Restaurant marketing plans for the future

Has there ever been a better time for marketing restaurants? With traditional methods like newspaper and radio advertising mixing with digital platforms including instagram, apps and blogging, there are many exciting ways to promote your restaurant. Here are some you might not even have thought of for your restaurant marketing plan.

Find yourself

Before you start with your restaurant marketing plans, ask yourself what’s the story of your restaurant. After all, similar ingredients are probably used in most establishments, but if you have an identity, this will come through in everything from how you prepare and serve your food to your decor and menus. What makes your restaurant different? This is a unique selling point that can set your establishment apart from the competition and use for your marketing management.

Multiple advertising channels

Restaurants should use approximately 80% of their marketing budget for digital marketing and 20% for traditional advertising including print, radio, television, billboards etc. You need to make goals when you consider implementing a plan for your restaurant marketing. And the good thing about digital marketing is that you can gauge the effectiveness of your marketing, including how many visits you received to your website and how many likes you got on your Facebook post.

Be on trend

If you are looking for a way to help establish the cool factor for your restaurant, you should remain aware of trends on different platforms. Cinemagraphs for example, are like GIFs but with only one part of the picture that moves. It looks like a photograph but it has an element that moves continuously. Think of a waiter pouring coffee with just the liquid moving. These are cutting-edge images and can be used on the Internet, websites or social media posts. They show customers your offering in an appealing way.

  • Promote yourself with Insta: Instagram is well-suited for publicising restaurants. It can showcase food and restaurant interiors like few others can do. Appeal to customers to post meals with your hashtag by rewarding them with a discount or a dessert.
  • Contact local food bloggers and influencers: With the Internet being so prevalent and important to restaurants, influencers and bloggers wield considerable power. You can use their existing brand to help promote yours by leveraging off their platform.
  • There’s an app for that: Food apps are another more recent technology that you can use for your marketing plan. With several of these apps available to point patrons in the direction of the nearest restaurants, owners need to take advantage by getting their establishment listed.

We may have given you some ideas for restaurant marketing, but don’t forget that your establishment’s success hangs on the food that you serve and your customers’ experience at your restaurant. For more holistic advice on how to run a successful restaurant, check out our e-book.

Author: Rudi Badenhorst

Customer experience Food trends Menu design Menu ideas Menu tips Restaurant restaurant industry restaurant trends