Restaurant Marketing Strategies 101

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There are over 1 million restaurants in the United States.

The restaurant industry is a fierce and competitive landscape. About 60% of new restaurants go out of business in their first year. The odds of failure rise to 80% by a restaurant's fifth anniversary.

If you're a restaurant owner, you're no doubt wondering what you can do to increase business. Digital technology has transformed how marketing works.

Offering delicious dishes alone is no longer enough. Nor is relying on word-of-mouth advertising. Much of the success of a restaurant comes down to how it handles its marketing strategy.

In this article, we'll explore the top restaurant marketing strategies that will help you succeed in the industry.

Restaurant Marketing Strategies That Bring Success

No one way of marketing will fit every restaurant.

Restaurant advertising is as much about building a brand and selling to a buyer persona, as it is about taking advantage of recent advances in technology. Every restaurant is unique and so will require a unique approach to how it handles its marketing.

Here are some of the best marketing ideas and strategies that will help give your Florida restaurant a boost in sales.

1. Optimize Your Website

Your restaurant should have a website and be optimized for mobile devices. If it isn't yet, that's a grave error. Over 80% of customers search for a restaurant on their smartphone.

Your website offers a prospective customer a peek into your restaurant. They should be able to browse the menu and find your restaurant's hours of operation with ease.

Other important features your website should include are:

• Newsletter sign-up
• Button for ordering online or placing pickup orders
• Button for reservations
• Social media icons
• Links to gift cards or a rewards program

Every restaurant likes its wait staff to upsell. Your website should work to do the same.

2. Join Social Networks

Instagram continues to be an immense and popular social media platform. Over 1 billion people use Instagram every month.

One of the best restaurant promotional tactics you can engage in is posting beautiful visuals of your dishes. If you're able to create visual content that is stunning and makes people's mouths water, you'll be fast on your way to drawing in new customers.

Many people also enjoy posting pictures of their meals to social media. If your restaurant is well known for delivering dishes that are aesthetic masterpieces, you'll be able to tap into the foodie market.

Twitter is another platform that shouldn’t be overlooked.

You can use Twitter to offer special promotions. For example, a customer could mention the Twitter promo to get a free appetizer.

Twitter has what are called hashtags. These hashtags allow you to group tweets onto the same channel. Other people who search for the hashtag will see these tweets, and can also partake in tweeting on the hashtag.

Your restaurant can use a hashtag (example: #RestaurantName) to host chats and help spread promotional events.

3. SEO Content Marketing

Adding a blog to your website can help generate an increase of 434% in traffic.

Content marketing with a blog gives you a strategic approach to how you market your business. The goal is to create valuable and relevant content that your target audience is interested in. This content then helps to drive customer action, such as visiting your restaurant on a special 1/2 off margarita day or double loyalty points day.

To ensure your content ranks high in the SERPs (search engine result pages), you must use SEO. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is what helps Google decide how to rank your website.

It isn't enough to have a website anymore. You must make use of targeted keywords, topical authority, and build backlinks to help improve your site's ranking. 

The first page of search results captures around 71% of traffic. Second-page results drop far lower, earning about 6% of views.

If your website isn't ranking on the first page, it may as well not even exist.

4. Restaurant Renovation

Curb appeal is another essential factor in marketing your restaurant. People aren't looking for just good food. They're interested in the entire dining experience.

Your restaurant needs to offer something unique to its diners. Whether it's the outside landscaping that wows visitors or the inside motif that stuns diners, your restaurant will attract more business if its aesthetics are pleasing to the eye.

Restaurant windows are an investment you shouldn't overlook. If you're in the Florida area, hurricanes remain an ever-present danger. If your restaurant has impact windows, your establishment will have improved safety and security.

5. Delivery Services

Customer's today look for convenience. Delivery services offer customers the food they want without the required travel.

By partnering with a delivery service, you open your business up to the possibility of being discovered by new customers. Some of the delivery services you can partner with include:

• GrubHub
• Foodler
• Seamless
• Delivery

One group you’ll be able to tap into with delivery services is tourists. 

Many out-of-state people who are vacationing in an area spend the entire day visiting attractions and shopping. When they return to their hotel at the end of the day, they’re tired and maybe don’t want to try and navigate through traffic in an unfamiliar area. This is what makes hopping online and ordering delivery so appealing for many people.

Partner with a delivery service, and you’ll see your sales increase.

Keep It Modern

As technology continues to evolve and affect every aspect of our lives, restaurants will need to learn to adapt as well.

Traditional marketing, like word-of-mouth, still works. However, this tactic alone is no longer enough to fuel a successful business. Restaurant marketing strategies now require a more comprehensive approach.

Continual Growth is Key!

It's important for a restaurant to have a website that's appealing to the eyes and easy to navigate, be involved in social media, offer promotional deals and events, and more. By combining various tactics into a core marketing strategy, your business will strengthen its chance for longterm success.

Learn more in our free growth guide for your  Florida Restaurant!

Don't forget to better market your restaurant's space by retrofitting new impact glass windows to improve curb appeal. Alco is a trusted installer you can rely on.

Contact us today to get long-lasting, beautiful windows installed for your restaurant.