening.
6. Remarket and Retarget Ads
Remarketing is a strategy used to help drive more sales and conversions for your online business. Retargeted ads allow you to target users who have visited your restaurant’s website and social media pages.
Remarketing ads are one of the best ways to reach the people that already visited your page. You can provide relevant offers when people are on your webpage.
For example, a video ad on Facebook about the dish your restaurant serves can be persuasive for those who have already visited the store.
Another way you can remarket to visitors is by retargeting. When people visit your Facebook page, you can redisplay an ad of their visit to them when they browse other websites that are part of a Facebook network.
The Bottom Line
If you want a thriving food and restaurant business, then you need to start promoting online.
Digital and social media marketing are essential tools for ensuring your patrons know about your fabulous food and drinks.
With the tips listed above, you can attract new customers and keep the current ones coming back. Consider these tips and tricks the next time you ramp up your marketing campaign.