Restaurant saturation continues to be a problem in the industry, so it’s more important than ever to make your restaurant stand out from the crowd. These restaurant marketing ideas and trends will help keep your restaurant profitable for years to come!
WiFi Marketing
While email marketing has been around for decades, WiFi marketing has made more traditional email marketing an increasingly viable option for restaurants. WiFi marketing works like this: restarants use a third-party provider to give away free WiFi to patrons in exchange for their e-mail or phone number. Then, the software tracks each return visit, allowing propieters to send personalized emails to repeat customers. In addition to sending special offers, coupons, and rewards for repeat visits, propieters can also send information about upcoming events, seasonal menu changes, and any other incentives for the customer to return.
Social Media Marketing
In 2019, simply posting to your Facebook and Instagram page isn’t enough. While more and more people are using social media, organic traffic through the different platforms continues to decline. That’s why it’s more important than ever to develop a Facebook and Instagram ad strategy. Whether it’s announcing a new menu item, offering a coupon, trying to drum up delivery orders, or sharing customer content, paid Facebook and Instagram ads can increase brand awareness, keep your restaurant top of mind, and help you garner new business. Want to really shine? Make sure to follow these food photography tips for social media.
Food Delivery
You might not think of food delivery as a marketing effort, but if you use a delivery service like UberEats or Postmates, your restaurant will end up getting some significant attention. As more and more consumers move to online ordering and delivery, getting some skin in the food delivery game can mean profit growth from a new base. Plus, since many of the apps offer loyalty rewards for frequent customers, your customers can take advantage of those deals at no cost to you.
Review Management
One of the first places many people look before choosing a restaurant is the reviews, so it makes sense to keep these review sites in mind as you create a restaurant marketing plan for the year. In addition to optimizing your restaurant’s Yelp page with updated photos and links to the website and menu, you may also want to consider responding to all reviews—especially the bad ones. Remember, in addition to good food, diners are looking for transparency and authenticity, so be as forthright and sincere as possible. You can even run ads through Yelp!
Whether you’re looking for potential restaurant marketing ideas or menu engineering and design tips, contact us today. Our dedicated staff has nearly a century of experience helping restaurants throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California promote their business through custom solutions tailored to their specific needs.