Our clients often say, “my restaurant is different!”. And it is. Your restaurant IS different, especially since you are an Independent. However, the principles of marketing are the same. It doesn’t matter what kind of media you use, how much you spend, or how simple a marketing plan you implement. You need good solid, proven marketing to be successful.
Marketing is a challenge for independent restaurants that don’t have a big budget to throw at it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t compete with the big guys. You just have to get creative. Good marketing doesn’t have to be expensive; it needs to catch more attention than all the other restaurant marketing strategies.
Your Restaurant Marketing Can’t Be Boring.
You need to be competitive in the restaurant business, which means having a solid marketing strategy. Your marketing can’t be boring – it needs to capture your loyal customer’s attention and keep them coming back for more. Here are some tips to get you started.
Everywhere you look, we are bombarded with marketing. Our phones, email, social media, TV, billboards, radio, podcasts, newspapers – it’s a constant barrage. And a lot of it we filter out, so we aren’t overwhelmed by it. You have to stand out from everything else.
So how do you make sure your restaurant stands out?
Simple: by using unique marketing strategies! Not only will an engaging and creative restaurant promotion help draw more attention to your restaurant, but it can also be the difference between meeting your sales goals and not. Plus, when you control the message of your marketing, you control your sales, filling up slower periods and not overwhelming the already busy times.
I hate to tell you this, but the reality is that food is a commodity; there’s no getting away from it. After all, how many different ways is there to sell a burger? Yours may be the best people have ever eaten, but it’s still a burger. (I know that might sting a little but better hearing it from me than your customers.)
That’s where creativity comes in – you have to think outside the box and focus on what you are really selling, which is your memorable dining experience.
It’s what happens around the burger – your atmosphere, your staff, excellent customer service, and your culture that makes your restaurant stand out from the competition. It’s your restaurant’s unique personality. Focusing on that is the way to make sure your message is heard among the noise and create something truly unique to catch someone’s eye. It may differ from how you think marketing is done, but boring just won’t cut it.
How To Make Your Marketing More Interesting
We’ve discovered that the key to attracting customers is to create an experience for people rather than just pushing a sale or offering a discount. Customers spend based on emotion. When you trigger positive emotions and appeal to their wants instead of needs, that’s when marketing works best.
Appealing to emotions creates an emotional connection with customers and builds customer retention. People want to feel valued, and when they connect emotionally with your restaurant, they will be more likely to come back again and again.
When you tap into people’s feelings and wants, you can make them feel like part of something special, which can be a powerful marketing tool. It’s also essential to create an enjoyable experience for customers, so they will want to return and tell their friends about your restaurant.
You never want to compete on price, and you never want to discount someone who is already in your restaurant. While staying professional is important, having a bit of fun can work wonders – like stirring in some humor or taking a different approach from everyone else. Hence, you stand out from the crowd. All too often, marketers try out the same tactics, but being creative and different – while still adhering to solid marketing principles – is how you can get yourself noticed.
Money-Making, NON-Boring Marketing Ideas
Scratch and Win
One client, a family-run Irish Pub, really created sales with their existing loyal customers by giving them a scratch-off promotion to use on their next visit. Every promotion handed out was a winner and created curiosity and surprise.
People brought them back because they wanted to know what they had won. This is adding an experience to your burger, you’re evoking emotions, entertaining people, and it gets WAY more response than giving them a “free soda with every burger.”
If you want this exact promotion for your restaurant, click here- >>DFY Scratch And Win Promotion.
No Peeking
Another locally owned Italian restaurant used a No Peeking promotion during spring. Every customer was given a sealed envelope with a hidden prize they had to return to have it revealed.
If you want this exact promotion for your restaurant, click here- >>DFY No Peeking Promotion
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Tips For Making Your Restaurant Marketing Plan
Creating a simple marketing plan for your restaurant doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it can be broken down into four easy steps that will help you reach your goals and ensure the success of your restaurant:
1. Define Your Goals: Start by setting measurable objectives so that you know what success looks like. Think about what you want to achieve – increased sales, new customers, repeat business, or just more engagement with your existing customers.
2. Identify Your Target Customers: You need to understand who your target audience is so that you can craft messages and content specifically for them. Make sure to consider demographics, interests, and other key factors when identifying who you are trying to reach. You want more customers like your best customers, so use them as your group to define.
3. Choose Tactics: Decide which marketing tactics to focus on. Consider every media form and where your target market will see your message. Existing customers are most likely to respond to marketing directed specifically to them, direct mail, email, text, and in-house marketing. New customers are most likely going to find you online first, so you want to be sure your online reputation is clean, and your online reviews paint a current, positive picture of your restaurant. Choose strategies that will reach your target audience and offer them something intriguing to help you achieve your goals.
4. Measure Your Results: Finally, it’s important to track the success of your marketing efforts so that you know what is working and what isn’t. Make sure to keep an eye on metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, response rates, and sales reports to measure your progress and adjust your tactics as needed.
It’s Time For A Change
If you want to stand out from the competition, you need to make your marketing more interesting. Fortunately, we know how to do just that. We’re experts in ROI-driven marketing. We can help you create a great restaurant marketing plan that includes promotions that captivate your audience, get new customers, and deliver results.
Click the button below to schedule a FREE ($297 Value) Make-You-Money Discovery Session to breathe new life into your business.
Michael Thibault
Known as “The Done For You Marketing Guy for Restaurants.” International Speaker on Restaurant Marketing. Published contributing author of 4 Marketing Books. Industry expert on Google Searches and Review Sites. Recovering Independent Restaurant Owner and Caterer of over 21 years. And, all-around good guy.
