Your restaurant may have delectable food, unrivaled service and charming style, but without unique restaurant marketing to reflect these features, no one will ever know.
According to SinglePlatform and Chadwick Martin Bailey, 92 percent of consumers search for restaurants online, and 75 percent of them said they often choose a restaurant based on those search results. Other consumers are looking at their physical or digital receipts for incentives to return.
While most restaurateurs know that it’s important to create a website, Facebook page and Yelp! profile, many of them stop there. What they don’t know is that there are countless more creative ways to drive new and repeat customers.
Here’s a compilation of five unique and unusual restaurant marketing tips you can try to get more customers through your door.
(P.S. For more ideas and strategies to reach customers, check out Restaurant Marketing 101.)
1. Experiment with blogging.
With the right kind of content, a restaurant blog can be an effective way to reach potential customers. The myth about restaurant blogging is that you’ll need to post every day or every week. However, even if you’re only blogging once a month, that one post is building your brand, speaking directly to your customers and keeping your restaurant on guests’ minds.
Share your personal journey as a restaurateur, announce new openings or menu additions and even include lifestyle tips inspired by your food to engage visitors. Continually entice them with more reasons to visit your restaurant.
2. Optimize your website for local customers.
Signing up for Google My Business is absolutely crucial. It’s how you’ll get your restaurant featured on Google Maps so visitors can find directions easily. You should also use location-related keywords on your website like “best Italian food in Michigan,” or “local nightclub and bar in Tampa.” That way, searchers looking for a bite to eat in the area (remember that 92 percent?) will find your restaurant first.
3. Use geotagging on social media.
When you upload a photo to social media (which should be part of your daily routine, whether on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or all of the above), be sure to search for and enter your restaurant location.
Instagram, for example, will compile the photos taken at that location. Once your photo is posted, you can click on your location to see other photos taken by your customers there, and “like” and “comment” on them to build brand recognition.
4. Collect email addresses when customers pay.
Modern point-of-sale systems will give you the option to send different types of receipts: print, email or text message. When a customer requests to have their receipt emailed to them, for example, your restaurant CRM can store their email address; when a customer requests to have their receipt texted to them, it can store their phone number.
Some POS systems also give the customer the option to opt in to your restaurant loyalty program right from the payment screen. With their contact information, you can send targeted marketing campaigns, such as discounts or other offers, to keep them coming back.
5. Include marketing on receipts.
Many restaurateurs don’t realize that receipts are valuable real estate. Next-gen ordering and payment systems allow you to customize the look of your receipt and include special offers, contact information and website information at the bottom. With digital receipts, customers may even be able to rate their experience at your restaurant.
With Toast’s all-in-one POS system, for example, you can collect customer email addresses, include marketing on receipts and integrate online ordering into your website.
The Toast system also contributes to a seamless guest experience, one of the most important factors for restaurant success, as it is cloud-based and allows customers to pay immediately at the table.
Learn more about robust CRM and reporting capabilities by contacting Toast.
This post is sponsored by Toast