Take Off Your Restaurant With The Power Of Marketing
A few years ago if you had a restaurant you would list it on Google, you would make a Facebook page and maybe invest in traditional marketing(brochures, radio advertising etc.). Today, unfortunately, these are not enough. We live in a digital world that runs at a fast pace and in years 2023 we are talking about niche marketing, restaurant marketing. here you go; Yes, even if your business is a restaurant you should give a lot of importance to marketing and especially digital marketing(digital marketing). May be “uncharted waters” but really they are simple moves that can give your business a boost, increase your bookings and profits. To be able to help as much as possible we will take things in order. In this article we will see what is restaurant marketing, why it's important to have restaurant expertise but also strategies you can use to build a great presence and of course increase your revenue. What is Restaurant Marketing?; Restaurant marketing is a plan that helps restaurant owners increase their sales and profits. The goal is to attract customers to the restaurant. Restaurant marketing strategies include advertising, Offers, customer service, the menu design, the invoicing etc. But there are many other ways mainly focusing on digital marketing. Why it is important to have a restaurant marketing strategy; If you want to attract visitors(and profits), you need to promote your restaurant. This is much easier to achieve through an organized restaurant marketing strategy. The good thing is that you don't have to spend a fortune to start advertising your restaurant. Especially through digital marketing there are many ways to do it for free or for little money and very efficiently. These ways include social media, SEO, email marketing etc. which we will mention in detail below. 22 Tactics for successful restaurant marketing 1. Add Booking Links to Google Business We imagine how you have already listed your restaurant on Google. If you haven't, you might want to do it…yesterday! The reason is simple: Who doesn't Google to find something; In fact, restaurants and eateries may be at the top of searches on Google Maps. So if you've listed on Google Business, you've done a great job. But let's take it a step further. Google Business offers several features, such as adding contact numbers, hours and website. It also offers the possibility to have a reservation system. This is done by entering a link in the field “reservations”. This is a great way for your potential guests to make their reservation instantly, without procrastination and without effort. It has been observed that there is an increase up to 20% to online bookings with this simple addition. We Greeks may not be fully familiar with Google reservations, but abroad it is used a lot. So., if you have a restaurant in a tourist area you have an extra reason to add the reservation option right away. 2. Upgrade your website If you don't have a website we suggest you create one. A website enhances the image of your business(Yes, even if you have a restaurant) and shows reliability and professionalism. Add or update your website with the menu, your opening hours and location. This is the main information customers look for from a restaurant website. But don't stop there. Add photos and videos. Be sure to update regularly about menu changes and offers if you have them. Encourage visitors to subscribe to your email list so you can use email marketing as well. End, don't forget to add an online booking system to make it easier for someone to book. 3. Use email marketing (that works) You may have heard the suggestion of adopting email marketing before, and it's very likely that you're wondering how it works for a restaurant.. Email marketing is a great customer connection tool used by many companies, small and large, in all branches. Email marketing helps convert regular customers into loyal customers of your business. And look at it like that: Simply sending a polite and interesting email once or twice a month won't hurt anyone. also, not being commonly used by restaurants gives you a great advantage! What to include in this email; Send your news, a change to the menu that you suggest they try, even some prescription. You can also send offers or coupons to those on your email list. This will motivate more customers to leave their email. 4. Email on holidays and birthdays This tactic is related to the previous one, but we will develop it a little more because it is worth it. Why; Because we have associated name holidays and birthdays with going out and eating. In fact, on certain days, people may want to go a little outside the budget to celebrate. So this is no ordinary email. To be able to send email you must first record the name and date of birth(the date is also not necessary) so that you have the data available. Ideally if you have a CRM management system you can record your customer details. Send them a personalized email 1 with 2 weeks before their big day so they can keep you in mind if they want to celebrate. If you offer something more special that day (e.g. some sweet) let them know. End, you can make them some offer. If you think you might be annoying with your email think how many people are looking to see what they will be doing on their birthday or holiday. So they'll be happy to open the email, and maybe you'll get them out of a sticky situation. If they don't want to they will just pass it by. In general, you have nothing to lose. You can follow the same tactic if you use SMS marketing. 5. Use Online Booking Platforms Online booking platforms have been a very popular tool in recent years. Not only abroad but also in Greece. It is used quite a lot in large…