Marketing Tips for Future-Proofing Your Restaurant Business
The restaurant industry is one of the most resilient industries and I believe that it will bounce back, stronger, better, and more profitable. It's been way too long for humans to stay at home and, somewhere, everyone's craving to eat out. Besides, there's good news against the virus and the race for vaccine looks promising.
Restaurant owners need to work on not only how to keep their brand alive but also to make it stronger for the future. Actually, this is a great time to connect with customers as people are bored sitting and working from home. Moreover, one needs to have a clear strategy on how to be profitable in the post-COVID restaurant industry which will look very different from what it used to be.
Restaurant Owners Strategy - Grab A Bigger Share of A Smaller Pie
Yes, the industry will bounce back but it will take time for it to go back to the same levels of profitability as before. It will take time time to gain consumer confidence for the industry. Customers will start trickling in as the virus recedes, governments ease rules and guidelines, and the economy improves.
It is absolutely important that restaurant owners grab a much bigger share of a vastly reduced pie. Here are some marketing ideas that will help restaurant owners to strengthen their brand and future-proof their business.
Increase your customer connect, keep them engaged
This may sound contrarian but this is a powerful way to make sure that your restaurant brand not only survives but thrives during the pandemic. Most restaurant businesses have stopped all their marketing activities. Customers of the restaurant industry are bored out of their minds sitting at home or working from home with way more time on their hands than they could ever imagine. This is the best time to connect with your existing and future customers as competition is low on social media and your customers are bored. Even simple online and Digital Marketing activities that don't cost much can help you stay engaged with your customers.
cooking videos are a great hit on social media for restaurateurs
Simple cooking videos are a great way to connect with target audiences for the restaurant industry. One doesn't even need expensive equipment as smartphones can capture some great videos. A short, simple cooking video is a powerful social media tool for restaurant owners.
Contests are awesome marketing and engagement tools
Contests are simply an amazing way to connect with your key target audiences. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate or expensive. We ran a contest that got hundreds of responses and thousands of views with a simple naming contest for our client, ShakesBierre. There are multiple ideas of exciting contests that are inexpensive, easy to roll out, and can get huge customer engagements. You could run recipe contests, or you could have naming contests, you could have experience sharing contests and have small giveaways as prizes.
Go viral with your restaurant photos on Instagram and Pinterest
Every restaurant has tons of photos of their dishes, drinks, ambiance, and customers. In our experience, posting photos with short, clever captions and the right hashtags get very good responses on social media. Pull these photos out, pick out the best ones, and start posting them on social media. You will be amazed at the response you will get.
Share recipes on social media
Sharing recipes with your target audience is a great way to connect personally with your followers. You could even come out with a cleverly inspiring hashtag and encourage your social media visitors to use the hashtags while posting their photos.
relook at your restaurant website features
You will be surprised at what your restaurant website can do for your business. Your website will be a key driver as your business picks up and helps you get more customers. Make your restaurant website the center-piece of your marketing strategy by making it more flexible, adding features to it, making it faster, and improving SEO. Check out another blog on F&B website
Revisit your digital marketing strategy
Do an in-depth review of your marketing assets and see where you are spending money. One important aspect of your Digital Marketing strategy should be on whether your restaurant marketing initiatives are covering all major Digital Marketing platforms. Many restaurant owners just cover Facebook and Instagram and do not have a plan for Google My Business, Websites, Search Engine Marketing, and Content Marketing. Covering a larger set of platforms on the internet will help you increase your marketing reach and improve your ROI considerably.
Conclusion - This is a great time and opportunity for restaurant business owners to work on increasing online engagement with their customers and target audience. This can be done easily and inexpensively and will help businesses survive and thrive.