The Importance of Efficient Promotion for Restaurant Owners and Managers
26 Mar, 2015 |
There can be no doubt that we live in an age of marketing where it is not simply enough to have the best restaurant in town, with the most excellent décor, with the greatest chef in the area or even with the absolutely best food that a person can hope to eat. If a restaurant is to be successful, it is essential that it is promoted smartly and efficiently and that is exactly what we will be talking about here.
Offline (traditional) promotion methods
Before the emergence of internet as the alpha and omega of promotion and expanding of customer base, there were various offline, more traditional promotional methods that still work today. Do not listen to doomsayers who say that online marketing can help. Traditional techniques still work to this day.
Advertising in Local Media
Advertising in local media still gets the job done. There are still plenty of people who read newspapers, who watch local TV stations, who listen to local radio. There is still quite a lot of be accomplished by taking out adds and air time in these types of local media. Of course, there is still need to be innovative and to have creative ideas that will catch people’s eyes and ears. Just, do not discard these from the get-go.
Guerrilla Marketing
If you are unfamiliar with the term guerrilla marketing, it is about time that you learn about this relatively novel way of marketing, which entails practices that are not mainstream and which pique people’s interest in your restaurant. These include getting murals painted around the neighborhood by local artists, or using exceptionally creative posters that will get people interested in your restaurant. You can, perhaps, send free meals to local businesses with just your card sent to them with the food. It’s important that you get people talking about your restaurant.
Organize Events
Another great way to promote your restaurant is to organize small events that will entice people to try your restaurant out. You can, for instance, organize a movie night for the customers, with very reduced price, providing them with a dinner and a show. Or, you can organize special events on certain holidays. For instance, doing a particularly romantic menu for Valentine’s Day, perhaps with additional entertainment thrown in.
Online promotion methods
Of course, you must never forget about the power of the internet when it comes to promoting your restaurant. More and more people are finding their information and new businesses online and this is true for restaurants as well.
So, what can you do?
Have the best website around.
When people hear about a new restaurant, one of the first things they do is check whether the restaurant has a website. The goal here is to have the most attractive and alluring website you can get. The web design for your site needs to be in tune with what your restaurant is all about. If it is an elegant place that offers fine dining, your web design needs to reflect this with sleek lines and toned-down appeal. If your restaurant is more playful, then by all means, let your website be playful as well.
Use Social Media
Facebook and Twitter have become great allies for everyone who runs a business and a restaurant is business just like any other, in the end. Your restaurant needs to be present on Twitter and Facebook, as well as other, less famous social networks. Share photos of your restaurant and your meals, perhaps even share a recipe or two. You can also post videos on YouTube, for instance. You can have your chefs talk about their influences, their favorite foods, perhaps do some instructional videos. It is important that people talk about your restaurant.
Take Advantage of Directories
Local directories and directories that emphasize the food industry can also be great ways for you to promote your restaurant. These act like the yellow pages of the web and it is very easy to register with them. Moreover, a very big percentage of these will let you present your restaurant for free, which is always a plus. Once you are registered, people will more easily find out about you, your website and your restaurant.
Closing word
The best thing that you can do is to make all of these different promotion methods work in unison, providing the general public with a notion of your restaurant as the place to be, a truly special dining destination in your town. Of course, never forget about the things that truly make a restaurant great – food, customer service and atmosphere.
