Pro tips for effective restaurant marketing

Unless your restaurant is in the perfect location to pull in passersby with the smell of garlic and butter, making great food isn’t enough. Even the world’s most highly regarded Michelin-starred restaurants invest a lot of time and money into marketing.

Cooking is an art. And believe it or not, so is marketing. It’s the art of communicating what makes your food special – and that’s what gets diners through the door.

If you don’t yet know how to promote a restaurant, don’t worry. You already have two key ingredients: knowing what makes your spot stand out and the motivation to bring in new customers. Beyond that, creating the perfect restaurant marketing plan just takes a bit of strategy, and we’re here to walk you through it.

What are good restaurant marketing strategies made of?

You know what makes a signature dish good, but what about a marketing strategy? Efficient marketing isn’t just about putting the word out. It’s about connecting with customers to keep them coming back. Here’s what a solid plan can do for restaurant owners:

• Establish a restaurant brand: Unless you run the only Italian spot in town, your cuisine’s category isn’t enough to make you stand out. You need a well-defined brand identity that tells the world what your establishment is. Creating a marketing plan can help define important aspects of this identity, such as color scheme, voice, font choices, and overall aesthetic vibe.
• Find your target audience: Vegans aren’t going to hit up a traditional BBQ spot, and spicy food haters will probably avoid a taco joint specializing in hot sauces. A marketing plan can help you identify who your food is for and reach these potential customers. Maybe your strategy will include asking for a feature from a BBQ food blogger or partnering with a local influencer to talk about what makes your tacos authentic. Don’t try to make your restaurant work for everyone – focus your efforts on the people who are most likely to love it.
• Build a community: The most effective marketing happens online, especially on social media, where entire communities form around shared interests. Extending your presence to these spaces allows you to talk directly with customers, answer questions and run promotions and events. Targeted digital marketing campaigns help expand your community and garner interest through virtual word of mouth. Re-sharing user-generated content and using hashtags will help further your reach on these platforms.

6 marketing strategies for the restaurant industry

Now you know why you need a marketing strategy. But where do you start? Welcome to “How to Market Restaurants 101” – a quick rundown of the six basic restaurant marketing ideas you need to get your strategy off the ground:

1. Get on social media

We already covered the community aspect of social media, but it’s also full of marketing opportunities. Boost reach through influencer partnerships, run promotions and giveaways, get attention when loyal customers tag your profile, and show off high-quality photos and videos of your food. You can interact with followers and share important info like hours, location, and current menus. Put a Linktree URL in your social media bios to redirect viewers to your menu, website, and other info to make it easy for followers to learn everything they want to know.

2. Create a restaurant website

Social media marketing is a major part of developing an online presence, but a website gives your restaurant even more validity and visibility. We all turn to the internet when we want more information, and if someone searches for your spot and can’t find it, they may wonder if it even exists. A website is also the perfect place to host your menu, contact information, news, and stellar customer reviews. Website builders offer plenty of aesthetically pleasing, easy-to-use templates to get you started.

3. Make the most of email marketing tools

When people are sitting around on a Friday afternoon wondering where to go for dinner, a well-timed email from a favorite restaurant can seem like a hint from the universe. Invite customers to sign up for your email newsletter to stay in the loop about new menu items, promotions, and special events like chef takeovers. Sweeten the deal by offering a little something nice on diners’ birthdays, like a discount or a free dessert.

4. Get on food delivery apps

Delivery services can help expand your market by getting your restaurant out in front of people who might not have otherwise found it. Food delivery apps are popular with solo diners, families, and big groups who want something quick and yummy delivered to their door. If they have a good dining experience at home, they’re more likely to pop in for an in-person meal.

5. Claim your Google Business profile

Google may have already gathered some of the basics to share with people who search up your restaurant name. But claiming your Google Business profile gives you a little more control – you can ensure Google Maps has the correct address, update the restaurant’s hours and phone number, share photos and collect positive reviews. You’ll even have the option to allow reservation booking and online ordering right from the search results.

6. Give incentives

Dining out gets expensive, so it’s a treat many people save for special occasions. Offer discounts to make the experience more affordable to patrons on a budget. You can blast out offers to your email list, post on social media, and advertise on your website. Buy-one-get-one-free deals may encourage new customers to come in with friends or partners. Beverage deals like complimentary mimosas with brunch may be enough to entice the cost-conscious to drop some money on a meal. You could also try a loyalty program, like gifting customers their fifth burrito for free.

Whatever marketing techniques you use, make them personalized and clear. And stick to a streamlined plan – it’s easier to see what works when you’re not trying several different tactics simultaneously.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t get on all the apps and delivery services you can. Diversifying marketing channels is great for business. But the best way to advertise a restaurant is through authentic connections that feel true to your brand.