The restaurant business is a notoriously challenging one. The industry is widely known for all the wrong reasons, as approximately 60% of restaurants close within their first year of operation, and the same goes for almost 80% in the first five years. High expenses and costs, failed marketing attempts, and the addition of new competitors every day make operations extremely difficult.
Some restaurants or chains are simply too iconic to suffer from the fear of underperformance or closing. For your small-business restaurant, however, you’re always looking for ways to increase sales and establish yourself as a legitimate option for diners. At beMarketing, we specialize in supplying restaurants with unrivaled marketing plans that drive tangible success in the digital era. Below, we’ve compiled 3 integral strategies that every restaurant needs to consider to succeed.
Modern Website:
Your website is the center of all digital marketing activities. The goal for all angles of your restaurant marketing campaign is for customers to ultimately land on your website so that they can peruse your menu, order delivery, or book a reservation! If potential diners arrive at your website and it’s out-dated, unresponsive, or… just flat-out ugly, you could be unintentionally losing customers and turning down business. Create a stunning website that represents your delicious food and matches the vibe of your restaurant. You’ll need to make sure that it’s simple to use, it’s fast, and it contains relevant content like blogs or images.
SEO, SEO, SEO:
According to SEMRush, the term “restaurants” was ranked the 22nd most frequently searched term on Google this past year, while “restaurants near me” was ranked the 35th. People want to know the best places to eat, the best places for take-out, and the restaurants that are the most popular in their location or while traveling. For your restaurant to attract customers and drive sales, you need optimized content that is:
- Location-specific: Both for attracting locals and tourists, location SEO plays an immeasurable role in restaurant marketing. Google searches for keywords implemented on website content to find the most relevant restaurants based on where people are. If someone is visiting your town, or if someone’s looking for new restaurants in their hometown, make sure your restaurant is there to greet them.
- Niche-specific: What does your restaurant specialize in? If you are a pizza place, your keywords should be specific to America’s favorite cuisine! Try optimizing your web content or social media with “pizza places near me” or “best pizza in Philadelphia.” Be the first to appear online for the people who are craving your specialty.
Be a “Social” Butterfly:
You’ve probably heard many times before that social media is one of the key digital marketing strategies for the restaurant industry. It’s no secret why that idea is so prevalent. Billions of people interact within social media platforms every day, and countless studies are consistently showing that social media has a tremendous influence on brand awareness, brand identity, and customer opinion. For your restaurant, these three traits are ultimately what will convince customers to choose you over your competitors. Here are some strategies to take your restaurant’s social media presence to the next level:
- Engage: People on social media are essentially the same as their in-person selves. They want to communicate, express ideas, and have a sense of belonging to a community. Create social content that provokes ideas or questions, have customers submit their reviews of your food, and share them. The opportunities to connect with both regulars and new customers are endless.
- Visuals: If your restaurant is a television show, your food is the star. Social media enables you to present your food items in the most appealing way possible. Specifically, Instagram is a visually-focused app that encourages snapshots of your classic creations. Beyond your food, show your staff and your chefs. People love to see behind the scenes of their favorite restaurants and to see the great people who prepare their food.
Are you ready to build a digital media presence that your competitors are envious of? Connect with beMarketing today and partner with an experienced team of digital marketing professionals who are consistently leading the charge in emerging media. We help to get customers inside of your stores so that you can focus on ingredients, recipes, and building your empire.