Though food will always remain a constant demand, the rise in the number of different restaurants crowding around everywhere makes the restaurant industry no less than a battlefield with all restaurant owners vying for attention. Needless to say, not getting enough customers even if you dish out the best can be detrimental to your business. In this post we will look at 5 restaurant marketing tips that will help you spread the word.
As a restaurateur, spreading the word is as important as serving good food and providing exceptional service. And in this digital era, strutting your stuff online is the quickest way to get a word around!
So here are some tips to help you get started with promoting your restaurant online.
Get a Website
You can’t market your restaurant online without having a website! A website is crucial to any business as it helps establish credibility. Moreover, people all over the world are more likely to check out a product or service online before giving it a try. You’d certainly want people to check out your website and go crazy over your irresistible menu, drool-worthy pictures of your food and the amazing ambience of your restaurant!
Not having a website can put off potential customers, and you certainly don’t want that. People are going to think of you as a big player when they see you have a fine website. And that brings us to the all important points having a fine website!
You need to have a functioning website that is beautifully designed and user-friendly. Make sure that all details related to your restaurant are updated regularly on the website. Furthermore, ensure that your website works just as fine on mobile devices. A majority of people use their smartphones to access the web so it will do you good to design a simple website or create a mobile website.
Be Social Media Savvy
Pinterest and Instagram are great sites to share pictures of your food. Food porn will also work on Facebook and Twitter. Just be sure to time your posts around lunch or dinner time so you get the orders pouring in!
Share your menu, special deals, infographics and more on these sites. A video that highlights the best of your restaurant will also help your business. Consider creating a Facebook page for your restaurant. It is free and you’ll be marketing your restaurant on the largest social networking site!
There are several online communities with members who love food and drinks. Join the best ones and share your valuable content with the members keeping in mind the rules of the community. You can also consider forming your own online community.
Don’t forget to offer a call to action on your website and social media pages. Often, the most successful calls to action are deals and discounts. By making special deals available only for a limited time, you can be sure of getting more orders.
Post Relevant Content
Even before your website is up and running, you need to be ready with relevant content that you can share with your target customers. The relevant content would be articles and stories related to your restaurant and the food you serve.
Also, share articles related to wines, coffee, dining, and more. Establish yourself as an expert in the food industry and write intriguing articles related to food and dining. Do provide expert tips and guidelines too!
Once your website is ready, start sharing blogs on it and keep doing so regularly. Get in touch with local food bloggers and invite them to post on your site. You can also post blogs on their sites and broaden your target base this way.
Optimize Results
You want more people to be aware of your restaurant and you can do this by making sure that your brand is visible enough to everyone. Make a note of all the top directories in your city or country and claim your listings on them. Don’t forget Foursquare, Google Places, Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc.
You also need to adopt SEO techniques for your own website so that you rank higher in search engines. Just having a user-friendly website won’t do; you’ll need to ensure that the titles, descriptions, and tags on your website pages match your content and the information users will be searching for. Fix URL and crawling errors on your site, and make your website fast, reliable, and secure.
Do improve the internal linking structure of your website. Create a sitemap and submit it to top search engines to boost search optimization. Additionally, make sure that the content you post on your website is fresh and unique.
Hire a Consultant
Don’t look at hiring restaurant consultants as an unnecessary expense; hiring professionals for a job that you don’t know much about will definitely work in your favor.
Realize that the restaurant business is complex and that the food industry is relying heavily on the evolving trends of diners. In such a scenario, if you need to stay ahead of the competition, you need to have an insightful approach and plan strategically.
Approaching a consultant might not yield immediate results, but you can be sure of being on the right path!
Conclusion
It might be a tough journey to the top, but there’s no need to worry about the competition you’ll have to face in the restaurant industry. Just get the basics right and you’re sure to be a favorite with everyone.
With the tips mentioned here, you’re sure to market your restaurant online in the best way possible. So get started on spreading the word!
The post 5 Restaurant Marketing Tips to Help You Spread the Word appeared first on Small Business Can.