12 Restaurant Marketing Strategies to Boost Your Profits

In the past two decades the hospitality sector has become progressively competitive, especially with small-to-big restaurant chains mushrooming everywhere. But, still, the food-related industry is booming with big profit margins.

There are several reasons those suggest starting a diner is a great venture. The cost associated with setting up the restaurant is quite manageable only if you know your goals.

Marketing a Food Establishment Is a Big Challenge

Whether you have worked in the food service sector previously or even a layman would know that competition in this industry can be cut-throat. Additionally, with rapidly evolving trends, it is baffling to keep your restaurant at the forefront of your visitors’ minds. The toughest task is maintaining the harmony between acquiring new customers & retaining the old ones.

Today, we’ll take a look at the twelve best return marketing strategies to improve your bottom line-

1. Set Up Business Account on Google Or Claim Your Listing

The first step you need to take when chalking out a marketing plan for your restaurant is set up my Google account. Rather than explaining how the Google listing is done, it is imperative to know what Google My Business is. When someone searches for restaurants in your geographical location, your business will show in the sidebar with complete information provided by Google. This information is obtained by the search from the Google+ account free of cost and has high visibility. You can also claim your business and how it appears on the search engine.

2. Good Customer Service Cannot Be Overlooked

This is the fundamental aspect of restaurant marketing strategies, in fact, the key to greater customer retention. Building a loyal customer base plays a massive role in boosting restaurant profits. Customer service comes from getting feedback from whosoever dining at your place. Have a quick form to fill at the payment counter to know where your restaurant is lacking, is the taste of the food, the ambience or how the serving ability. Happy customers are not only loyal customers but also your marketers wherever they go.

3. Food Photos Is a Powerful Marketing Weapon

Food photos, the Pizzas or the Marconi they all have an uncanny ability to drive the attention of all foodies out there. Publish mouth-watering pictures of a wide spectrum of dishes on your business site, also on many social media platforms. Along with the prepared food you can highlight how hygienic the food is, quality ingredients used, along with explaining how skillful your team of chefs is.

4. Use the Geotargeting Feature To Draw People To Your Place

Why reach out to people those who don’t reside within your operational region. With Geotargeting feature you will able to target a specified customer base, thus ensuring your marketing efforts is worthwhile.

5. Your Instagram Profile Is Your Business Face

There are several stories of so many restaurants operational over Instagram. They have a dedicated business page; taking orders online and deliver them to the customers’. So, if restaurants with no physical presence are thriving, why not yours. You can also run marketing campaigns over Instagram, such as special events, discounts and so much more. Social media marketing for restaurants requires time and resources to drive measurable results. Social media marketing is not an overnight venture, be a constraint with your plan and gradually you will start to get results. Just like Instagram, Facebook marketing for restaurants is another important marketing tool to bring people to your restaurant.

6. Email Marketing is An Important Restaurant Marketing Strategy

Just like email marketing is so indispensable to corporate success; your restaurant business is not far behind. Stay in touch with your customers via their emails. Every now and then make them aware of the latest offerings at your establishments-chef’s specials. But, to retain customers, you require a solid email marketing strategy. Follow one rule of thumb that send newsletter not more than one or two each other, otherwise your customers’ will unsubscribe and this further will lower your restaurant image in the area.

7. Monitor Your Restaurant Reputation

Keep track of your establishment’s reputation over Google and several social media channels. You can also set up Google alerts to get news or the latest happenings related to your restaurant. Whenever there is a positive review on Google reviews platform, don’t feel timid to share it on your restaurant’s social media pages.

8. Reach out To Bloggers and Communities

Connect with local bloggers and communities. This is a key towards establishing your brand credibility in the market. Request top bloggers to dine at your place and provide with the genuine review, this is best spread the word about your restaurant in the locality. Post regularly on communities, build a connection with foodies. This way you will be able to go a long in stamping your business authority in the region.

9. Online Menu

In today’s age, people don’t have enough time to call the restaurant or visit the place when they have two plans of dining at their house or uninvited guests to attend. Most of the people just surf the Internet for a few moments and order food to their place, so if your restaurant isn’t accepting orders online you are missing on orders daily. Regularly update the menu and publish special deal daily, this will help you build a credible restaurant’s image.

10. Mobile Friendly Website is Crucial

Smartphones are making our lives convenient, now can do so much just with the tapping of your fingers, right from shopping online or ordering food. So, the need of the hour is to have a mobile-friendly restaurant site. This will present your customers the freedom to place their food order even on the move. Here, you probably require the expertise of a backend developer who can update the code to ensure your customers have wonderful browsing experience on their phones.

11. Run Loyalty Program For Your Customers

Do you know the cost of acquiring a new customer is much more than retaining? So, why not offer points to customers every time they visit your restaurant, these points can be redeemed in the form of special deals and discounts. You can also partner with a third-party portal to set up a loyalty program. Running a loyalty program is a powerful way to engage your customers and to win over their trust. To run the best restaurant marketing campaigns you will be requiring the expertise of competent marketers having a creative mind to portray your business idea into a winning campaign.

12. Allow online Reservation

Give your customers the freedom to book a table online from the comfort of their home or office. Compete with other diners in the area when it comes to ease of online reservation. You can use online platforms for convenient online table reservations’.

All the above highlighted online marketing for restaurants ways are effective, but efficient implementation is needed. Either you can avail the expertise of a competent digital marketing specialist or master the art of promoting business. So, the ball is in your court you have to make the final call.