27 Restaurant Marketing Ideas: How to Market a Restaurant

However, setting up an account is not sufficient. You must enhance it to make sure that you optimize your Google Business Profile if you wish it to appear within the Local 3 pack, be more prominent in Google Maps, and in fact, draw more customers to your page. It is clear that your Google listing is full of data, including

• Contact details
• Question and answer (you can create these by with your own!)
• Popular times
• Google review ( How to get more Google reviews here)
• Reviews from other sources on the internet
• Photos
• Category
• From the company (not as shown in the above image)
• Posts (also not displayed) ( Guide to Google posting here)

7. Get a modern, practical menu online

Do not make your users scramble to locate your menu or look around to find it. Offer a clear, high-quality menu that’s up to current and precise. Not sure how? A few delivery services such as those listed below allow you the ability to post your menu online for no cost. Open Menu is another fantastic website that will help you create menus that are elegant and chic (it even provides useful social integration options, both for paid and non-paid users).

But, you’ll need to ensure that your menu available on your site, as this is often the most important thing that people want to know when they visit your website (along with location, hours and contact details).

In the absence of an excellent menu on the internet and is accessible to customers, a lot of your other strategies for marketing at restaurants are ineffective! In the present, customers requireto be able to access an internet-based menu and if they don’t, they’ll browse elsewhere. In terms of marketing strategies for restaurants tactics…

Restaurant marketing strategies

Once you’ve got the foundation you need It’s time to dig into specific methods that will assist you draw patrons to your establishment and keep returning.

1. Request reviews

The effectiveness on the internet of reviews is not doubtful and the majority of customers are always delighted to leave them. However that they do require some encouragement. This implies that soliciting reviews is a crucial component of your restaurant’s marketing plan.

Here are a few ways to accomplish this:

• Create a unique and attractive display near the mints that has an easy-to-remember URL as well as a QR code.
• Include a link and request on your site menus, coupons, punch cards, receipts and more.
• Request them in person
• Sometimes, ask on the social media posts

2. Respond to critiques

The way you react to the reviews of your customers influences the public’s perceptions of your establishment. Here are some suggestions:

• React positively to reviews that are positive to show appreciation for the feedback of your customers. to inspire them to write more.
• Thanks to customers who have left feedback both positive and negative.
• Respond quickly to negative reviews and politely and professionally. Offer to take the issue offline.

I’ve observed this working for a variety of companies, because reviewers are usually gratified by the appreciation shown, and are more generous with their criticism knowing that the restaurant’s owner is enthused by their opinions and is determined to make improvements.

3. Send an electronic newsletter

The newsletter of your restaurant can contain fresh menu options, events coming up as well as coupons, stories of customers and many more. The newsletter doesn’t have to be every week. Indeed, your customers are likely to appreciate less crowded inbox if you simply mail them a newsletter each month or as often as you like. Some quick tips:

4. Change the Facebook page of your business an online community

Businesses that have the prominent presence on social media are the ones who have the highest success, and in the highly competitive field of food that is a crime. We’ve already talked about the importance of creating a Facebook profile but it’s not about harnessing the power of Facebook to promote your restaurant. Here’s how:

• Make your page look like an advertisement: Facebook is a business directory! Complete all areas, solicit reviews and make sure it’s up-to-date.
• Post frequently: photos of customers forthcoming events, special deals and updates on hours.
• Engage your followers: Encourage discussions and respond to comments. keep track of them.
• Change your cover photo each season.

5. Programs to reward loyalty

The use of online apps to partner with encourages people to visit your restaurant by using gamification and loyalty programs for customers which give customers discounts or free purchases when they visit a certain amount of times.

Food apps with a lot of popularity that provide loyalty programs that are integrated include:

• Belly
• LevelUp
• Perka

It’s also possible to go old-fashioned by handing punch cards to customers. They’re not as popular than apps but let customers know that you value them and appreciate their loyalty.

6. Local SEO

Although Google is able to determine your place of residence based on your online information, and also a user’s address is determined by their IP address does not mean that you’ll be ranked in local results for each relevant query. Also, you must do the following for your local SEO

• Be included on the top local listing websites (we’ve briefly discussed this previously).
• Integrate an embedded Google Map of your location on the Contact Us page.
• Make sure you publish content that is specific to your locale often.
• Find online reviews (the top rank factor when it comes to local SEO)
• Be sure that your data is as exact as it can be across all of your online assets. Google doesn’t like inconsistencies!

7. Put money into paid ads

Running ads that are paid for on popular platforms such as Google and Facebook can get your restaurant’s name exposed to a lot of interested eyes. If you need help in incorporating the paid advertising into your marketing strategy:

• Make use of the concept of location targeting to make sure that only people who reside in specific towns or within particular area will see your advertisements (eliminating irrelevant clicks, which could cost you big dollars).
• Use these Facebook ads guidelines for eateries to make the most of Facebook’s advertising platform.
• Take a look at the article on Google local ads to ensure you’re optimizing your Google account to get the best ROI.
• Create an smartphone PPC method.

Mobile ads are typically more affordable than desktop ads and mobile ads boast remarkable rate of conversion. What’s really cool is that Google Ads allows for all kinds of mobile-specific customisation along with targeting possibilities that allow you to make the most of your ads.

For instance, you can raise your bids during dinnertime as people are usually seeking fast food using their mobile phones. By increasing your bids in the evening hours will increase the chances of appearing for a certain search.

It means that you’ll be the first advertisement to appear for an “pizza” search when pie-hungry customers are searching for an opportunity to eat. If you’re a restaurant marketing professional Don’t be averse to eating a piece of the mobile advertising pie (we’re talking about deep dish).

8. Create your own blog

The idea of starting a blog is a fantastic method to create a connections and interact the customers. Blogs are a great way to explore the personality and voice of your restaurant.

Write about your triumphs and challenges with funny stories, recipes as well as anything else you think will interest your patrons.

A blog is a big undertaking but it does not need to be. Maintain your blog as easy or complicated that you’d like.

It’s not necessary to keep posting regularly (quality is more important than quantity) however it’s a good idea to have a restaurant blog up and running on occasions when you’ve got an announcement or a news item you wish to spread to the world. If you’re looking to take to the next level, take a look at some more tips for blogging here.

9. Marketing strategies for offline

Do not forget about the physical world when you write your restaurant’s marketing strategy! These strategies are still very successful, especially in the case of a local eatery.

• Postcards
• Menus
• Care packages
• Free samples
• Local radio, newspaper, and television

Restaurant marketing tips

Let’s take these tactics one step further by introducing some simple and inventive restaurant marketing strategies.

10. Foodie photos

If you’ve ever been on Instagram and you’ve ever seen a picture of food, you’ll realize that food poop has been around for a while.

Perhaps the best method to market your restaurant online is to use gorgeous, high-quality images that make you drool. Visual content is highly sought-after nowadays and having beautiful images on your website as well as across social media platforms is vital to attract attention.

Beware that making great food-related photos isn’t as easy as it seems, because lighting is often a crucial aspect. Hire a professional to capture some amazing photos or go DIY fashion with your phone (you could use our tips for taking photos of food items! ).

11. Offer coupons and discounts

Offering discounts and coupons for your establishment is an excellent way to keep customers to your establishment. Give a free meal to your brand new subscriber to your newsletter.

Alternately, you could offer a discount on Groupon and Living Social – if you choose to do this you’ll gain a ton of publicity, however you’ll pay some of the proceeds to the deal site and keep this in mind.

12. Review your experiences and share them with others.

The number as well as the quality influence the way you rank in search results and whether or not customers decide to click through your results however the content of those reviews is a great marketing material.

The reviews can be synced with your website, post reviews on social media and even integrate reviews about specific dishes on your menu.

13. Be an Insta-ham

Marketing on Instagram for restaurants is an obvious choice.

Display your storefront and show off your most popular recipes, and utilize this platform as a chance to explore your brand’s image. For instance, an all-natural health food store might consider taking photos of people kayaking cooking, fishing, or any other activity that you believe your customers will appreciate.

Be sure to play around by using hashtags regardless of whether you are embracing the excitement of well-known Twitter hashtags such as #ThrowbackThursday, or creating hashtags of your own, hashtags can be a great method to enjoy some time with followers.

It’s a must-have for anyone working in the food industry. discover more information on the marketing on Instagram here.

14. Food blogger outreach

If you’re a brand new restaurant that’s new, you might find it difficult to create reviews and generate excitement for your business. One way to gain reviews and attention online is by inviting food critics to your restaurant to offer the restaurant a shot or offer an appetizer or meal for free to bring them to come in.

Be polite and ask them whether they’d like to rate your restaurant and post their experiences on the internet.

You shouldn’t solicit a positive review since that isn’t honest, but it’s acceptable to solicit an objective review of their restaurant. Some bloggers might not accept your request however the more you request, the greater your chances of receiving positive feedback, and also generating more interest on the internet.

Some food bloggers have large followings and gaining their attention could be a huge impact on the restaurant. Just one article or mention by a prominent foodie could be a big boost impact on the promotion of your restaurant.

15. Display your staff

In this age of automated customer service representatives, and soon self-driving vehicles the human factor is greatly lacking. Display your staff as 5-stars performing their best work! A staff that is happy and smiling can do wonders for your image and customers want to serve happy staff members.

The act of displaying your happy employees is a great way to build your reputation Happy employees say much about the company and your customers are likely to be impressed.

16. Share positive press

Another key restaurant marketing trick When you’re mentioned in a newspaper or magazine, make sure to highlight your excellent publicity on your website as well as on your social channels. People will share the news and potential customers are enticed to come visit in person when they see reputable sources that praise your establishment.

17. Social media contests

The most important thing to remember when doing Facebook and giveaways on Instagram is to provide an attractive prize. Do not give away a dull gift card, instead offer something unique like free food, extra pizza and dinner for two or swag, free delivery for one month. and many more.

Invite people to participate by tagging and posting about your company and/or with your company’s hashtag Instagram. This is an excellent way to increase the number of followers you have and reach your local market. Find more Local social media advertising strategies here.

18. Source local ingredients

Customers love hearing that they’re eating locally, and getting local ingredients close by can help to build your fan base and improve your image in the community. If it’s within your budget, you should definitely think about this alternative!

19. Work together to provide delivery services

In this day and age of digital-driven technology accessibility is the main goal for the day. Numerous online delivery services simplify the ordering process and online-savvy customers often appreciate using these delivery services.

Think about partnering with companies like:

• Seamless
• Eat24
• Foodler
• Delivery.com
• GrubHub

Customers may come across you for the very first time by using services like these!

20. Trivia nights

Trivia nights that are held monthly or weekly are always a big hit at restaurants. Provide great prizes for the winners, and good music in between and then promote it on social media as well as your newsletters to help spread the word.

21. Business cards from the Fishbowl are a great giveaway

Customers can drop their business cards in the bowl to make a raffle. The prize can be varied from a meal for the winner, a lunch for 10 other friends, or a two-hour happy hour that includes discounted drinks, or whatever you want!

The raffles aren’t just enjoyable, but you can make use of the business cards by contacting your customers. Inform them that even if they did not be successful at this point, they could sign up to your newsletter and be informed of the next time they can take part, as well as the chance to learn about other discounts or other offers they’ll love. And voila – you’ve got yourself a plethora of important new newsletter members!

22. Start a food truck

Food trucks aren’t for the faint-hearted It’s a huge undertaking and, based on the type of truck you’re planning to purchase, it could be very expensive. However, launching with a food truck allows you to offer your food to people who may not normally come into contact with. It allows you to greatly expand your reach, gain more publicity, and also gain new followers who could be so enthralled with your food that they decide to patronize your brick and mortar store too!

23. Make national holidays more interesting by being creative.

There are numerous awareness-raising events and celebration days in every month which are friendly to restaurants. Here are a few, to name a few.

• National Food Safety Month in September
• National Pizza Day in February
• International Beer Day in August
• National Baked Scallops Day in March
• National Picnic Day in April

and this list continues. And on. And on. We’re talking, about National Corn Chip Day, National Glazed Spiral Ham Day, and Chicken Tetrazzini Day. You could make a day of it with these. Below are some marketing strategies that are based on the seasons.

Final restaurant marketing tips for restaurants

We’ll end with some important tips that will aid you in saving time, keep your reputation in good standing and make the most out of every penny and second you invest in advertising your restaurant.