Six Marketing Strategies Every Restaurant Should Implement

Introduction

    While the statement that 90% of restaurants shut within the first year may be a myth, it is true that about 30% fail within the first year, while 60% within the second. This 30%-60%, however, is still significantly high. Customers are the bedrock of your restaurant business. Every single customer that visits has a role to play in pushing your business forward.

As a restaurant owner, you might be busy and overwhelmed in figuring out what works and what doesn’t for your business. Staying on top of your competitors, keeping up with trends, and managing social media and marketing is tedious. There is a need to leverage your skills and tactics to ensure smooth operation and high turnover for your business. That’s where we come in. A cookie cutter approach to your business might not work and you might not even have to employ all the tactics to grow your business. For example, a fine dining restaurant’s marketing strategy is different from a fast-food restaurant business strategy as each caters to a different set of customers.

There are several reasons a restaurant might fail. Let’s explore some of the most common ones:

Insufficient Marketing

One of the biggest mistakes a restaurant owner can make is not investing enough in marketing. It is not possible for a restaurant to survive without marketing, given the competitive landscape. Successful restaurants often have an integrated marketing plan that gives customers different ways to discover, access, and interact with them. Most restaurants can’t get by on word of mouth alone. In 2022, Canada had 97,569 food and drink establishments. Before COVID, the restaurant and accommodation industry employed 1.2 million people in Canada; however, over two-thirds of food service businesses operated at a loss in January 2021. Read more about it here.

Also read: How long-term brand building and marketing work for a small business? 

Poor Leadership and Lack of Experience

For someone new to the business, owning a restaurant can seem like a simple task. However, it’s the furthest thing from a cookie-cutter job. Unlike most businesses, restaurants are systems made up of people with very diverse skills roles, so strong leadership is essential to make them work together. When that is lacking, everything else will come crashing down.

Staff Problems

Your staff plays a huge role in your restaurant’s health and long-term profitability. Efficient waitstaff, friendly servers, and competent management can help overcome other areas your restaurant lacks. On the flip side, rude or untrustworthy staff can bleed your restaurant dry. They can drive away customers, leech out your inventory, or even drink away all the alcohol at your bar

So, What is Restaurant Marketing?

In absolute basic terms, restaurant marketing refers to the strategies and tactics that restaurant owners use to promote their business and attract customers.

Restaurant marketing creates loyalty, provides Data for Research, and allows restaurants to gain a better understanding of their ideal customer profile. It utilizes all customer channels: guest WiFi, website, social, ratings sites, mobile apps, email, text, and advertising.

In today’s culinary landscape in North America, the industry has taken on an unprecedented amount of debt; 80 per cent of Canadian restaurants, took on new debt over the Covid pandemic, with 44% of independent full-service restaurants having taken on debt between $50,000-$100,000, and another 34% with debt greater than $100,000.

In such a scenario after Covid, it is imperative to go beyond offering delicious food and impeccable service. Restaurants must strategically promote their brand, engage with customers, and differentiate themselves from competitors. In earlier days, relying on traditional print media like billboards, print ads and direct mail was the way to go. However, times have changed and with the rise of Social Media and reliance on Restaurant Marketing Agencies, restaurant owners are increasingly relying on social media marketing to promote their business.

In this blog, we will explore 6 detailed marketing strategies to help restaurants thrive in a competitive market based on your marketing objective.

Harness the Power of Social Media to Create Engagement

If you are a new quick service restaurant (QSR), cafe, pub, or casual dining restaurant and want to grow your following on social media through word of mouth, using social media platforms like Instagram is the way to go.

1. Create visually stunning content: Share high-quality photos and videos of your dishes, ambiance, and behind-the-scenes moments to captivate your audience.
2. Engage with followers: Respond promptly to comments and messages, run polls and contests, and encourage user-generated content to foster community engagement.
3. Collaborate with influencers: Partner with local food bloggers, chefs, and social media personalities to amplify your reach and credibility.
4. Utilize targeted advertising: Leverage social media advertising tools to reach specific demographics and promote special offers or events.
5. Encourage user-generated content: Create branded hashtags and encourage customers to share their dining experiences on social media, tagging your restaurant.

Apart from these tactics, there are several other ways to up your social media game. Find them here.

Optimize Your Restaurant’s Website and Drive Traffic

1. Develop a user-friendly website: Ensure your restaurant’s website is mobile-responsive, easy to navigate, and optimized for search engines to improve visibility.
2. Implement online reservations: Offer convenient online booking options to streamline the reservation process for customers.
3. Showcase your restaurant menu: Provide detailed descriptions, mouth-watering images, and pricing information to entice visitors and encourage exploration.
4. Collect customer feedback: Incorporate feedback forms or surveys on your website to gather insights and improve the dining experience.

Sweet Jesus in Ontario, Canada has a vibrant, user-friendly website that showcases its mouth-watering sweet delights and also gives the visitor an option of joining their mailing list.

Cultivate Customer Loyalty and Retention

1. Launch a loyalty program: Reward repeat customers with points, discounts, or exclusive perks to incentivize future visits.
2. Personalize communications: Tailor email newsletters, promotions, and special offers based on customers’ preferences and past behaviour.
3. Celebrate milestones: Recognize and celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions with personalized messages or exclusive offers.
4. Solicit feedback and act on it: Encourage customers to share their opinions and suggestions, and demonstrate that you value their input by implementing changes based on their feedback.

Starbucks, one of the most popular coffee brands worldwide, revolutionized the game by focusing on customer loyalty.

You can read more about our blog on customer retention here.

Leverage Email Marketing

1. Build and segment your email list: Collect email addresses through your website, social media, and in-person interactions, and segment your list based on demographics, preferences, and behavior.
2. Send targeted campaigns: Create tailored email campaigns featuring promotions, events, and exclusive offers to drive engagement and conversions.
3. Automate follow-up sequences: Set up automated email sequences to welcome new subscribers, re-engage inactive customers, and nurture leads through the sales funnel.
4. Monitor performance metrics: Track open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to measure the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts and refine your strategies accordingly.

A more comprehensive guide to email marketing is here, and here.

Streamline Online Ordering and Restaurant Delivery

1. Partner with delivery platforms: Collaborate with third-party delivery services or develop your own online ordering system to offer convenient delivery options for customers. Ontario has several options like Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes, and DoorDash, amongst others.
2. Optimize menu for delivery: Adapt your menu items and packaging to ensure they travel well and maintain quality during delivery.
3. Provide real-time tracking: Offer customers visibility into the status of their orders and estimated delivery times to enhance transparency and manage expectations.
4. Collect feedback and iterate: Solicit feedback from customers about their delivery experience and use their input to optimize your processes and improve customer satisfaction

Analyze and Track Restaurant Performance

1. Track key performance indicators: Monitor metrics such as Website Traffic, social media engagement, reservation numbers, and customer feedback to measure the impact of your marketing efforts.
2. Identify areas for improvement: Use data-driven insights to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and prioritize areas for optimization.

Conclusion

In the dynamic and competitive world of restaurant marketing, success hinges on creativity, innovation, and strategic execution. 80% of Canadian restaurants had to take on debt during the pandemic. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 80% of Canadian restaurants have debt, with almost two-thirds of these companies saying they will need at least 1.5 years to recover. Read more about it here.

By harnessing the power of social media, optimizing your online presence, cultivating customer loyalty, and curating memorable dining experiences, your restaurant can stand out. It can attract new customers and thrive in a crowded market. With a comprehensive approach, you can position your restaurant for long-term success and create lasting connections with diners near and far.

To discuss business growth strategies for small businesses and how we can help your restaurant business scale new heights, contact us at Atrybe Inc.