The restaurant business can be complicated—and that is an understatement. After last year, many in the restaurant industry are simply trying to figure out how to survive. Marketing is one critical component of any such game plan. An effective marketing strategy that gets your restaurant out in front of your target audience will be essential to whether or not you can thrive.
But how do you market your restaurant? Regardless of whether you’re located in a big city or a smaller town, specific marketing methods seem to work better than others as far as restaurants are concerned. Below we offer six strategies for marketing your restaurant to help you get in front of more customers.
1. Take Advantage of Social Media
The best part of social media marketing for your restaurant is that it is, of course, free. While you could theoretically hire a social media marketer, you don’t have to. Especially if you’re on a tight budget, doing it yourself can save you. From Facebook to Instagram, post specials, highlight promos, showcase new dishes, even offer staff bios. Get creative and start building up that following.
2. Host Community Events
People like to frequent places that truly represent the spirit of their community. For many restaurants, it is all about drawing a local crowd. What better way to do this than to host community-related events? Get together with other businesses and organizations in your area and see where you can help, what you can offer, and how you can be involved.
3. Try Email Marketing
Another very inexpensive way to market is email marketing; via email marketing, you can send out newsletters and updates, for example, to all people subscribed to your email list. The key, of course, is to get those subscribers. Having a dynamic website and blog that captures email info can significantly benefit your marketing efforts.
4. Get those Reviews
When it comes to where people choose to eat, almost everyone will first check out the reviews. So this means they visit the likes of Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google, among others. Are you on these platforms? Do you have thoughts? If people had a positive experience, go ahead and ask them to leave a review. It’s about generating a positive buzz!
5. Create a Video
May you be thinking of a video for a restaurant? The answer is yes! Behind the scenes, glimpses into the story of your restaurant and how you operate will only intrigue people. If done well, it will make them want to check things out for themselves. Just be sure the video is well done and puts the restaurant’s best foot forward.
6. Attend Food Festivals
Who doesn’t love a good festival? Most local neighborhoods and communities have them in one form or another. Get involved with the festivals in your region. Whether via food truck or tent, you can hang a banner and let people sample the delicious food you have to offer. This will help generate more traffic to your actual restaurant in the long run—as long as people like what they taste.
First Union Lending is Here to Help
We offer a variety of loan programs, and many of our clients are restaurant owners. We get how difficult the industry can be, and we want to help. Call today!