| The restaurant industry, alongside many others, has been drastically transformed by the advent of technology, as many rely on digital methods to promote their food businesses. But no matter how great digital marketing is, considering the fierce competition within the sector and the 60% failure rate among restaurant businesses, you need to ensure your marketing strategy is top-notch.
That’s why besides offering great food and a welcoming atmosphere, you’ll need to promote your restaurant the right way as the success of any food business bears down on its marketing campaigns.
That said, here are proven and effective ways to market your restaurant.
Take and Publish Quality “Foodie Photos”
Food photos never fail. The best way to promote your restaurant over the internet is by posting top-quality and delicious pictures and visual content—regardless if it’s a casual European breakfast cafe or upscale Michelin-star establishment, visual content is usually in high demand. Having delicious photos shared across your networks is a great way to grab the attention of hungry customers.
Hold Contests
A great and fun way to spread the word about your restaurant is by hosting contests, including offline and online contests where you hold a contest in your physical food establishment that customers can share over the internet. Even one customer with a substantial social media following uploading content related to your food establishment can bring your restaurant a long way, and contests are the best way to get the word about your restaurant out there.
Reach Out To Local Food Bloggers
One of the best marketing methods in today’s digital world is leveraging other restaurants and food businesses. As a restaurant owner, it’s wise to work with local food bloggers or “influencers” to connect with them and get them to share content related to your food establishment. You can offer these individuals incentives like free meals to get them to share your brand among their network.
Use Geo-targeted Ads
Most restaurant businesses mainly rely on local customers. Most people usually look for good eats close to home, and you’ll get the most value from your marketing strategy by investing in geo-targeted ads. This marketing strategy saves you money, ensuring that only users in your preferred location or within the radius can see your ads, but make sure to remove non-relevant clicks that can cost you big bucks.
Luckily, many online advertising services from Google Ads and Facebook offer this without any additional costs.
Get Listed on Food Apps
With people becoming more accustomed to convenience and mobile usage, several food apps have gotten released over the years. You can also get listed on Google Maps for easier search and better visibility. Consumers no longer need to go through lengthy directors or surf the internet for long minutes to find a great place to eat. All people need to do nowadays is install a food app, pointing them to the nearest restaurant. Because of the rise in demand, the food ordering sector is currently valued at over $260 billion.
So, take advantage of the wave of mobile technology by working with food apps and ensure your restaurant business is listed.
Promote User-generated Content
One of the most popular marketing strategies today is user-generated content or UGC, proving to be a great way to develop a more personal and closer engagement with users. You can do this in several ways. For instance, you can host a photo contest by asking customers to share their best pic of your favored dishes, share their entries to a dedicated content page, and highlight the best ones across your restaurant’s social networks.
To make things more exciting and improve engagement, consider awarding lucky contestants with a free meal or other prizes. This marketing strategy has become so practiced and favored since it shows customers that you as a business owner appreciate them, turning occasional patrons into loyal customers.
Develop Your Restaurant’s Brand Identity
Finally, it would be best to build your restaurant’s brand identity as it has a massive impact on your online presence and overall social media performance. For the best results, you need to aim to “build” your restaurant’s identity around your target audience, such as if your target patrons like healthy eating or are they junk food type of people. So, understand exactly who your target patrons are and build your restaurant brand around their interests.
After discovering who your target patrons are, reflect their interests on your business’s social media platforms and promotional material.
With the billion-dollar restaurant industry continually growing, it’s safe to say that competition among food establishments is fierce. You’ll need to give it your all to stand out and be successful—and following the tips mentioned can help you improve your marketing campaigns and grab the attention of growling stomachs everywhere in no time!
